Does LMDE 201303 work with EFI BIOS?

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W4nderer

Does LMDE 201303 work with EFI BIOS?

Post by W4nderer »

Hey guys. I am putting together a brand new computer with the goals of being fast, near-silent, and low heat/power output. Because of that, I have decided to use Linux rather than buying Windows, and channel the extra money into better hardware. I have not used Linux since around the time Fedora was born from Red Hat, so it's been quite some time. I have been researching what Linux distro to use, I thought I had narrowed my choice down to LMDE for a few reasons:

1.) I want a very easy out of the box experience -- this is my primary work PC, and would prefer as little hassle getting everything to work as possible. Linux Mint seems to fit that bill better than anything else.

2.) Again, as my primary PC, I do not want to be installing a new version of the OS every 6 months or less. The rolling update model of LMDE is extremely attractive for that reason.

HOWEVER, I really hope this won't be an issue, but I noticed on the blog post for the newly released LMDE 201303, it says (see bold):
4. How does LMDE compare to the Ubuntu-based editions?

Pros:

You don’t need to ever re-install the system. New versions of software and updates are continuously brought to you.
It’s faster and more responsive than Ubuntu-based editions.

Cons:

LMDE requires a deeper knowledge and experience with Linux, dpkg and APT.
Debian is a less user-friendly/desktop-ready base than Ubuntu. Expect some rough edges.
No EFI, GPT or secureBoot support.
The motherboard I bought for my PC, which is a Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD4H, uses a licensed AMI EFI BIOS according to the specifications.

Is that going to be an issue for me if I try to install LMDE 201303? If so, is there any workaround for it? Please keep in mind my knowledge on how to use Linux, particularly command line stuff, is virtually nil. I really hope that LMDE can work on my PC. :(
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Crashnovic

Re: Does LMDE 201303 work with EFI BIOS?

Post by Crashnovic »

yeah, sure.

secure boot mean for branded pc, like surface, chromebook, etc
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tdockery97
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Re: Does LMDE 201303 work with EFI BIOS?

Post by tdockery97 »

It is possible as I did it yesterday. It is a lot of extra work, though. You have to go into your Bios settings and disable Secure Boot and enable Legacy Bios mode. On a GPT formatted drive (which computers with EFI have, you will need a partition for your LMDE installation and another partition for Grub Bios. Install LMDE as normal in the main partition, and it will install grub into the twilight zone. You won't be able to boot into LMDE. You need to take a live CD/DVD (from Mint 14 preferably as it has a newer Grub2), follow the directions for reinstalling Grub2 from live CD. In my case it installed grub correctly, but had the wrong UIID for the LMDE partition. So I found the correct UIID and edited the Grub Menu replacing the wrong one with the right one. Then LMDE booted. Once in LMDE, you must run:

Code: Select all

sudo update-grub
That will correct and save the Grub Menu.

An awful lot to go through, huh? If you're not used to working with partitions, grub, etc., or are not confident messing with the Bios settings, you may not even want to attempt it.
Mint Cinnamon 20.1
W4nderer

Re: Does LMDE 201303 work with EFI BIOS?

Post by W4nderer »

I have worked with partitions, but in Windows. My unfamiliarity is with proper commands to use in Linux, but I can probably follow a guide. I have what is probably a dumb question. Is there any way I could screw up the partition in such a way that I would not be able to "fix" it by booting from a Windows install CD and formatting the hard drive?

Also, as I don't have the motherboard on hand yet, is it sure to have an option for using legacy BIOS mode? Or do some not even support that?
zerozero

Re: Does LMDE 201303 work with EFI BIOS?

Post by zerozero »

i have a similar MB (GA-Z77-D3H http://www.gigabyte.com/products/produc ... id=4140#sp) as you can see the bios specs are similar and nothing changed while installing lmde now (a couple days ago) or every other time i did it before in these over 2 years with a different, older MB.
nelson687

Re: Does LMDE 201303 work with EFI BIOS?

Post by nelson687 »

do you know how long it would take until a new version with efi support goes out?
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catweazel
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Re: Does LMDE 201303 work with EFI BIOS?

Post by catweazel »

W4nderer wrote:Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD4H... Is that going to be an issue for me if I try to install LMDE 201303?
No, not at all. I have the GA-Z77-D3H. The Gigabyte implementation of BIOS and UEFI is the best I've ever seen. You can selectively boot with BIOS only or with UEFI only, or you can boot with both BIOS and UEFI enabled if it takes your fancy.
"There is, ultimately, only one truth -- cogito, ergo sum -- everything else is an assumption." - Me, my swansong.
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catweazel
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Re: Does LMDE 201303 work with EFI BIOS?

Post by catweazel »

zerozero wrote:i have a similar MB (GA-Z77-D3H
SNAP! :mrgreen:
"There is, ultimately, only one truth -- cogito, ergo sum -- everything else is an assumption." - Me, my swansong.
pavankm

Re: Does LMDE 201303 work with EFI BIOS?

Post by pavankm »

Yep.
I have a HP Pavilion which was loaded with Win 8. I had upgraded it to Win 7 and dual booted with LMDE Cinnamon 64. I first disabled the Secure boot in BIOS and enabled Legacy Boot. Then I followed the steps given in this Link -- http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2011/04/23/ho ... windows-7/

After completing the installation of LMDE, I used Super GRUB 2 to load back into LMDE and then updated GRUB 2.

Hope this helps.

Rgds
Pavan.
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