How to install on Lenovo UEFI netbook

[ron_h]

updates

I have a Lenovo netbook 100S-11IBY with Windows 10 installed. I would like to dual boot it with LMDE2 Betsy 32bit Cinnamon but cannot get the netbook to boot the LMDE2 USB stick I have, created from the downoaded ISO.

The 100S-11IBY BIOS accessed via novo key-Boot Menu-Boot Options menu has a heading EFI Boot Devices. The only line item normally present is Windows Boot Manager. If I plug in an LMDE2 32bit Betsy USB stick, it does not cause a line item to boot off USB to appear on this menu, and the netbook always boots Windows 10. I have been participating in a thread on the Lenovo Community forums, and it turns out that a line item on the Boot Options menu to boot off USB will only appear if the USB stick that is plugged in is 'EFI Ready' and contains a 32bit operating system. I am trying to find out exactly what that Lenovo means by EFI Ready but it seems the LMDE Betsy 64bit Cinnamon ISO is, but the 32bit LMDE Betsy Cinnamon isn't. Meantime however I have discovered that it is indeed possible to get a line item to appear on the Boot Options menu to boot off USB, but the only bootable USB stick I have found so far that will do this is a Windows 10 32bit USB stick created by the Microsoft Media Creation Tool from the Windows 10 website. The Windows 10 64bit USB stick also doesn't work.

Please can anyone tell me what needs to be done to make an LMDE2 Betsy 32bit Cinnamon USB stick 'EFI Ready' so I can install on my netbook ? The ISO image that I have is not.

btw the 32bit and 64bit LMDE USB sticks boot just fine on 2 different desktop PCs and on an old netbook.

Ron

[Laurent85]

How did you create the usb stick ? I would recommend Rufus

[ron_h]

I created the LMDE USB sticks using 'mintstick' which I assume is part of LMDE - at least I don't remember adding it.

Ron

[austin.texas]

To my knowledge, a 32 bit OS is not generally compatible with UEFI. I am pretty sure you need the 64 bit.

[ron_h]

Sorry to say, I think you are wrong. My Lenovo netbook has Windows 10 32bit installed and is set up for EFI only.

Even though the Lenovo User's Guide says it can be changed from EFI to Legacy mode, the method illustrated in the User Guide doesn't work. The advice I have from the Lenovo Community forums is if I want to install another OS, the USB stick needs to be EFI Ready and contain a 32bit operating system.

Ron

[austin.texas]

32 bit Windows installed in UEFI is not the same as 32 bit linux.

EFI runs boot loaders that are the same bit depth as the EFI itself. This is normally 64-bit for modern computers, although the first couple generations of Intel-based Macs, some modern tablets and convertibles, and a handful of obscure computers use 32-bit EFIs. I have yet to encounter a 32-bit Linux distribution that officially supports EFI, although it is possible to add a 32-bit EFI boot loader to 32-bit distributions. (My Managing EFI Boot Loaders for Linux covers boot loaders generally, and understanding those principles may enable you to modify a 32-bit distribution's installer, although that's not a task for a beginner.) Installing a 32-bit Linux distribution on a computer with a 64-bit EFI is difficult at best, and I don't describe the process here; you should use a 64-bit distribution on a computer with a 64-bit EFI.

http://www.rodsbooks.com/linux-uefi/

[ron_h]

As pretty much a beginner, looks like I'm SOL in my desire to put LMDE on my Lenovo 32bit-EFI netbook, then.

Damn.

Ron

[srs5694]

It can be done, but it requires some extra hoop-jumping, because AFAIK Mint doesn't provide a 32-bit EFI boot loader on its 32-bit images. In fact, you might be better off with Debian, which (I think) does provide 32-bit EFI-mode boot support.

If you want to stick with Mint, though, the basic approach is to add a 32-bit EFI-mode boot loader to the installation disk (or conceivably to another disk). The tricky part is going to be configuring it to boot the Mint installer; you'll need to either figure out the appropriate boot options yourself or find a site that describes precisely how to do this. [This askubuntu.com page](http://askubuntu.com/questions/392719/3 ... ot-support) provides some guidance that may be helpful.

[ron_h]

I've looked at that askubuntu reference, also at Debian Installation Guide regarding 32bit EFI installation. I think it's all a bit above my pay grade !

Ron

[bigbenaugust]

My MacBookPro 1,1 from 2006 has 32-bit EFI, and I used the usual LMDE 32-bit installer after using BootCamp to partition the hard drive and then installing rEFInd.

But I am not sure how Windows and Secure Boot play into this.

Strange world we live in where installing Linux on a Mac is easier than installing on a PC machine.

[srs5694]

My MacBookPro 1,1 from 2006 has 32-bit EFI, and I used the usual LMDE 32-bit installer after using BootCamp to partition the hard drive and then installing rEFInd.

But I am not sure how Windows and Secure Boot play into this.

All Intel-based Macs have a Compatibility Support Module (CSM), which enables BIOS-mode installation. (Some very early Macs require a firmware upgrade to get the CSM feature, but AFAIK it is available for all of them.) This can simplify installation, since you don't need to muck with getting an EFI-mode boot loader on the installation medium. Most 32-bit UEFI-based PCs I've heard about do not have CSMs. Mostly these are tablets and netbooks, where the manufacturers try to cut corners in every way they can, including omitting the CSM. (My guess is it's get get by with a lower-capacity chip to hold the firmware, or maybe even to reduce licensing costs, but that's just speculation on my part.)

Windows isn't really a factor. Secure Boot might be, in the sense that it will go easier to disable it first; but that's relatively minor.