Will having Linux & Windows 7 installed on the same computer slow it down?

Question

Okay, so recently I've been trying to get into computer programming, Internet security, etc. My long-term goal is to become an "ethical hacker" and I heard programming is where I should start. I have also heard that the best way to learn and really get into programming & hacking is through using a Linux-base operating system. Currently my only computer is a Lenovo B575 laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium. I am still very dependent on Windows and do not want to uninstall it. After a little research, it seems as though I can have Windows 7 and Linux installed on the same machine and choose which OS to run via the boot screen. Now, my computer honestly is not that great. I've had it for about a year and-a-half, I've had problems with blue screens in the past, it's clogged up with a lot of junk, etc.

So my question is if I have Linux & Windows 7 installed on the same machine, will it become even more slow or problematic? I know Linux doesn't take a lot to run, so I'm more concerned with how well Windows will run.

Here are the specs of my laptop if it helps:

Lenovo B575 laptop
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium; 64-bit
Processor: AMD e-450 APU w/ Radeon HD Graphics @ 1.65 GHz
RAM: 4 GB (3.6 useable)
Hard Drives: Local Disk (C:) 254 GB & LENOVO (D:) 28.9 GB

Any help is appreciated—thank you!

Answer 1

Hi

Use puppy linux

Fast

Install frugal on the windows partition or on its own linux partition



PS you have a great PC



I use a 15 yr old laptop with puppy, Cpu is 1.6 and 1GB ram ( old desktop ram as laptop format had not been invented), its quicker than my i7 with windows.



Why use windows at all

http://linuxappfinder.com/alternatives

Answer 2

Well it wont really make much of a difference. As when you are dual booting, you only boot 1 OS at a time., so the only thing the other OS will do is take up hdd space. Now taking hdd space can "slow it down" since the closer to the end of the hdd platter that you are, the slower the read/write speeds are. SO essentially the more full your hdd, the slower it will be.



Your computer is slow because it has a shitty cpu and also most all laptops have 5400rpm hdd which is considerably slower then 7200rpm that are standards in desktops. You can buy a 7200rpm hdd if you wanted.



Blue screens are generally caused by hardware problems, or corrupt windows files or bad drivers or a problem with the windows kernel.





And so you know, there is no such thing as a linux os >.>

linux is the kernel, GNU is the OS.

Its often referred to as GNU/linux (the GNU os using the linux kernel). But alot of people call it linux when that is fundamentally wrong.

Answer 3

The first thing to do to speed up pc and get rid of malwares and viruses is cleaning the registry with a program like CCLeaner http://j.mp/UrAC7G

Give it a try.

Hope it helps.