Installing a Linux distro on Win8 with UEFI

Maysun · #1 June 22, 2013, 01:35 AM

I got a new laptop, Dell Inspiron 15R, and it has come with Win8 pre-installed. Needless to say, I am not impressed with the UI. Maybe, it needs time to sink in? Anyhow, I have decided to install Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS (64-bit) on a separate partition.

Now, here lies the problem - I am unable to boot from the CD drive. It stops responding and just shows a blank screen. I have read that, off late, Microsoft has started shipping out machines with the new UEFI firmware alongside BIOS, which will soon be replacing BIOS. And this UEFI has a Secure Boot feature, which checks for the digital signature and then boots.

I have tried googling and searched YouTube for installation with this UEFI but found nothing much concrete and specific (other than turning off the Secure Boot feature and that Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 13.04, Fedora 18 can be installed with UEFI. Not sure about Ubuntu 12.04.2 though, but isn't it obvious it too should work?!). Anyone over here with any suggestion/advice, highly appreciated!

Thanks!

**Nasif** · #2 June 22, 2013, 02:05 AM

Use VirtualBox and install Ubuntu on that. Live with it for now

Win-8 is great if you have touch screen; otherwise not so intuitive. I like it.

Maysun · #3 June 22, 2013, 02:17 AM

What's the fun in using a VM? I want to use it as a primary OS.

Sometimes, I have a smirk on my face when I try to discover the Win8 UI navigation. I think, I will stick with the keyboard shortcuts.

sum_1 · #4 June 22, 2013, 04:07 AM

Just asking, is your CD ROM drive the primary boot device? If not, you'll have to change it in the BIOS settings.

Also you might need to configure the hard drive from IDE to AHCI in the bios settings.

Maysun · #5 June 22, 2013, 05:31 AM

Oops, forgot to update here.. So after a lot of fiddling and permutations with the BIOS boot settings, I manage to get the installer running. The trick was to boot using Legacy Mode and just disable UEFI Mode, Secure Boot enabled or not.

However, I have run into an another problem. For those familiar with the installation, the installer doesn't recognize my Win8 OS.. So if I do proceed with the installation, does my grub boot listing show Windows as well or only Ubuntu? I have never faced this situation before.. Always had the option "Install alongside Windows X" visible when I attempted it on a Win7/Vista machine. Although, I won't be using this option, I am just curious. I will be running the "Something Else" option and configure the partitions that I have created manually on Windows.

PS. Btw, I ran chkdsk utility on Windows and all my partitions, incl the C Drive, are ok!

**Nasif** · #6 June 22, 2013, 10:36 AM

Preferred option for you would be to wipe off the disk, and make 2 primary partitions. Install Ubuntu first on one and then install Win8 on the other one. I am guessing you don't have Win8 installer, it just came with the PC?

Zeeshan · #7 June 22, 2013, 09:17 PM

what an unbelievably dry thread

Rubu · #8 June 24, 2013, 09:12 AM

Ubuntu 13.04 is so good, you would't even need Win8 anymore. Win7, may be, why bother with Win8 at all?

But if you must, use virtualbox.

Rubu · #9 June 24, 2013, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maysun
Oops, forgot to update here.. So after a lot of fiddling and permutations with the BIOS boot settings, I manage to get the installer running. The trick was to boot using Legacy Mode and just disable UEFI Mode, Secure Boot enabled or not.

However, I have run into an another problem. For those familiar with the installation, the installer doesn't recognize my Win8 OS.. So if I do proceed with the installation, does my grub boot listing show Windows as well or only Ubuntu? I have never faced this situation before.. Always had the option "Install alongside Windows X" visible when I attempted it on a Win7/Vista machine. Although, I won't be using this option, I am just curious. I will be running the "Something Else" option and configure the partitions that I have created manually on Windows.

PS. Btw, I ran chkdsk utility on Windows and all my partitions, incl the C Drive, are ok!

Just to make sure, they both are going to the same partition? Otherwise, I don't see why it would not "see" win 8 as an OS at all. One thing you can try, get a backup of win8 (comes with it starting win7), do a clean install of ubuntu and then install win8 again (if it does not work, you have the option to go back to original win8).