Another 24.04 windows dual boot fail

[mlzarathustra]

Though this problem is related the existing thread about dual booting, my problem seems to be different, and the answers on the other thread do not resolve it. So I think it will be clearer to have a new topic

• I have an MSI laptop running Windows 10.
• The "try Kubuntu" bit works to boot from USB, so I know it's capable of booting up and my HW is compatible.
• However, after running the install application to put it on the HD, it only boots to Windows.

One thing I see that MUST be a mistake: the Installer complains that it doesn't see an EFI partition, and gives some settings that will make a partition be recognized as such.

However, there already IS an EFI partition used by Windows, which the installer is not recognizing, and the application offers no way to edit it or flag it as an EFI partition.

I believe that adding another EFI partition (which I tried) would be incorrect, because I've read elsewhere that having two EFI partitions won't work, since only one can be an ESP partition. Shouldn't the ubuntu installer be added to the existing EFI partition?

But the installer application doesn't seem to understand that.

Any ideas?

Thank you.

[claydoh]

One can have multiple efi partitions, though usually they need to be on different drives.
Are you doing an automatic install, or using custom, manual partitioning? Automatic will/should use the existing one created by the Windows installation - this can be used for multiple OS installs. Or it will create its own if one does not exist.
if manual, you still need to create an efi, or set an existing one to be used, setting flags, etc.

[mlzarathustra]

I ran the installer a couple of times, both times using "manual" because I wasn't sure what the "automatic" was going to do, and the instructions I found online (for Ubuntu) recommended creating partitions manually. In the distant past, I used to always do it myself (using fdisk or whatever), including for dual boots. I couldn't find a good set of instructions for setting up the dual boot in Kubuntu, so I did my best with what I could find.

What I've done so far is basically this:

1. Shrink the windows C: partition using windows tools.
2. The first time running the installer, I created the swap partition and the root partition in the available space. Then I got the error message insisting on having an efi partition, so I made some room and created one. Then I ran the rest of the installation

Result: From the HD, it only boots Windows, though I can see the Linux install when I boot from USB.

3. The second time, I did manual partitioning again, the only difference being (after reading things online) I deleted the Linux and EFI partitions, creating a single partition for Linux instead, leaving the swap partition in place.

I noted that with the "manual partitioning," there is no option to mark the Windows EFI partition as an EFI partition. The installer does not recognize it as such apparently, else why would it tell me I need to create one? Though it does label it as "Windows boot partition."

Same result - only boots Windows from the HD.

Now when I boot from USB and run the installer, it gives me two options:
* replace a partition
* manual partitioning.


I'm not sure how smart the "replace a partition" logic is, but I already have the Linux swap and root partitions created, and I want it to use the windows EFI partition for boot.

Do you think the "replace a partition" option will work at this point? It really isn't what I want to do.

I wish there were a simple way to JUST set up the dual boot, since I shouldn't actually need to change partitions or install anything other than that at this point.



Thanks,
-=miles=-

[jlittle]

I Then I got the error message insisting on having an efi partition, so I made some room and created one.

It's hard to be sure about something I can't see, but I think the installer was not suggesting you create an EFI partition, rather to map /boot/efi to something, and in your case that should have been the existing one.

[claydoh]

Oppsie, somehow I never sent this?

I noted that with the "manual partitioning," there is no option to mark the Windows EFI partition as an EFI partition. The installer does not recognize it as such apparently, else why would it tell me I need to create one? Though it does label it as "Windows boot partition

It definitely is possible to mark it so, else a ton of people world be having dual boot issues.

jlittle is correct, I'd say. It wants an EFI partition defined in the manual install, which can be an existing one or one to be created. But, being a manual setup, it won't do so on its own.

The auto partition scheme shrinks windows, adds a root partition and a swap. It uses the existing efi partition.

Manual installs do require assigning the existing partition to be mounted at /boot/efi and setting the correct flag. Click or right click on the existing EFI from windows to assign these.

Lemme find an image....I know I have one, just gotta find it

Something like this:



Make sure it isn't marked to be formatted.


The installer, Calamares, works the same way on Kubuntu, Lubuntu, KDE neon, Manjaro, and others.

[mlzarathustra]

Oppsie, somehow I never sent this?

It definitely is possible to mark it so, else a ton of people world be having dual boot issues.

I did not get the checkboxes for boot and so on when I right-clicked that partition, unlike when I clicked on the other partitions. That ESP partition is one that Windows created, so I wasn't inclined to mess with it any more than necessary. I need to keep Windows bootable, unfortunately. But again, the Kubuntu installer didn't even give me the option to change it. Maybe this is particular to the MSI laptop?

If I create ANOTHER partition, I can give it the boot flag, but since the system doesn't regard that new partition as the ESP, that accomplishes nothing.

I sort of went off in a different direction - in the past I've installed Mint then downloaded the KDE packages, rather than installing Kubuntu directly, so I thought I'd try that.

The Mint installer seems a little more flexible in general, though I guess you're saying it's a variant of the same installer? It was similar, for sure.

For that install, I wiped out the kubuntu swap and root, and told Mint to "install alongside."

Now I see the "EFI/ubuntu" directory inside the ESP, but it still only boots windows.

I tried fixing the boot order using efibootmgr - the ubuntu boot shows up as second to windows. So I tried putting the ubuntu boot first. I'm not sure if I did it correctly, but it made Windows give me a blue screen error scolding me for trampling on its little toes, after which it booted as usual.

Fun stuff, eh?

Other thoughts I've had -

• Maybe there's a way to use the Windows BCDEdit command to configure the dual boot.
• Maybe installing rEFInd would work

Back in the BIOS days, this used to be so easy!

Thanks,
-=miles=-

[jlittle]

If the installer hasn't worked, the grub-install command should. You can run it from a live session ("Try kubuntu"). Mount the existing EFI and the kubuntu boot somewhere, say /mnt/foo and /mnt/bar, in a konsole

sudo mkdir /mnt/foo /mnt/bar
sudo mount /dev/X /mnt/foo
sudo mount /dev/Y /mnt/bar
sudo grub-install --boot-directory=/mnt/foo/boot --efi-directory=/mnt/bar

Substitute X and Y to suit your system. They might be something like sda1 and sda5 for SATA storage, or nvme0n1p1 and nvme0n1p5 for NVMe storage.

The last time I ran grub-install like this, it didn't make a grub.cfg, so I suggest you check that /mnt/foo/boot/grub/grub.cfg is there and is new. If not,

sudo grub-mkconfig -o /mnt/foo/boot/grub/grub.cfg

Disclaimer: I haven't tested the above; I've adapted the commands from notes I made the last time I ran grub-install on my desktop, in 2020.

[claydoh]

.For that install, I wiped out the kubuntu swap and root, and told Mint to "install alongside."

That is exactly what the Kubuntu installer would have done.

Now I see the "EFI/ubuntu" directory inside the ESP, but it still only boots windows.

I tried fixing the boot order using efibootmgr - the ubuntu boot shows up as second to windows. So I tried putting the ubuntu boot first. I'm not sure if I did it correctly, but it made Windows give me a blue screen error scolding me for trampling on its little toes, after which it booted as usual.

Did you try setting the boot order from the bios?
Did you try using your system's specific f-key to choose which item to boot? These are handy to use if a Windows update changs the bios boot settings, which is not unusual. Or for other issues.

[mlzarathustra]

Did you try setting the boot order from the bios?
Did you try using your system's specific f-key to choose which item to boot? These are handy to use if a Windows update changs the bios boot settings, which is not unusual. Or for other issues.

Yes, I tried setting the boot order from firmware settings (do we still call it the BIOS?)

There's no separate option for the ubuntu boot. In fact, in the "bios" list of possible boot drives, it gives the drive name and mentions the Windows bootloader. (or boot manager?)

[mlzarathustra]

If the installer hasn't worked, the grub-install command should.

I'll keep that in mind as I decide what to try next. Thanks for the code.

[claydoh]

(do we still call it the BIOS?)

Yes, since most people have no idea what "UEFI Firmware" is, so I sighed heavily and just keep referring to the BIOS, as that is what everyone understands.

There's no separate option for the ubuntu boot. In fact, in the "bios" list of possible boot drives, it gives the drive name and mentions the Windows bootloader. (or boot manager?)

That is odd, and I can't say why it doesn't exist.

Now I see the "EFI/ubuntu" directory inside the ESP, but it still only boots windows.

I tried fixing the boot order using efibootmgr - the ubuntu boot shows up as second to windows. So I tried putting the ubuntu boot first. I'm not sure if I did it correctly, but it made Windows give me a blue screen error scolding me for trampling on its little toes, after which it booted as usual.

Even odder, as iirc efibootmgr reads info from the firmware, maybe? I think.
Only things I can suggest is to make sure you have the latest firmware updates, try disabling secure boot, and turn off any "fast" or "quick" boot options in the firmware settings.

[mlzarathustra]

Yes, since most people have no idea what "UEFI Firmware" is, so I sighed heavily and just keep referring to the BIOS, as that is what everyone understands.

LOL!

Only things I can suggest is to make sure you have the latest firmware updates, try disabling secure boot, and turn off any "fast" or "quick" boot options in the firmware settings.

It's a brand new machine, but I guess I could try updating the firmware.
Secure boot and quick boot are both shut off in the firmware.

I've been working on other things, thinking about what the next best step is for this.

[jglen490]

As I recall, if "Fast Boot" is turned on in Windows, that setting will hijack the boot process to prevent other OSes from booting. One more thing to check.