Windows 8 why you such a pain!

[linux_dan]

Hey,

So it looks like my love affair with Linux has come to end!

I brought a shiny new Dell with Windows 8.1 Update 1 boy what a mistake!

I have searched high and low on Google all about dual booting and tried most things i.e disable fast boot etc but nothing works.
Has anybody here had luck dual booting with Windows hate!

Cheers

Dan

[heiowge]

No luck with windows 8 dual booting.

But you have a wonderful opportunity here to wipe windows completely and install something that actually works!

[leke]

Really!? Have they actually made it impossible to dual boot? I just received my laptop today, and was looking to do the same thing. I really need to keep Windows on it for college and work training specific things.

[wyliecoyoteuk]

While not imposible, it is quite awkward.
Running one or other in a VM (or using a Hypervisor such as KVM, Xen or Windows HyperV to run both) is the easiest alternative.

http://guidesdna.com/complete-guide-dua ... -1-ubuntu/

http://askubuntu.com/questions/221835/i ... -supported

[linux_dan]

While not imposible, it is quite awkward.
Running one or other in a VM (or using a Hypervisor such as KVM, Xen or Windows HyperV to run both) is the easiest alternative.

http://guidesdna.com/complete-guide-dua ... -1-ubuntu/

http://askubuntu.com/questions/221835/i ... -supported

That first link was the most BASIC I have ever seen

Don't even mention fast boot - good luck to anyone following that one.



I have tried VM machines but even with 4gb ram things feel slugish.

[wyliecoyoteuk]

Depends which VM and which host.
Windows runs quite quickly on a KVM Hypervisor.
Ubuntu is quite slow on my Virtualbox running on Windows, yet win8.1 is quite quick on VB on Ubuntu.
Running KVM as a bare metal hypervisor with 2 guests probably gives the best result.

Unfortunately win8.1 even struggles to dual boot with windows 7.
If you set up fast boot, it will corrupt a win7 partition trying to "fix" it when you reboot into 8..

Dual boot was never an ideal solution.
You could always run Ubuntu from a USB stick.

[leke]

That first link was the most BASIC I have ever seen

I guess that first link won't work on UEFI featured laptops. Is that right?

[wyliecoyoteuk]

That first link was the most BASIC I have ever seen

I guess that first link won't work on UEFI featured laptops. Is that right?

Actually, it may, as long as they don't already have 4 active partitions. The main point is to create the free space using win8.

[catgate]

Hey,

I brought a shiny new Dell with Windows 8.1 Update 1 boy what a mistake!

Dan

That not just one mistake, it is two.

[linux_dan]

Been playing with VM player this weekend. Installed Xubuntu 14.4 and seems pretty nippy

Still would rather dual boot - Virtual Machines still feel a bit clunky

[wyliecoyoteuk]

Lubuntu is even quicker

[Marrea]

Is it possible with new laptops these days to replace Windows 8 completely with a Linux installation, ie not bother about dual-booting? Since becoming aware of UEFI, secure boot etc I have gained the impression (rightly or wrongly) that the main aim is to prevent anything other than Windows booting so I’m assuming that overwriting Windows completely with Linux would also present problems.

[nelz]

That's how my laptop is set up. You need to turn off the so-called Secure boot in the EFI settings, then you can send Windows 8 to where it deserves to be and install a grown up OS.

[Marrea]

Could I possibly ask what make of laptop you have, nelz? I have been considering buying a new laptop for some time - strictly for the purpose of running Linux alone, but have so far hesitated for fear of ending up with something which would not allow me to do this.

As you probably know, I am a long-time Windows user but I am afraid 8 leaves me cold. I have a copy on VirtualBox which I dip into from time to time but have not managed to sum up much enthusiasm for it. I would hate to spend £400/£500 or so on a new machine and then find all I can do with it is run 8.

[nelz]

It's an Asus Vivobook S202, about a year old. It's a Windows 8 release because it has a touch screen, not that I use it like that - my phone screen has more than enough finger marks already.