I have a "test bed computer" that has everything but a hard drive. I already have Windows XP Pro running on a 120 Gb SSD in the target compute for dual boot.
I install a blank 60 or 120 Gb SSD in the test bed computer and install Linux Mint 17.1 KDE. It takes about 20 minutes. The install finds the wireless router and all of the hardware in the test bed. After the install, I get the latest updates for Mint and then put the Icons on the desktop I want. It is easy to do from the "Kickoff Applications Manager" (KAM) in the lower left corner of the screen.
I thin install the Mint SSD into the target computer and set the BIOS to boot from the DVD first and then the Mint SSD second.
Boot up in Mint and to setup the dual boot, I run this command in the Konsole:
sudo update-grub
That setup the boot so Mint is the first choice with the option to scroll down to boot into Windows.
With Mint you can read all of the files you have on the Windows drive, but when in Windows you cannot read the Mint drive.
I have found that I only occasionaly need to boot into Windows. Mint does everything I need. All of the driver CD's that come with hardware like video cards etc. go unused. Mint has all of the drivers that I have needed so far.
Setting up the printer is simple: In the KAM merely type "printer" without the quotes into the search window and click on the printer word that pops up. Select your printer make and model.
Setting up the scanner was equally simple. Type in "scan" and click on the Xsane word that pops up. It searches for your scanner and brings up a screen on how you want to scan.
I have a Hard Drive duplicator. When I get a system setup like I want, I duplicate the HD and can install that HD in another computer or Laptop if it is a 2.5" HD and Voila! it boots up and again finds all of the hardware and runs. Try that with Windows and you will be making a long distance phone call to India and pleading for the ability to Authenticate or Purchase a new key.
One thing that will happen is that the Master Boot Record (MBR) on the Windows drive will not Windows boot up without the Mint drive in the system. That can be solved with Norton's gdisk run from a boot up CD. The command there is to find which drive contains Windows with:
gdisk
Then if it is say disk 3 for example you would type:
gdisk 3 /mbr
That will reset the MBR.
I like to build computers and have a number of people running Mint. They are all happy and it does everything they need. None of them know the Konsole commands and with Mint's GUI, they don't need to know the kbd commands.
Good Hunting... from Varmint Al