Installing Dual Boot Lubuntu & Windows (11) on Dynabook R734/K

Lubuntu is one of official flavour of the most popular Linux distro, Ubuntu. Has a lightweight system yet still aesthetically pleasing look, that’s why I interested in trying it for filling my GNU Not Unix/Linux item on my dual slot tandem with Windows for my Dynabook R734/K laptop.

Licosha — Lubuntu is a Linux distro (GNU/Linux OS) that using LXQT as its desktop environment. Just like its name, it is based on Ubuntu that brings Ubuntu’s vast software libraries yet tring to give more lightweight and faster experience.

On the previous post, I have tried dual booting my Toshiba Dynabook R734/K laptop with the Ubuntu MATE which also is a Ubuntu-based Linux distro. If I can compared it, I kind of like this Lubuntu more because it is still lighweight yet easier to customize the desktop UI.

Overall, with Lubuntu you can still get the full-featured OS we can expect for everyday use with lighweight performance, with the aesthetically eye-pleasing classic desktop environment that will make casual Windows user like me feels at home.

Lubuntu LXQT desktop view on my Dynabook R734/K laptop

Steps installing Lubuntu dual boot alongside Windows

Lubuntu version: 20.04.
Installed OS: Windows 11.
Media booting method: Ventoy.

Installing

Download Lubuntu image file from the official website: Lubuntu download page.
Prepare the Lubuntu image installation media. Here I am using Ventoy to make the Lubuntu image bootable.
Prepare new empty partition on our laptop’s hard drive for the Lubuntu OS will be installed. For example we can use built-in tool on Windows “Disk Info” to easily split and make a new partiton on our hard drive, usually the partition for a Linux distro should have a size around ±40 GB or more recommended. Give the new partition a proper label like “Lubuntu” or something like that so we can easily distinguish it.
It’s a good idea to disconnect all external devices especially storage devices before hand to ease the installation process (avoiding formatting/erasing mistakes).
Enter Dynabook R734/K “Boot Menu” (BIOS menu): Restart laptop, then when the power LED turned on (but the screen not turned on yet), repeatedly press the F12 until it entered the boot menu/BIOS menu.
Now we are in the BIOS Boot Menu. If we haven’t plugged in the Lubuntu installation media (e.g. USB storage stick), now is the time.
The installation media drive should be detected in the Boot Menu list, we can just select it to directly boot into it (In my case here, to the Ventoy boot menu). Alternatively, we can adjust the boot menu to prioritize the installation media so it can boot it automatically if the installation media is detected when we restart the laptop by setting it:
1. On the Boot Menu main menu, choose “Enter Setup”.
2. On the side menu, choose “Advanced”, scroll down and choose → “Change Boot Order”.
3. For example here I use a USB storage stick where Ventoy and the Lubuntu image is in, so make “USB Memory” at the top of the “Boot Priority Options”. Don’t forget to click “OK”.
4. On the side menu, choose “Exit” → “Exit Saving Changes”.
Now in Ventoy boot menu, first we might want to switch to “GRUB2 Mode” (increase compatibility in booting Linux images), press Ctrl+R to switch to GRUB2 Mode. Next, just choose the Lubuntu image (iso) to boot it.
On the Lubuntu image GRUB menu, choose “Start Lubuntu” to run the Lubuntu live image environment, wait until the image check done.
Now we are entering the desktop of Lubuntu live image, just run the “Install Lubuntu …” shortcut on the desktop to run the installation wizard.
Choose the language on the select input on the bottom, then click “Next” button on the bottom to proceed. Proceed with configuring our region (time zone) and keyboard the same way.
Now on the “Partitions” window of the installer. On the first row which is “BIOS”, select the main hard drive of our Dynabook R734/K laptop.
Because we have prepared the partition for the Lubuntu beforehand, then on the select below it choose “Replace a partition”.
The partition list of our hard drive will be listed on the bottom. Select the partition block on the “Current” row where Lubuntu should be installed on by clicking it. Here I am actually replacing (overwriting) the partition that currently has Ubuntu MATE installed in it.
Next on “Boot loader location” below it, normally it should be set to also the one on our main hard drive of our Dynabook R734/K laptop. After everything is configured correctly, click “Next” button on the bottom.
Proceed filling the credentials login like username, password, etc., and click “Next” button on the bottom to proceed.
Now on “Summary” window of the installation wizard, review all configuration. After everything has been checked, click “Install” button on the bottom to begin installing Lubuntu to our hard drive permanently and wait untill the installation process done.
After the installation process done, check the “Restart now” and click the “Done” button on the bottom to restart our Dynabook R734/K laptop automatically.

This tutorial may also be the same whether we are using another Windows version like Windows 7, 8.1, etc., and/or with another Ubuntu-based Linux distro, though maybe there will be minor differences in the OS installation wizard UI.