Booting Mint with 32-Bit Versions of Windows

[RobertX]

If I want to boot Linux Mint with 32-bit versions of Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10, should I use UEFI mode or BIOS/Legacy?

[gold_finger]

Legacy mode because that is the mode any 32-bit version of Windows is installed in. You want to install in same mode for dual-booting to be easiest. Only 64-bit versions of Windows can use UEFI mode.

[hrmcrm]

Is this on a machine with 64-bit CPU?
How is Windows installed? If it uses an ms-dos partition table, Mint should be BIOS-based, IMHO.

Notes:
The 64-bit ISO can boot with BIOS or UEFI.
The 32-bit ISO can only boot with BIOS.
The 64-bit ISO is recommend for all modern computers (Almost all computers sold since 2007 are equipped with 64-bit processors).

[Pierre]

but with win-8x & win-10 you will need to enable VTx support in BIOS
or the 32bit version won't install. ..
- as well as checking PAE / VTx support in settings of each VB.

took me a week to get win-10 32bit to work in a VB
& it was that solution which worked out.

[RobertX]

No computer setup as of yet; my current one went down and I need another one.

I mine as well make do with 64-bit, which leads me to another question: can I use 4GB RAM in UEFI mode, and dual-booting with 64-bit OSs?

[Pierre]

that UEFI is more to do with the HardDrive and less to do with how much Ram that your PC has.

& you sure can Dual Boot with 64bit systems.

if fact, if you do get a 64bit system, then get at least 8Gb of RAM for your new machine.
and a 1Tb HDD as well - - rather than, say, just 500Gb for the HDD
and of course - - better than 3Ghz for the CPU as well.

[michael louwe]

I mine as well make do with 64-bit, which leads me to another question: can I use 4GB RAM in UEFI mode, and dual-booting with 64-bit OSs?

.
32bit Windows is limited to 4GB of RAM. UEFI is limited to 64bit OS. .......
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing ... g-systems/

On a 64bit BIOS/non-UEFI computer, a 32bit OS can be dual-booted with a 64bit OS. Not so for a UEFI computer, unless it is set to Legacy/BIOS or CSM enabled.

On a UEFI computer, an OS can be installed in Legacy/BIOS mode alongside another OS that has been installed in UEFI mode, but booting each OS requires the UEFI BIOS setting to be changed between UEFI and Legacy/BIOS during start-up by pressing one of the Function keys, eg F2 or F12.
....... If Linux is installed alongside Windows and both are installed in UEFI mode or both are installed in Legacy/BIOS mode, the Linux Grub/bootloader menu will appear after start-up for the boot selection of either OS, ie no need to go into the UEFI BIOS setup.

[RobertX]

Thanks.

Now a newbie-like question: If I'm switching between modes (i.e. UEFI and Legacy), is there a risk that I can permanently break the internals?

[michael louwe]

Now a newbie-like question: If I'm switching between modes (i.e. UEFI and Legacy), is there a risk that I can permanently break the internals?

.
No.
....... But bear in mind that M$'s Windows updates may brick dual-boot configurations, whether by purpose or not. There have been such reports. So, better to keep the 2 OS on separate hard-drives, either internal or external or virtual.