I can't disable the secure boot

[Alex1978]

Hi to all forum,
I want to install two operative systems in a PC: Windows 8.1 and Linux Mint. In a void PC I installed a Windows 8.1. Then I tried to install Linux Mint from a USB key, but I failed. I am sure that USB key is good because I have installed Linux Mint in another PC with full success. Maybe the problem is that Windows "doesn't want" that I installed a second operative system in the PC and he blocks me by the "secure boot" option. I am not able to cancel the "secure boot": I went into the UEFI, I click everywhere but nothing. A strange thing: in the UEFI there are some options that I see but I can't click and change. Probably the secure boot is one of these options which I can't modify.
I have no idea, how to go further.
Regards.

Alessandro

[mikeflan]

Hi. Please boot into windows and disable faststartup:
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-disa ... st-startup
viewtopic.php?p=2067102#p2067102
https://fosspost.org/prepare-your-pc-fo ... cure-boot/

Then post the output of this in a terminal:

Code: Select all

mokutil --sb-state

My computer gives this:

Code: Select all

$ mokutil --sb-state
EFI variables are not supported on this system
$

[Reddog1]

A strange thing: in the UEFI there are some options that I see but I can't click and change.

This indicates, to me, that you must set a bios password to enable those settings. However, you want to DISABLE secure boot, not enable it. Enter the bios, find the security section for setting a password, and do so. Never forget that password! Reboot to the bios and log-in with your password. Those greyed-out settings will likely not be greyed-out any more, and you can change the settings. After doing so, it is a good idea to remove the password to eliminate any chance of not being able to enter your bios and change those settings again.

Also, are you certain that Windows was installed EFI and not Legacy (MSDos)? You want both systems installed the same way, either Legacy or UEFI.

[Alex1978]

I answer to all of you.

1)

Hi. Please boot into windows and disable faststartup:

I disabled the Windows faststartup. Done.

2) I can't put this in my terminal:

Code: Select all

mokutil --sb-state

because in the PC there is only windows and the USB key with Linux is impossible to read.

3)

Also, are you certain that Windows was installed EFI and not Legacy (MSDos)? You want both systems installed the same way, either Legacy or UEFI.

If I go into the BIOS, I read "UEFI BIOS: 8HET44WW (1.26)" the PC is a Lenovo ThinkPad E520. I think there is EFI inside the PC. In the Lenovo site, I read that 1,26 is the last version of the BIOS.

4)

This indicates, to me, that you must set a bios password to enable those settings.

It is impossible to set a bios password, the only password I can set is a hard-disk password (which appears before the BIOS during the booting).

I think that I am not able to install Linux because of the "secure boot", which I am not able to disable from BIOS. Maybe a better idea could be formatting Windows and installing Linux and then Windows? I try this some days ago but when I installed Windows, Linux disappears.

[Alex1978]

I update the laptop at Windows 10, but it's impossible to install Linux Mint. The bootable USB key is good, because I test it in another PC and it works well. The UEFI is up to date. Most of options in UEFI are impossible to change, so I can't change the boot order and the system doesn't see the USB key. How am I able to change the options of the UEFI?

[mikeflan]

I think that I am not able to install Linux because of the "secure boot", which I am not able to disable from BIOS.

You are in a bad place. Will reinstalling the bios fix this problem? I don't know.

[RIH]

https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/gt/en/prod ... s/HT509044
How to Enable Secure Boot on Think branded systems

[pbear]

Maybe the problem is that Windows "doesn't want" that I installed a second operative system in the PC and he blocks me by the "secure boot" option.

Why do you say that? Mint uses Ubuntu's boot shim, which is secure boot compatible.

[Alex1978]

I try everything!
I reinstalled the UEFI but the UEFI was already updated and nothing changes.
I did two different USB key with Linux, which worked perfectly in another PC and nothing.
Maybe I found the problem. My laptop is Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E520, in Lenovo website I read that the BIOS is updated until Windows 8 after Windows 8 it is no more updated. In this laptop I installed Windows 8.1 (and then Windows 10). I think that maybe the BIOS is not compatible with Windows 8.1 or 10 and this could be the reason that I can't change the options of the BIOS. Maybe.

[Reddog1]

Mint should still work as a virtual machine, providing that your laptop has 8GB of ram so that you can allow 4GB for Windows and 4GB for the Mint VM. The disadvantage is that you must boot W10 before you can start your Virtual Machine Manager and then boot Mint. The advantage is, you will be running both W10 and Linux at the same time and you can switch between them with a mouse click (once the vm is booted).

However, most bios have a 'Security' section where a bios password can be set, and Lenovo is one of the most Linux-friendly manufacturers, so I think it unlikely that they would lock-out a linux install. Hopefully, there is someone here that has that particular computer.

[Alex1978]

Mint should still work as a virtual machine, providing that your laptop has 8GB of ram so that you can allow 4GB for Windows and 4GB for the Mint VM.

In my laptop I have only 2 GB di RAM. You are right, I think this mystery is solved.
Thank you all.

[Jo-con-Ël]

3)

Also, are you certain that Windows was installed EFI and not Legacy (MSDos)? You want both systems installed the same way, either Legacy or UEFI.

If I go into the BIOS, I read "UEFI BIOS: 8HET44WW (1.26)" the PC is a Lenovo ThinkPad E520. I think there is EFI inside the PC. In the Lenovo site, I read that 1,26 is the last version of the BIOS.

That is not the way to confirm Windows is installed on UEFI or BIOS mode. See here and confirm, please.

My laptop is Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E520, in Lenovo website I read that the BIOS is updated until Windows 8 after Windows 8 it is no more updated. In this laptop I installed Windows 8.1 (and then Windows 10). I think that maybe the BIOS is not compatible with Windows 8.1 or 10 and this could be the reason that I can't change the options of the BIOS. Maybe.

You are right, firmware (BIOS version) installed is the last available on Lenovo support but that works on reverse mode: depending on hardware/firmware you can or not install/upgrade an OS but accessing UEFI/BIOS settings does not depend on OS installed.

Look at your user guide ThinkPad setup section, but take into account mentioned functions, options and locations would be different depending on firmware version and some setting prevent or avoid another ones to be displayed/modified (i..e. setting a Supervisor password on Security tab options, saving changes, restarting and getting into ThinkPad setup again, would make visible Lock UEFI settings...).

On other hand you would be able to boot Linux Mint Live USB from inside Windows as user with similar problems on this thread did.

[pbear]

The OP abandoned the thread over a week ago, concluding the problem is insufficient RAM. There never was good reason to believe this was a secure boot problem. And I'm quite sure you misrecall there being a period when Win8 didn't have secure boot.

As for your question, yes, all current versions of Mint (including Cinn 20.3) install in BIOS mode.

[pbear]

there was a time pcs had efi bios without secure boot

This is true, but only in a narrow and obscure way. During the last year of Win7, some PCs were shipped with UEFI firmware but Windows installed in legacy mode and no secure boot. This was confusing because the Mint ISO would boot in UEFI mode on what everyone assumed was a BIOS computer (didn't have an EFI partition and "everyone knew" UEFI came in with Win8). The solution, of course, was to boot the ISO in legacy mode. And even this was only necessary if the user wanted to dual boot with the legacy-installed Windows system (which might have been upgraded in the meantime to Win8).

None of this is relevant to the current thread, though. Which, in any event, seems to have been abandoned by the OP.