Dual Booting Windows 10 and Mint KDE w/UEFI

Discussion in 'all things UNIX' started by n8chavez, Mar 31, 2017.

  1. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    I need some advice on how to dual-boot Mint 18.1 and Windows to with a UEFI system. I've read guides that say I need /, /home, and swap mount point and some that say I just need / and swap. I have a SSD drive that has 50 gb reserved for mint, and it boots up live, but when I try to install it I get different options that anything any of the guides or youtube videos show me; particularity where to boot the boot loader. In the guides it'll show that Windows is detected and there is an option to install it along side of it and dual-boot. I don't have that option presented to me. I chose the custom partitioning, the select the 50gb free space, create a / mount point ext4 40gb, then create a swap of the other 10. But I don't know where to put the bootloader; which disk I need to put it on to successfully dual-boot. Any help here would be appreciated.

    Thanks,

    n8
     
  2. guest

    guest Guest

    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 31, 2017
  3. guest

    guest Guest

    But i would wait the creator update because if you plan to use it , you will have to redo the whole procedure.
     
  4. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Nate,

    I developed a method of multi-booting multiple Windows OS with multiple Linux OS in a UEFI situation. Each OS was independent and didn't share files with the other. But it is too complicated for practical use.

    I have an idea to independently boot Win10 with Linux, UEFI, using EasyUEFI. Give me a few days to see if it works,
     
  5. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Nate,

    I've had success. Win10 and Mint can be installed as independent OS in a UEFI system. Either OS can be upgraded without affecting the other OS. Either OS can be deleted without affecting the other OS. Grub is in the Mint ESP, not in the Win10 ESP or the MBR.

    Mint can be booted from EasyUEFI but after booting Mint, Win10 has to be booted from the BIOS Boot Menu for the first boot. Thereafter Win10 boots after a restart or power on.
     
  6. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    Okay. But how do you install mint; what partition is the loader on?
     
  7. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    This is loosely based on...

    http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=281

    Backup Win10 before commencing (standard instruction)


    Boot IFL, Partition Work
    Delete the EFI System partition but don't select "Clear Boot Sector" (We are going to Undelete it later) If you don't do this Grub puts files in the Win10 ESP
    In Free space following your Win10 partitions click Create, Name ESP, File System EFI System, Size 100 MiB
    Select ESP, Properties, make sure Type is EFI System
    In Free space click Create, Name Mint, File System Linux Native, Size 20000 MiB (or whatever you like)
    Select Mint, Properties, change Type to Linux Data
    In Free space click Create, Name Swap, File System Linux Swap/Solaris, Size 1000 MiB (or whatever you like)
    Select Swap, Properties, change Type to Linux Swap

    Boot a Mint UFD/DVD
    In the Start Menu, Install
    In step 9 of the above web page, choose Manual
    Select the EFI partition, Change, nothing needed
    Select the Mint partition, Change, Use as Ext4, Format, Mount point /
    Select the Swap partition, Change, Use as Swap Area
    Boot Loader, choose the efi partition. DON'T CHOOSE /dev/sda

    After the install let Mint boot

    Boot IFL, Partition Work
    select the Free Space where the Win10 EFI System partition used to be, click Undelete
    select the undeleted partition, Properties, change the Type to EFI System, change the Name from the arrow to ESP
    Boot Win10 from the BIOS Boot Menu

    In EasyUEFI you might see 2 Ubuntu entries referencing the Mint ESP. Delete one. Edit the other one and change the name to Mint

    Try a One-Time boot of Mint

    Boot Win10 from the BIOS Boot Menu if needed

    Any questions?
     
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2017
  8. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    EasyUEFI One-Time Boot of Mint works. Mint boots and the next boot is Win10.

    Make sure you have Windows Boot Manager as the top entry in EasyUEFI.
     
  9. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    Thanks for the guide. I do have a question. I want to make sure I follow it to the letter. You say to boot IFL and partition work. But that latter requires BING. Without that I can't follow the guide. I don't have a license for that. Can I use any partition editor?
     
  10. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    I've only used BIBM so I can't answer. Try your app and let us know. If the partition editor can't undelete partitions you could restore the ESP image.
     
  11. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    I forgot a step. In the Mint install, don't Turn off Secure Boot.
     
  12. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Nate,

    I just installed another Mint without using BIBM. So now I have Win10 and 2 Mints. All independent. What are your plans?
     
  13. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    I did more tests on the need to delete the Windows EFI System partition. It definitely must be deleted prior to the Mint install otherwise the two OS won't be independent. If you don't delete it prior to the Mint install both Win10 and Mint seem OK but if you then delete the Windows EFI System partition, Mint won't boot.
     
  14. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    I'm having completely different results than you. Mint won't even boot. In fact, there's no boot entry for it in EasyUEFI. I tried three time, following your guide exactly. I even bought BiBM to make sure I was doing it right. But there's still no loader for Mint. I even gave the Mint UEFI partition a size that would maje it stand out so that I'm sure to put the loader there. Nothing seems to work.
     
  15. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Nate,

    Have a look at Partition Work. What partitions are present? I have...

    Recovery
    EFI system partition
    Microsoft Reserved Partition
    Win10
    ESP
    Mint
    Swap

    Select ESP and click Edit File. I see...
    EFI <DIR>
    BOOTEX.LOG

    select EFI and press Enter
    select ubuntu and press Enter

    I see...
    fw <DIR>
    grub.cfg
    grubx64.efi
    MokManager.efi
    shimx64.efi

    Same with you?

    Select ESP again and click Properties
    Is the Type EFI System?
    In Additional Information do you see...
    Bootable: FAT32 Label: ESP
    Cluster size: 1024 byte(s)

    Select ESP again and click Properties and click Details
    I have...
    Free: 96 MiB
    Used: 4 MiB
     
  16. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    In partition works I have:

    Recovery
    EFI system partition
    IFL
    Microsoft Reserved Partition
    Win10
    ESP
    Mint ( / )
    Swap (swap)

    When I click to edit the ESP entry there's nothing listed at all there. Obviously that's bad. Question...when I install mint ("mint" partition ext4, "swap" is swap) what do I do with the ESP partition? It sounds like you want me to do nothing with it except but the loader there. When installing Mint "do not use partition" is selected by default and you told me not to change it. Is that right, or did I f--- something up? Maybe the existence of the IFL UEFI entry it screwing things up.
     
  17. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Nate,

    Does Win10 boot after you install Mint?

    Boot IFL, select the Windows EFI System Partition, click Edit File.
    Select EFI and press Enter
    I see...
    Boot
    Microsoft

    Same with you?

    Sounds good but nothing is going to the Linux EFI partition. When I click Change on that partition there is nothing to change. I click OK. I look at the EFI partition and it's something like /dev/sda5 so I change the boot loader from /dev/sda to /dev/sda5 (or whatever). Is this what you did. It sounds like you chose the wrong partition.

    For the Mint partition you should have: Use as Ext4, Format, Mount point /

    Like you, I'm using my IFL partition for Partition Work. But mine is on a different SSD although I doubt that makes a difference.

    Edit... Not relevant to you but if you fail to delete the Windows ESP prior to the Mint install, all Grub files go to the Windows ESP and the Mint EFI partition will be empty. Windows and Mint will boot.
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2017
  18. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Where do you see "do not use partition"?

    Edit... Got it. You change this to Ext4 or Swap. (Mint or Swap partition).
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2017
  19. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    For the uefi partition?
     
  20. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    No changes.
     
  21. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    That's what I thought. That's how I have it now and Mint doesn't boot.
     
  22. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    When you are doing the install do you ignore the Install third party drivers and don't remove Secure Boot? I leave both unselected.

    In EasyUEFI do you see Secure Boot Enabled (in red letters) above Status?

    In Partition Work, check each partition for an EFI folder in the root. Use Edit File as we did above. The EFI folder should not be in any partition other than the Linux EFI partition.
     
  23. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    If it doesn't work I could send you my EFI partition image for you to restore to your EFI partition. My image is only 2 MiB. It "might" work.
     
  24. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    But if I enable secure boot, that means I lose the ability to boot from an ISO. That means I cannot boot into Mint to install it, or have access to the motherboard alternate boot menu. I need both of those.
     
  25. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    I have Secure Boot enabled and Mint installs. I can boot ISOs and UFD. But if you don't want Secure Boot it shouldn't be an issue with installing Mint.

    I've been doing tests and Grub could be going to your IFL partition. So, boot an IFL UFD, delete the 3 Linux partitions and also delete the IFL partition and the Windows ESP as you did before. (We'll undelete them after Mint is booting). Then create the 3 partitions, etc.

    Good luck.
     
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