Linux/security: If I install Linux to a partition on my Win7 machines will it be isolated?

It should not but never say never. Two case scenerios where I see it as possible to cross partitions: if you download some kind of boot sector virus that targets that instead of OS and if you download a windows virus while in linux. I doubt the last one has any effect but I know plentyb of people who have downloaded windows viruses while using linux. Nothing happened but I sometimes wondered what that file would do if it found a windows partition to grab on to. In any case it is def saferthan surfing with windows.

Being that the Linux and Windows partitions are on the same drive, they aren't going to be absolutely isolated from each other, but that doesn't mean that you will have problems. I have the same setup on my laptop, running WinXP and Linux Mint. Linux will read/write to FAT and NTFS so I can save files to my Windows partition while running Linux, and that comes in handy. The thing about Windows viruses and malware is that they only run on Windows, so if one gets downloaded to your Linux OS it can't run/move/replicate itself. The only danger would be that you would inadvertently copy it to your Windows partition which might allow the infection to run the next time you boot Windows.
 
There are Linux viruses that can infect Linux or the drive's boot sector but in around 20 years of using Linux I've never run into anything like that, and I've never had an issue with downloading a Windows virus while on Linux and then having it infect my Windows partition.
 
But if you want to be extra careful, don't allow your Windows partition to be mounted by your Linux OS. And you can even run an AV program on Linux.

Ruben
 The only danger would be that you would inadvertently copy it to your Windows partition which might allow the infection to run the next time you boot Windows.
 

 
Hi, Ruben. You'll have to excuse my ignorance here but how would that happen? It sounds like I would almost have to manually move that file over.
 
Here's the scenario I'm looking at using my websurfing laptop:
 
I would use my laptop as I normally do which is cruising all over the internet looking at news, studying this that or the other, listening to tunes, watching vids, playing flash games (sometimes), etc. I don't do anything particularly sketchy but I am always googling stuff for my studies and sometimes that may lead to scratching the underbelly of the internet. I can't completely verify every single site I visit but I don't look at porn or download illegal torrents or any of that crap. Any programs I download are from supposedly reputable sites like CNET or directly from the software company's servers whenever possible.
 
Basically this machine is my internet workhorse. I use Avast set to auto update the definitions, I use FF with ABP and NoScript, clear their default whitelists and only allow things I absolutely need. I have my Windows security and browser settings set to the maximum to the extent that I understand such things. Anytime I ever scan I never find anything using Avast or Malwarebytes or Spybot S&D, etc. The ONLY program that seems to find anything is HiJack this but I can't decipher whether that crap is legit or not and most of it is probably just from legit programs.
 
I AM using the factory install of Win7 that came with the lappy and it also came with a buttload of bloatware but I have removed as much as I can with CCleaner and I keep an image of the result to return to as well as ATTEMPT to keep a restore point that I can get to (I upped my restore point storage to retain it longer because obviously Windows updates will eventually knock it off the list).
 
However... this is all an enormous PITA to keep up with so I don't restore every week like a should and sometimes I've got new programs I want to keep or I don't want to wait around for updates to install or manually install the Adobe stuff or whatever.
 
So really, I keep things locked tight for the most part and probably WAY more than most people and as I said have never encountered anything weird in the past, oh 6 years I've been an internet hound...
 
The Linux partition would ONLY be used to check emails, maybe Facebook or access dropbox so I can send audio files (which I may actually start using GDrive anyway). Nothing else. No surfing, downloading, doing any fancy computer tech weirdness, nothing. That would all remain on the Windows partition.
 
At that point, and I apologize for how long all that is, what are the odds of something jumping over? Like say my Windows partition had a nasty virus that actually wanted to attack my Linux partition and steal my passwords or whatever AND I had an AV installed on the Linux partition (which I will) AND I'm using FF for Linux with scriptblockers (which I will)...
 
Does this merely give me a fighting chance or does it pretty much make someone snagging my passwords down to a statistical impossibility?
 
Cheers.

as far as how you could conceivably copy the file is a matter of simple human error.  Sample case:
 
Nephew comes to visit and downloads Pop song of the week off of a shady site.  file has a trojan in it.  Nephew cannot synch his itunes with software in your linux partition (he can but that is not obvious to everyone), so he copies file to windows partition so that he can synch when he boots back up in windows. v I know this scenario because a teen attempted exactly that on my computer once. Fortunately he could not figure out how to mount the windows partition to copy the file.
 

dubdisciple
as far as how you could conceivably copy the file is a matter of simple human error.  Sample case:
 
Nephew comes to visit and downloads Pop song of the week off of a shady site.  file has a trojan in it.  Nephew cannot synch his itunes with software in your linux partition (he can but that is not obvious to everyone), so he copies file to windows partition so that he can synch when he boots back up in windows. v I know this scenario because a teen attempted exactly that on my computer once. Fortunately he could not figure out how to mount the windows partition to copy the file.
 

Oh HELL noes. lol
 
Only Beeps touches these systems. Even if I did allow other people into my apartment they would be promptly kissed upside the head with a blunt metal object if they started touching my computers.
 
NO TOUCH!!! ;-)

and for security i would go with something like Fedora  or Centos over Ubuntu.  In theory any linux distro can be made more secure by removing some of the windows like apps that come preinstalled.  Fedora, imho is more secure than Ubuntu.  Ubuntu is designed for windows users who want to use linux and have as close of a windows experience as possible.  I used Linux Mint for years which is a fork of Ubuntu and very user friendly.  i did notice with Mint and Ubuntu, executables designed for windows would sometimes attempt to launch via Wine but i was alays able to stop and  I eventually removed Wine.

Your basic idea of using Linux to more-securely cruise the Interwebs is a good idea, and many people do just that. I appreciate your caution but for the most part I don't think that you will have any of the issues you are imagining. 
 

Beepster

Ruben
 The only danger would be that you would inadvertently copy it to your Windows partition which might allow the infection to run the next time you boot Windows.
 

 
Hi, Ruben. You'll have to excuse my ignorance here but how would that happen? It sounds like I would almost have to manually move that file over.

 
That's pretty much what I was referring to - that you might manually save what you thought was a safe file to your Windows partition and the file turns out to be infected. As I mentioned (and Dub also indicated this) that can't happen if you don't allow Linux to mount your Windows partition.
 

Beepster 
Like say my Windows partition had a nasty virus that actually wanted to attack my Linux partition and steal my passwords or whatever AND I had an AV installed on the Linux partition (which I will) AND I'm using FF for Linux with scriptblockers (which I will)...

 
First of all, Windows OS cannot natively read a Linux partition, so any program (good or bad) running within Windows cannot access (i.e read data from) your Linux partition. I'm sure there are viruses that can access any drive partition but they would have to work at a low-level disk function, as in a virus that could delete your MBR or all of your your partitions. But such a virus would still need run on the host OS, so in your scenario, the virus would need to run on Windows but be able to read from the Linux partition, navigate the Linux file structure, find the encoded password files, and decode them. I'm sure technically that could be done, and there are third-party apps that allow Windows to read from a Linux partition, but that's asking a lot from a virus - it's much easier for all of the script-kiddies to just write viruses that turn your computer into a zombie. And as Dub mentioned, Linux is fundamentally a more secure OS than Windows.
 
No one can give you a guarantee, but as I mentioned above, it's fairly common for Linux users to do what you are wanting to do for the same reasons. And with your cautious/guarded approach to using the Internet I think you will be at less risk, not more.
 

Awesome. Thanks, Ruben. I figured it should be solid but I'm glad I asked because now understand it all just a little bit better. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to explain. This really be very beneficial to me and save me a lot of hassle and possibly money.
 
Cheers.

http://liliputing.com/2011/07/how-to-install-nearly-any-linux-distro-using-a-usb-flash-drive-and-unetbootin.html
 
may be worth a look.  If you are duel booting, you don't necessarily need to boot from flash drive.

You can download the distro to the XP computer.  Most installers will repartition your computer for you

You can boot load a portable Linux from a USB drive (without invoking your hard drive's boot loader) and just not let it see the hard drive at all. Just as you would not run Windows from an account in the administrator group, don't run Linux from root. Surfing and email can all be done from the USB drive.
 
http://www.maketecheasier.com/install-portable-linux-on-usb-drive/
 

This may sound silly to some but I actually use the current linux mint tria ldvd to surf the internet.  I don't bother to install it.  I just let it run from drive ( it can be done from USB too which is much faster) and I can do pretty much everything i want online except use netflix or any other service that requires OS specific protocols that exclude linux.  Other than the minute or so it takes to load up, nothing feels abnormal and i am done with it the moment I shutdown or reboot

For now based on some of the fine advice kindly provided here I have a solution that meets my needs that don't involve the ancient system I was going to try this all on. I have some humorous tales of my slapstick shenanigans from this morning's futile efforts to work around some of the issues I was having but I haven't quite reached the point where I can laugh yet so maybe another time after my blood dips below the boiling point.
 
Thanks for taking the time, guys. I have a working live disc that I managed to connect to the intertubes with and frankly it's even snappier than my HDD installed copy of Windows. Bit of a hassle to load and connect with but it's worth the few minutes to have that extra piece of mind.
 
Cheers.

Due to the high cost of Windows (seriously... how many times do I gotta buy that stupid OS?) and my desire to have another PC around if I build a beater it's gonna get some Linuxin'.

There may be viruses that "understand" Linux, so if its on Windows, why can't it modify the HDD where Linux is?