[SOLVED] Boot Mint without Bootloader/Bootmanager?

[Aroma]

Hi there,
please accept my apologies, I'm not a 100% sure about the terms I use.

Situation: I have a pc with Win10 on SSD1. Among other boot devices, "Windows Boot Manager" appears in the UEFI startup menu.

Goal: I want to install Linux Mint on this pc on SSD2 in a way, that when I overwrite or physically remove SSD2, no one can see that there was ever a second OS.

Problem: Installing Mint creates an "ubuntu" entry in the UEFI startup menu. This entry, same like the "Windows Boot Manager", perists, even when I remove or overwrite SSD2. If I remove it, I am not able to boot from SS2 again.

Question: Is there a way to install/boot/run Linux Mint on SSD2 without that "ubuntu" UEFI entry? I mean, the Mint Live USB Stick also boots on this pc without such an UEFI entry, just selecting boot device "USB Flash Drive xy" in the UEFI startup menu. I want it to be the same with Mint on SSD2.

Anyone knows a way?
Thank you!

PS: Seems to me that this UEFI has no "legacy mode" option anymore. But isn't the boot from the Live stick "legacy"?

[SimonPeter]

You can move the folder EFI/ubuntu/ to an EFI system partition (basically, a FAT32 partition with the boot and esp flags set) on the Linux SSD.
You can then copy the files EFI/ubuntu/shimx64.efi and EFI/ubuntu/grubx64.efi to EFI/BOOT/BOOTx64.EFI and EFI/BOOT/grubx64.efi respectively (these 4 files being on the EFI system partition of the Linux SSD)

Now, reboot (if the EFI entry persists, it may be necessary to delete it using efibootmgr).

Goal: I want to install Linux Mint on this pc on SSD2 in a way, that when I overwrite or physically remove SSD2, no one can see that Mint was ever running on that pc.

That may be VERY difficult to achieve.
These information may give away your using Linux:
1) Time becomes UTC (Fix: force Linux to use local time).
2) Modifying your computer's firmware to include some backdoor (which may log your partition layout) - this attack must be done without your knowledge, prior to you using the disk in question (EXTREMELY hard to fix, if not impossible to fix).
3) Reading Windows' logs (Fix: plug out in the Linux SSD before powering on Windows).
4) Inserting/using a backdoor in Windows (Fix: plug out in the Linux SSD before powering on Windows).
.......

BTW I don't know why someone would want to hide the fact of their using Linux.
(but I know that some people may want to use deniable encryption with a "Plain" OS and another "Hidden" OS of the same type).

[Aroma]

Thank you. Such a quick reply, and it worked like charm. Great support, problem solved.

About why one would like to hide Linux I'll write you a pm.

[SimonPeter]

Thank you. Such a quick reply, and it worked like charm. Great support, problem solved.

About why one would like to hide Linux I'll write you a pm.

You're welcome.

[Aroma]

Uhm, may I ask what to do if the UEFI startup menu entry "ubuntu" reappears each time I have booted Mint?
Reinstall it without UEFI secure boot mode?

[SimonPeter]

Uhm, may I ask what to do if the UEFI startup menu entry "ubuntu" reappears each time I have booted Mint?
Reinstall it without UEFI secure boot mode?

That entry may appear each time you boot Linux Mint (and disappear the next reboot).

if the EFI entry persists, it may be necessary to delete it using efibootmgr

[AndyMH]

Question: Is there a way to install/boot/run Linux Mint on SSD2 without that "ubuntu" UEFI entry? I mean, the Mint Live USB Stick also boots on this pc without such an UEFI entry, just selecting boot device "USB Flash Drive xy" in the UEFI startup menu. I want it to be the same with Mint on SSD2.

The answer is install mint in legacy mode, but then you then go on to say

PS: Seems to me that this UEFI has no "legacy mode" option anymore. But isn't the boot from the Live stick "legacy"?

It is probably in BIOS somewhere, is there an option for CSM (compatibility support mode)? Your mint install stick will boot in whatever mode you have BIOS set to, either UEFI or legacy. It will install mint in the same mode it booted. You can check, boot the stick and in a terminal

Code: Select all

andy@T432 ~ $ efibootmgr
EFI variables are not supported on this system.

this is legacy, anything else is UEFI.

[Aroma]

It is UEFI. I don't find any Option for legacy mode.
But I found an option (press DEL and Reboot) to delete start menu entries directly in the UEFI gui.
Thank you two!