[kwlug-disc] Linux on Windows 8 laptops with UEFI

[unsolicited]

Just went through this last summer.

You can work around whatever you need to, but it is working around (no 
biggie) - more a matter of learning what they have done to you now.

To boot Windows SecureBoot has to be on.

To boot Linux, SecureBoot (*) has to be off. Once off, you can go ahead 
and do with partitions what you always have. e.g. I booted clonezilla / 
livecd / whatever, to shrink the partitions to make space for a linux 
boot partition. Then (could have) installed Linux. (Once booted, 
secureboot's fingers are no longer in play.)

Note: You will probably also have to deal with GPT now, but you've now 
been through that. (It's merely an additional wrinkle in play again/also.)

Easier dual boot may be problematic, if you set to boot from linux and 
provide a windows boot option within it, windows might still not boot (I 
haven't tried), not coming from a secureboot signed area - don't know.

At worst, since you're into the bios to turn secureboot on or off, you 
can also set which partition to boot, linux or windows. Cumbersome and 
irritating, but doable.

* Way back when when the list first discovered secureboot, there was 
discussion about getting appropriate signings / keyfiles into place so 
that linux would boot with secureboot on. I haven't pursued, but you may 
wish to investigate. If successful, you may well be able to set up a 
traditional boot from grub list that includes a windows boot, without 
having to mess with bios settings each time.


On 14-04-05 03:36 PM, Khalid Baheyeldin wrote:
> So, it has been many years since I got a new laptop.
>
> Nowadays, there is UEFI and secure boot, and all that on Windows 8
> laptops.
>
> Would secure boot and UEFI be problematic if one wants to get a new
> laptop and make it dual boot? Would they prevent Linux from being
> installed and/or co-exist with Windows?
>
> Any experience with newer hardware with Linux?