How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

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srs5694
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Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by srs5694 »

littlenoodles wrote:

Code: Select all

menuentry 'Mageia Cauldron (Cauldron)' --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'osprober-gnulinux-simple-e81f18b2-85f1-44d7-bd71-efef6bab4d22' {
        insmod part_gpt
        insmod ext2
        set root='hd0,gpt5'
        if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
          search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,gpt5 --hint-efi=hd0,gpt5 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,gpt5  e81f18b2-85f1-44d7-bd71-efef6bab4d22
        else
          search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root e81f18b2-85f1-44d7-bd71-efef6bab4d22
        fi
        linux /boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux root=UUID=e81f18b2-85f1-44d7-bd71-efef6bab4d22 quiet resume=UUID=14ecbfe3-30c9-4a65-8e0b-31ecd1f7c47b vga=788
        initrd /boot/initrd.img
}
submenu 'Advanced options for Mageia Cauldron (Cauldron)' $menuentry_id_option 'osprober-gnulinux-advanced-e81f18b2-85f1-44d7-bd71-efef6bab4d22' {
        menuentry 'linux (on /dev/sda5)' --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'osprober-gnulinux-/boot/vmlinuz--e81f18b2-85f1-44d7-bd71-efef6bab4d22' {
                insmod part_gpt
                insmod ext2
                set root='hd0,gpt5'
                if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
                  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,gpt5 --hint-efi=hd0,gpt5 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,gpt5  e81f18b2-85f1-44d7-bd71-efef6bab4d22
                else
                  search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root e81f18b2-85f1-44d7-bd71-efef6bab4d22
                fi
                linux /boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux root=UUID=e81f18b2-85f1-44d7-bd71-efef6bab4d22 quiet resume=UUID=14ecbfe3-30c9-4a65-8e0b-31ecd1f7c47b vga=788
                initrd /boot/initrd.img
        }
        etc...
If that quoted segment is from the same grub.cfg file that successfully launches your 64-bit distributions in EFI mode, then it's booting your 32-bit distribution in EFI mode, too. That said, a cross-bit-size boot like this means you won't have access to your EFI runtime variables in the 32-bit distribution, so for most intents it will work just like a BIOS-mode boot; it's just the technical detail of how the boot loader works that's different from a BIOS-mode boot. The practical upshot of this is that, unless there's something else in GRUB of which I'm unaware, it can't launch a purely BIOS-bootable OS; for instance, it couldn't boot DOS, OS/2, BeOS, or most versions of Windows XP.
I thought you had said that I wouldn't need to be specific about the filename. i.e., when Mint decides to issue a new kernel, so the kernel filename changes, rEFInd would still be able to boot it without my having to doctor it's config file up. Or are you saying refind will automatically detect the kernel and present me with an option to boot it directly (maybe it's there if I scroll to the right...)?
Correct; rEFInd actively scans for boot loaders and presents a list of whatever it finds. The default program and configuration file options cause it to scan for Linux kernels in common kernel locations, so the main obstacles to booting Linux with rEFInd but without using GRUB are filesystem drivers and the fact that some distributions still ship with pre-3.3.0 kernels, which lack the EFI stub loader feature. In your case, rEFInd can't boot the 32-bit distribution's kernels because, even if they have EFI stub loader support, they would be built for the wrong bit depth and so won't run on your 64-bit system; you'll need a separate boot loader to launch them.
blue_bullet

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by blue_bullet »

@tsdadam
This worked perfectly for me word for word. Thank you for the excellent tutorial. I now have a dual boot installed on a HP DV7T-7200 Quad Edition. Running Windows 8 and Linux Mint 14 KDE (both 64 bit). I was able to install KDE via a USB created via dd method in a terminal window. Some have reported a dvd is required. I created both, but the USB route worked and runs quicker. I had to run the install 3 times because the partitioner kept crashing on me. 3rd time was a charm. From there I simply followed the remainder of your steps.
timcoolman

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by timcoolman »

Thanks for these instructions. I have a Dell XPS 8500 with UEFI Windows 8. Prior to using these instructions, I was having to go into BIOS at startup and turn off Secure Boot to boot Linux, and then turn it back on to boot Windows 8.

One issue, though. These steps seem to have totally hosed my Secure Boot option. When I turn on UEFI without Secure Boot, it works just as you said, I have the option to boot either OS. But I had assumed that I could still turn Secure Boot back on which would automatically load Windows 8. Maybe it is expected that Secure Boot should no longer work - this is my first exposure to any kind of boot loader configuration so it is all very new to me.

I realize Secure Boot isn't necessary any more, especially if I want the dual-boot behavior. However I am a new Linux user and in the "try it out" phase. Should I decide I don't like Linux (I'm sure that sounds like blasphemy to you long-time Linux users), I might want to go back to my original configuration using Secure Boot exclusively for Windows 8. Does anyone know if/how that is possible?

In the meantime, I will enjoy trying to teach myself the new OS, and the dual-boot capability is definitely handy. Thanks again!
timcoolman

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by timcoolman »

timcoolman wrote:These steps seem to have totally hosed my Secure Boot option.
Just realized I wasn't very specific about this. When I turn Secure Boot on and reboot, it gives me a message saying it can't find a bootable device.
srs5694
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Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by srs5694 »

timcoolman wrote:These steps seem to have totally hosed my Secure Boot option. When I turn on UEFI without Secure Boot, it works just as you said, I have the option to boot either OS. But I had assumed that I could still turn Secure Boot back on which would automatically load Windows 8.
...
I might want to go back to my original configuration using Secure Boot exclusively for Windows 8. Does anyone know if/how that is possible?
Yes, it's possible. The problem is that the Boot Repair tool has juggled files around in such a way that they are no longer stored under their original names. If that's undone, then you'll be able to boot Windows with Secure Boot active again. In fact, there are ways to accomplish that goal now, although they'll require some significant command-line work to get it all done. See my Web page on managing Secure Boot for details.

I can think of several ways to approach a switch back to a just-Windows configuration with (or without) Secure Boot active. The problem is that I don't know offhand which would work best because I don't know the capabilities of various programs or precisely how your system is currently configured. Broadly speaking, the options that spring to mind are:
  • Manual reconfiguration -- You can manually rename the boot files on the ESP (in /boot/efi under Linux, and particularly the files in /boot/efi/EFI/Microsoft/Boot) so that the Windows boot loader again has its usual name (bootmgfw.efi). The Boot Repair tool backed that up to another name -- bootmgfw.efi.bkp in some versions, although I've seen hints that new versions may be moving it to a subdirectory and keeping the original filename instead.
  • Automatic uninstallation -- Some distributions now have uninstallation utilities to help with removing them from a disk. I don't know offhand if Mint has such a tool. If it does, and if it knows about what Boot Repair did, it should make the necessary changes automatically. I don't know if either of these conditions is true, though.
  • Windows repair -- Microsoft's own Windows repair tools should be able to return Windows to bootability in the usual way. Whether this will actually work is another matter, though. Of course, you'll need a bootable Windows repair disk to make this work. Look for a utility in Windows to create such disks now, before you need them!
timcoolman

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by timcoolman »

Thank you for the information. I'll keep it handy just in case, but in the meantime I'll enjoy having something new to play with :D
mathewvghese

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by mathewvghese »

"THANKS A TON !!!! " :D

I installed successfully Linux Mint 14.1 alongside Windows 8 preinstalled with a Toshiba Satellite - C875 laptop.
Last 2 days I was struggling to find a way to install seeking help all over the web.
Thankfully stumbled upon your post and I followed your instructions which worked like a charm !!

When I previously tried to install Linux on a HP Pavilion laptop a year back along with Windows 7. It did not allow me to do the partitions.
In HP , the partition manager is disabled in order to preserve their recovery drive. After much research, I finally installed mint using the mint4win within Windows.
And I was happy with it all these days, didn't have any issues except for a brightness problem which I found a work around.

Now, when I bought this new Toshiba laptop, I could not boot the liveCD and LiveUSB because of the secure boot thing and UEFI.
So, because of these issues I was hesitant to do mint4win again on this laptop. After a lot of googling, finally this post helped me to install linux 14.1.
I would like to share my experience with a few points, so that it will be helpful for Toshiba Satellite users.

1. Downloaded Linux 14.1 Cinnamon 64 bit and created usb using pendrivelinux.com 's installer.
2. Logged in to Win 8 and using Disk management, shrinked the c drive volume by 25gb, and left it unallocated. Restart
3. For getting the BIOS setup - press F2 upon boot.
4. In Security menu - Secure boot option will be enabled. Disable it by pressing F5/F6.
5. In Adavanced Setting menu -> System Configuration Submenu - Press Enter - Go to Boot Mode (this will be editable only if the secure boot is disabled) - UEFI mode [default] , change it to CSM mode [the traditional boot]
6. Change the boot order to USB before HDD. (you can get this option by pressing F12 upon boot)

Linux Mint will boot from USB, will show 2 options - Run Linux mint from this USB / Install Mint.
Choose the Run Linux mint option. You will be shown the desktop. Click on the "Intall this" icon on the desktop. And follow the steps.
--
Do not choose "Erase the disk" option and select the "Something Else" option to do manual partition and install linux without disturbing Windows.
I got stuck in the partition dialog.
I chose the "free space" and clicked "add"
I did not know what to give for the filetype. Finally left untouched with the default Ext4 option.
I allocated 20gb for mount /. and 4gb for swap drive. But I got a error that atleast 1 mb should be allocated to "Reserved BIOS boot area".
[It will be good if you update this line in the original post]
So, after searching the net, finally allocated 140 mb for the "Reserved BIOS boot area" and continued as mentioned in the post.

After installation and reboot. I installed the Boot-repair with the commands given in the post.
And the Boot-repair gave 3 commands to purge and prepare a new grub.

Upon reboot, when into BIOS and changed back Boot Mode back to UEFI from CSM.
Now grub will be loaded to choose Linux and Windows. Both worked perfectly.
----\\

Even though you were new to EFI and MInt , its great that you were able to figure this out and nail it.

Thanks once again !!
JaZZyCooL

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by JaZZyCooL »

Do you know if it works with (pre-installed windows 8 or not).
caf4926
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Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by caf4926 »

JaZZyCooL wrote:Do you know if it works with (pre-installed windows 8 or not).
Read the comment above yours
Linux Mint 21.1 Cinnamon
skipper

Re: How-to: Step 10 is not clear to me

Post by skipper »

I get lost at step 10, when it comes to boot-repair.

My system setup is: Windows 8 and Mint 14 installed on two different HDs. Windows 8 is on sda, Mint 14 is on sdb. I can boot either system by changing the boot sequence in the BIOS. Mint 14 is my primary system.

There's only one efi partition, its sda2 (on the Windows 8 drive).

What is ment by select "your..." or "correct EFI partition"? There's only the Windows 8 one at the moment.

sudo parted /dev/sdb print

Model: ATA SanDisk SDSSDX12 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 120GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: gpt

Number Start End Size File system Name Flags
2 17,4kB 104GB 104GB ext4
1 104GB 120GB 16,0GB linux-swap(v1)


sudo parted /dev/sda print

Model: ATA WDC WD5000LPVT-2 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 500GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/4096B
Partition Table: gpt

Number Start End Size File system Name Flags
1 1049kB 420MB 419MB ntfs Basic data partition hidden, diag
2 420MB 735MB 315MB fat32 EFI system partition boot
3 735MB 869MB 134MB Microsoft reserved partition msftres
4 869MB 482GB 481GB ntfs Basic data partition
5 482GB 500GB 18,3GB ntfs Basic data partition hidden, diag


So what should I do in boot-repair to enable dual boot?

skipper
tsdadam

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by tsdadam »

First up; blue_bullet, timcoolman and mathewvghese - you're welcome! I'm glad it all worked for you :)

Skipper: I don't know what to tell you unfortunately, as the scenario I posted was for two OS installed on one physical disk with multiple partitions. I don't know whether there's maybe facility in something like rEFInd to scan multiple physical discs to choose what to boot from, rather than changing the boot order in the bios. Sorry I can't help any more :?
srs5694
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Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by srs5694 »

tsdadam wrote:Skipper: I don't know what to tell you unfortunately, as the scenario I posted was for two OS installed on one physical disk with multiple partitions. I don't know whether there's maybe facility in something like rEFInd to scan multiple physical discs to choose what to boot from, rather than changing the boot order in the bios. Sorry I can't help any more :?
Skipper has just one ESP. The fact that it's on a different physical disk from the Linux installation is irrelevant, at least in theory. (I don't believe I've ever used GRUB 2 to boot across physical disks in EFI mode. I also don't know how the Boot Repair tool will respond to this.)

rEFInd has no problems with cross-disk booting, and installing it instead of using the Boot Repair tool is an option. Doing a rEFInd installation would take more effort, though. The easiest way is probably to boot Mint in BIOS mode, mount the ESP (/dev/sda2 in skipper's case) at /boot/efi, and install the Debian package. This isn't really the best way to do it, but it is the easiest.
JaZZyCooL

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by JaZZyCooL »

I am not able to get into the mint installation menu
here are the steps I followed

1) went to BIOS menu
2) Disabled the security option
3) Turned Boot mode and Boot priority both to - Legacy support
4) Saved the changes
5) As soon as the PC starts it loads Lenovo symbol and goes into the windows 8 changing back the settings.
JaZZyCooL

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by JaZZyCooL »

Hey guys,
When I enter into the boot-repair, there are two options

Code: Select all

 
OS to boot by default - sda8(linux mint 14)  or  windows(via sda8 menu)  
                 SDA  -  sda3 (system file)  or  sda2 (LRE_RP file)

Which one should I select?
azurehi
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Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by azurehi »

I am thinking of buying a windows 8 desktop, probably Dell or HP. I came across this tutorial about how to dual boot Windows 8 and Linux Mint 14 by avoiderrors.net. Has anyone tried it? Does it really work as easily as the tutorial claims?

http://www.avoiderrors.net/dualboot-win ... -14-nadia/
viking777

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by viking777 »

azurehi wrote:I am thinking of buying a windows 8 desktop, probably Dell or HP. I came across this tutorial about how to dual boot Windows 8 and Linux Mint 14 by avoiderrors.net. Has anyone tried it? Does it really work as easily as the tutorial claims?

http://www.avoiderrors.net/dualboot-win ... -14-nadia/
No, of course it doesn't or otherwise why would this tutorial and all the hundreds of other posts on this subject even exist?

Before the advent of Uefi it used to be that simple, certainly. Probably, in about a years time, when Linux has worked out a way to circumvent all the dreadful Uefi implementations that computer manufacturers have foisted upon them, it will be that simple again. From now until that time it will be, or could be, a right royal pain!

I have to say that although I am very grateful for the tutorial tsdadam has provided here and in no way wish to denigrate his efforts, I should point out that it is not a universal solution. It works for him and others purely because those that succeed with it have similar Uefi implementations (probably the same or similar bios chip). His tutorial would be completely impossible to carry out on my own Uefi computer and no doubt many others as well. The ease or difficulty of installing on Uefi computers is, and will remain for some time, a matter of pure luck with no guarantees of success without a lot of head scratching and forum searching. It all depends on what machine you have bought and how well or badly its Uefi firmware has been implemented.
viking777

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by viking777 »

Replying to this thread lead me to think that it would perhaps be a good idea if we had a list of good and bad bioses that we could use to help people with buying choices with Uefi machines. I have started a new thread here: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=127071 and I would like to encourage anyone who has had dealings with Uefi and installing Mint (or other distros) to add to the list of good and bad bios implementations in order to help people decide what Uefi machine they should buy.

Thanks.
tsowidu

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by tsowidu »

hello tsdadam,
i am new to all off this,
thanks for the tutorial

i followed youre steps from 1 to 6
( including : " Choose to format during the process, this ensures it goes on as Fat32.
")

i booted from the UEFI-USB pendrive ( and yes there was a option to boot the pendrive without UEFI in the bootlist)

but
neither
the installation / other / use free diskspace
nor
gparted
showed partitions i had configured before in the ( win7 ) GBK
it shows the whole HDD as a unallocated Diskspace

it would not make a diference if there is win8 or win7 installed , would it ?
before i tried step 1-6
I had backuped Win8 , installed Win7 from DVD ( which did turned the Partiontable into an GBK I asume ).
Win7 is bootin from HDD correctly, now i want to dualboot with Mint 14
this my hardware:
ASUS N56VZ-S4066H Notebook ( with UEFI )

Shall I format the Win7 partition (an throw it away)with Mint 14 in live mode, then install Win7 , and then intall mint 14 ?

anny advice on this would be greatfully appreciated.

thanks
tsowidu
viking777

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by viking777 »

As srs5694 pointed out in his last post (now moved) this topic was getting very mixed up with several threads running at the same time. I have therefore split it into three. The original topic remains here, amicose's topic and answers are now here: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=129820 (sorry about mixing up the order a bit on that one but everything is still there) and JaZZyCooL's thread and answers are incorporated into his existing thread here: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=129439. Should make it a bit easier to follow.
blue_bullet

Re: How-to: Dual boot Windows 8 and Mint 14 - both (U)EFI!

Post by blue_bullet »

@tsdadam,
Here it is almost a year later...
I used this tutorial again this afternoon as I lost access to Windows 8 after installing Petra KDE 64 bit. Your instructions still worked perfectly for me. I now have Petra KDE, Olivia KDE, and Windows 8 running in multiboot. Thanks again.
Rob Burness
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