Hi guys. First time posting here in the Computers tab but seems like the right spot. There weren't enough characters in the headline to fully ask the question so hopefully it's good enough to attract the right attention.
 
My question is... if I install something like Ubuntu on a partition on my laptop or DAW can it in ANY way affect my Windows partition or vice versa. Basically I want it so on my laptop if I happen to pick up some spyware or a virus without knowing it I do not want my personal emails or other accounts compromised. On the DAW I figure it's a way to get online if I need to do something other than my strict policy of only going online for audio program downloads and updates from reputable companies without potentially compromising my system.
 
So am I way off here or is a Linux partition going to essentially be like a completely isolated computer just using the same hardware?
 
Sorry if that's dumb or weird and thanks for any input on this. I'm kind of new to this whole dual boot/Linux stuff.
 
Cheers.

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.

You can create a partition on your disk that Windows can't see easily enough.  You can create a partition that windows CAN see but can't read (because you used a mac/Linux disk format).  You can't make the Windows partition invisible to Linux, because, well, Linux understands all the windows type disk formats....
 
If you're prepared to start from scratch and re-format your drive (and loose all your data) you could create a dual boot system where the partitions are sorta invisible to each other, but even if you didn't mount the windows partition in Linux (so it doesn't show up as a drive) it is still there and accessible (so that you could mount it if you wanted) which means in theory a virus could also access it....
 
 
At the end of the day it's best to not worry about viruses destroying the world. Take your usual precautions, use anti-virus software, don't visit warez/pron sites, trust the sites you have to trust.
 
If you spend all your time worrying about viruses and not getting your work done then the virus writers have won without even infecting you!

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.

Hi, dub. Hi, Karyn. Thanks, guys. Guess I'll stick with my original plan for now of wiping my ancient lappy's HDD and installing one of the compact distros. It's probably gonna choke like bugger though on even just my email accounts. Why do they gotta cram that shiz with flashscripts and crap? I think if I can ever scrounge up a few bucks I'll just build a really basic tower for this type of thing and that'll be that. I bet I could pull it off for $150 or less.
 
Thanks again. Cheers.
 
 

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.

I would say you are pretty safe.  One of the things about linux that makes it typically safer than windows is permission is needed to install just about anything. What would concern me is that a windows virus could conceivably sneak in through windows environment software like Wine and thus run the executable that could reside dormant in linux but possibly awaken once you were in windows...and even that is unlikely.  i did what you are considering  for years with no problems.

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, yeah. No Wine or nothing like that. Just a basic distro that can get me online. Absolutely nothing else would get installed. In fact if there are any recommendations for the least vulnerable distros for this type of thing that would be great. I don't mind doing a BIT of work learning how to navigate some of the geekier versions if it'll be safer but... well I also don't want to be running the whole thing from a command line or something. I could actually just use one of those versions that boots from a CD (and have one actually) which I'm assuming is ultra secure but damn those things take forever to do anything with. All my USB keys and external drives are crammed with windows stuff too so I'd imagine that would be less secure than a partition and I don't really want to hook those buggers up every time anyway.
 
Getting my brain moving in the right direction here though so again many thanks. Cheers, all.

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!!! ;-)