Creating UEFI boot on a computer with windows 8.1 and Kubuntu already installed

[SteveRiley]

This is interesting. I just looked over both the desktop and the laptop. Both are brand new with the desktop being the oldest, 6-4-2015 for the desktop and 6-24-2015 for the laptop. Neither computer has a Windows logo sticker on it anywhere. The laptop has the Intel sticker on it. Don't know what that means if anything.

Usually it's just a logo printed on the box the computer came in.

[Qqmike]

The laptop has the Intel sticker on it. Don't know what that means if anything.

When I built my PC (2005) using an Intel motherboard (915GAVL), it came with one of those hot Intel stickers -- I got to put my own sticker on my own PC in my own way. Makes you feel, uhmm, well, kind of important ... It's fun putting stickers on like that ...

[geezer]

Usually it's just a logo printed on the box the computer came in.

Just checked the laptop box - Intel logo, but no MS logo or winows logo - nothing that mentions windows. ??

[geezer]

Okay an update on installing Kubuntu on the desktop strictly UEFI.

Changed the setup to UEFI only and booted Kubunut Live from a USB stick.

Followed the procedure above to create the partitions in sda. checked with gdisk - everything okay.

Rebooted in Kubuntu Live and choose to install.

Completed the installation process. During the manual disk setup I let the "install on sda"alone. That was a mistake. The setup under Kubuntu was weird even though refind worked ine. Went through the installation a second time specifying sda1 as the place to pace the boot stuff. That then worked really well.

Rebooted at completion and it booted into Kubuntu no problem. Installed refind and few other programs - notably gkrellm- I watch that to make sure the downloads have completed.

In my wandering around the web I learned aout the "Windows Recovery" USB. I ha created the USB on my laptop, also windows 8.1, 64 bit. That eans the Windows USB Windows Recovery will wrk also on the desktop

Rebooted the desktop into the Windows Recovery USB and worked through a few options to get a command line and executed 'Bootrec /Rebuild Bcd

That executed for much less than a minute and wrote a BCD in /boot/efi/EFI/boot/Microsoft directory. That gives me the configuration file.

Then using Dolphin I copied the Microsoft efi/EFI directory except for the BCD file there to a USB drive formatted as fat32. unmounted and mounted the USB on the desktop and as root copied those files to the /boot/efi/EFI/boot/Microsoft directory on the desktop.

Rebooted and refind now shows the Windows 8.1 as a boot option. choose Windows 8.1 and it booted fine. Just to make sure I executed a few things and ran an update. Completed normally. Rebooted - windows runs fine.

So I do not need to re-install Windows saving me hours and many, many reboots for the install. The Windows Recovery with Bootrec /RebuildBcd command acts similary to update-grub and build a windows manager configuration file for the specific computer. It even managed to determine that ESP was on a different HDD from Windows 8.1.

So,now all I need to do is restore Kubuntu from backup and reinstall my favorite programs and I have my desktop working UEFI only.

All in all it wasn't all that difficult. cgdisk made the conversion from msdos partitions to gpt automatic.

[Qqmike]

Glad you got it. I didn't quite follow some details of your steps, but what counts is that you understand it and got it going!

That executed for much less than a minute and wrote a BCD in /boot/efi/EFI/boot/Microsoft directory. That gives me the configuration file.

Then using Dolphin I copied the Microsoft efi/EFI directory except for the BCD file there to a USB drive formatted as fat32. unmounted and mounted the USB on the desktop and as root copied those files to the /boot/efi/EFI/boot/Microsoft directory on the desktop.

[SteveRiley]

Just checked the laptop box - Intel logo, but no MS logo or windows logo - nothing that mentions windows. ??

Huh, weird. Maybe the OEMs have gotten to cheap even for that?

[SteveRiley]

Just a lot of bad software...just plain evil in terms of computer programming...In Linux they are abandoning all common sense in computer programming. {blah blah blah}

Then I invite you take your invective somewhere else, not here at KFN. Understood?

[Qqmike]

xennex81, I don't know how I missed all this, you must have been observing and posting opportunistically. I'm reviewing this thread for some info and find all your crap here.

What is this:

Post #9 (which I did see before, and ignored).
Post #12 -- a rant I somehow missed before.
Post #28: (which somehow I totally missed while working with geezer)
"Just for kicks: what are the three simple steps needed to turn my Debian server into UEFI?" etc., etc.
Completely inappropriate and irrelevant to the thread. Go to Gentoo's GRUB 2 wiki, but you already know that.

Being a Linux guru (you are, right?), you know better than to behave this way. WTH is up with you?

[xennex81]

I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to voice my response. I'm not a Linux guru, just a novice. I'm surprised you find offense in my posts this thread, especially 9 and 12. You ask what is up with you, which is a fair question. And a welcome one too. But I'm not allowed to respond because it would be personal info. I will try to respond anyway. First I have no access to a computer, all this is done on a phone. Second I'm locked up and reasonably malnourished. Third I have a head problem as I was hit to the head which was never treated. Fourth I seem to be somewhat psychotic for the past year and a half. But fifth and foremost they say I'm autistic and have no empathy. And sixth, I have been living in isolation for a very long time.

[Qqmike]

Just try to get focused. Start a blog somewhere, personal or Linux-technical. My objection to your postings here are that they disrupt the main purpose: trying to help geezer get info he needs or listening to the info he has. Try to be more relevant. Or post under Social. I know creative, intelligent people with a list similar to yours (including worse--e.g., borderline personality disorder, PTSD, etc.) and they are doing fine and DOING things and achieving things from art to writing, some have almost no money at all. Get a goal--any goal [that is meaningful to you]. But this is not the place to discuss this stuff, ok?

[xennex81]

I never intended to discuss personal stuff here. I merely wanted to join the charade by injecting a short question that would have a short answer as an opportunity to learn something from you 'professionals' that I have no opportunity to learn elsewhere and I hoped the distraction would not be so bad that it would offend.

I am highly focused on stuff that is meaningful to me but I live under horrid conditions. But let's keep it at that.