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To dual-boot Ryoku Linux and Windows, boot the Ryoku installer in UEFI mode, create a contiguous unallocated region by shrinking the Windows volume in Windows Disk Management, then choose “Install alongside Windows”. Ryoku preserves existing partitions and installs its boot and root partitions in the free region. Before starting, disable Windows Fast Startup, suspend BitLocker, and disable Secure Boot unless you have enrolled your own keys and understand the unsigned bootloader implications.
Check compatibility and free-space needs
Ryoku supports x86_64 hardware and requires UEFI; it has no legacy BIOS installation path. Its README lists a dual-core 64-bit x86_64 CPU, 4 GB of RAM, a GPU with working KMS and OpenGL or Vulkan, and 32 GB of storage as minimum requirements. For the dual-boot installation itself, plan for a contiguous free region of 2 + 20 + configured swap GiB: 2 GiB for the boot partition, at least 20 GiB for the Btrfs root, and whatever swap allocation you configure. These are Ryoku project specifications, not measured performance requirements (Ryoku project README; Ryoku hardware guide).
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Back up important files before changing partitions. The Ryoku installation pages describe partition and boot safeguards, but do not prescribe a particular backup tool or recovery procedure.
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- Shrink Windows from within Windows. Open Disk Management, right-click the Windows volume, choose the shrink option, and reduce it enough to leave the required unallocated space. Ryoku’s installer can shrink selected NTFS, ext2/3/4, or Btrfs partitions, but its hardware guide describes shrinking the Windows partition in Windows as the safest approach. Ryoku’s FAQ specifically recommends Disk Management before selecting the alongside option (hardware guide; FAQ).
- Disable Fast Startup and fully shut down Windows. A hibernated or Fast-Startup-dirty NTFS volume causes the installer to stop. Do not casually use the installer’s override: the guide warns that Windows Startup Repair may rewrite the partition table after a write made while NTFS is dirty, potentially removing the new Ryoku partitions (hardware guide).
- Suspend BitLocker protection. Partition-table changes can trigger a BitLocker recovery-key prompt. Limine chainloading may also change the measured boot path and cause repeated prompts until protection is suspended and Windows re-seals it. Keep your recovery key available (hardware guide).
Avoid manually resizing, moving, or cleaning files from a nearly full Windows EFI System Partition (ESP). Ryoku handles boot placement according to available ESP space.
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Get the installer and boot it in UEFI mode
- Download the Ryoku ISO along with its signature and checksums from the official project page.
- Write the ISO to a USB flash drive, then restart the computer and select that USB device’s UEFI boot entry. Ryoku’s documentation does not specify a particular drive model or capacity (project README; installation guide).
- Disable Secure Boot unless you have enrolled your own keys and know how to proceed with them. Ryoku’s Limine bootloader ships unsigned, so Secure Boot must otherwise be off (hardware guide).
Choose the alongside installation
- In Ryoku’s guided installer, select the target disk and the “Install alongside Windows” strategy.
- On the review screen, check that the intended disk and the unallocated region are selected before committing. The alongside strategy preserves existing partitions; it creates a 2 GiB FAT boot partition and a Btrfs root in the chosen free region (FAQ; installation guide).
How Ryoku chooses its EFI boot placement
You do not need to choose between the two documented placement modes. Ryoku checks free space in the existing ESP and selects a mode based on an 8 MiB threshold. Both use the new 2 GiB FAT partition and have the same stated overall free-space requirement (hardware guide; installation guide).
| Free space in existing ESP | Ryoku boot placement | Effect on existing ESP |
|---|---|---|
| At least 8 MiB | The new 2 GiB FAT partition serves as XBOOTLDR; Ryoku writes a small static boot hop under /EFI/ryoku/* to the existing ESP. |
Ryoku backs it up and writes the boot hop. It checks the ESP using fsck.fat -a and stops if repair cannot clear it. |
| Less than 8 MiB | The new 2 GiB FAT partition is a dedicated Ryoku ESP. | The existing ESP is not mounted read-write or modified. |
Reboot and check both operating systems
After installation, Ryoku registers a UEFI NVRAM entry and sets it first for the next boot. Confirm Ryoku starts, then verify that Windows is still reachable through Limine or the firmware boot menu. If Limine chainloading causes a Windows startup or BitLocker problem, select Windows Boot Manager directly in the firmware menu; this uses Windows’ existing firmware entry rather than the Limine chainload route (hardware guide).
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Troubleshoot boot and partition problems
- The installer reports dirty or hibernated NTFS: return to Windows, disable Fast Startup, and perform a full shutdown. Do not proceed by overriding the check unless you understand the partition-table risk.
- Windows asks for a BitLocker recovery key: use the recovery key if requested. For recurring problems when starting Windows through Limine, suspend BitLocker protection and try Windows Boot Manager from firmware instead.
- The shared ESP check fails: Ryoku requires at least 8 MiB free for shared XBOOTLDR placement and validates the filesystem before writing. Its dedicated-ESP mode is the documented alternative when the existing ESP has less than 8 MiB free; do not try to create space by manually moving or deleting Windows ESP files.
- Ryoku is missing from the boot menu or Windows reclaims boot priority: firmware may ignore or reset NVRAM order. Put Ryoku/Limine first in firmware setup. A Windows feature update may remove the Ryoku NVRAM entry; the loader remains on the selected partition, and Ryoku’s guide provides
efibootmgrre-registration commands. - Windows chainloading loops or firmware resets: use the machine’s startup key to open its firmware boot menu and choose Windows Boot Manager or Ryoku directly. The Windows firmware entry remains available.
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