Tutorial Installing Linux Mint On A Windows 8.1 PC

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...
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[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Computer

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[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

Windows 8/8.1/10 Computer
by gold_finger Sun Mar 23, 2014 4:19 pm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This is geared toward new Linux users who have a newer UEFI-based computer
that has Windows 8/8.1/10 pre-installed. (Most of the time Windows is installed in
UEFI/EFI-mode; so this tutorial focuses on that. The beginning of tutorial shows
you how to determine which mode Windows was installed in. If it's UEFI/EFI
mode, use this tutorial. If it's BIOS/Legacy mode then standard installation
procedures should be followed and this tutorial is NOT meant for that.) If you are
experienced with partitioning and installing operating systems, skip over the basic
information you already know.
gold_finger
Level 8
Posts: 2461
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2013
11:39 pm
UEFI firmware settings vary from one manufacturer to another, making it

impossible specify "exact" steps for settings changes. Therefore, I've just listed
most of the basic steps for preparation and installation. You'll need to refer to your
computer manufacturer's user manual (or motherboard manufacturer's user
manual) for specific instructions related to UEFI settings and how to access them.
NOTE: If you run into problems, please post support requests to the "Installation
and Boot" section of the forum. This is the "Tutorials" section and most forum
members (myself included) do not scan these pages to see if people need help. If
you post for help here, it could be days or weeks before anyone notices.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dual-Boot Installation of Linux with Windows 8/8.1/10

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Below is a list of generic steps first. After that I have listed sources for more
information and/or gone into more detail on some basic subjects and terminology
for those who may need that information.
Pick a Mint version to Install:

* Here is a list of all Mint releases: http://www.linuxmint.com/oldreleases.php.
* Pick a 64-bit version of Mint.
* Note that some are "Long Term Support" (LTS) releases supported with updates
for 5 years. Others are interim releases only supported for 9 months. The interim
releases generally have newer versions of software and new features that might
be added to future LTS versions.
* Pick a version that is still being supported, not one that support has expired for.
* Each version will also give you a choice of Desktop Environments -- basically,
those are slightly different user environments that can include different core
components, default programs, look & feel, etc. Try a few different ones to see
which you like the most.
* Download the chosen ISO file and burn the image to a DVD or make a "live"
USB. Burning the "image" to DVD is different than burning "data". Use a search
engine to find out how to "Burn an ISO file to DVD in Windows 8" if you don't know
how. To make a live, bootable USB use one of these programs:
http://rufus.akeo.ie/ (many positive reports from users of this)
http://www.linuxliveusb.com/
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/
Preparing Windows for the Linux Installation:

* In the event of a disaster, or mistake, backup all important data.
* Create a recovery disk if you haven't already done so. (See near bottom of
page for more info.)
* Determine for sure if Windows was installed in UEFI/EFI-mode. (See here:
What's Your Boot Mode?.) Another way to determine that is to open Windows
Disk Management and look at the partitions on the hard drive. If you see a small
(200-550MB) partition formatted as FAT32 that says "EFI System Partition", or
"System" with the boot flag enabled on it -- then Windows is in EFI-mode. (Note: it
must be a small FAT32 partition. You may also see a small NTFS partition, but
that is not what you are looking for.)
* To make things easier, disable "Secure Boot". (See near bottom of page for
more info.)
* Disable Windows "Fast Startup" feature. (See near bottom of page for more
info.)
* If Windows partitions cover the entire hard drive, you will need to shrink one of
them to make room for the Linux installation.
* Have Windows first defragment the partition you will be shrinking.
* Use Windows disk management program to shrink the partition to make room
for the Linux installation. (NOTE: if Windows will not allow you to shrink enough to
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make space for Linux, make a post for help in the Installation & Boot section of
the forum -- not under this thread. There is a way around the problem, but it varies
depending on the version of Windows you are using.)
* Reboot computer into Windows after the shrinking so it can make any
adjustments it needs to make for the new size.
* Do a FULL shutdown of Windows. (See near bottom of page for more info.)
Installing Linux:
(NOTE: You can either make partitions ahead of time, or create them during the
installation process. I believe it's easiest to make them first then direct the installer
to use them, so that's what I describe below. If you would rather make them
during the installation, here is a tutorial geared to doing that: How to install with
manual partitioning. Ignore references to "extended" and "logical" partitions in
tutorial. All partitions of a GPT disk will be "primary".)
* You NEED to boot your installation DVD/USB in UEFI/EFI-mode. If it gets
booted in Legacy mode, you will end up with an installation that won't boot, or the
installer will not recognize that Windows even exists on the hard drive and you
risk wiping it out. Almost all computers enable access to both a main UEFI
Settings/Startup Menu and a separate Boot Menu. The main Settings Menu
allows you to control the general boot mode of computer for all startups (as well
as letting you change a number of other things). The separate Boot Menu lets you
change you boot choice (and the boot mode for that choice) for only the current
power-up session of the computer. (The change does not stick for future
boot-ups.) The Boot Menu is what you want to bring up when booting your
Mint DVD/USB. There will be a choice to boot the DVD/USB in either UEFI-mode
or Legacy (or similar wording) mode. Pick UEFI-mode!
(Each manufacturer uses a different set of keys to access the Settings and Boot
Menus, so you may have to look that up for your computer. A couple of the more
common keys used to access the Boot Menu are the <F12> key and the <Esc>
key. When you find out the key to use, start slowly, repeatedly tapping that key
immediately after turning on computer.)
After booting your DVD/USB, open a terminal (typically found under Menu ->
Accessories -> Terminal) and enter this command to confirm that it booted in
EFI-mode:
CODE: SELECT ALL
ls /sys/firmware
If you see "efi" listed in the output, you succeeded in booting in EFI-mode. If not,
reboot and try again.
* Once booted into live DVD/USB, open GParted to make partitions for Linux
(Menu -> Administration (or System) -> GParted).
* If GParted is not listed, install it by opening a terminal (Menu -> Accessories ->
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Terminal) and entering the following command:

CODE: SELECT ALL
sudo apt-get install gparted
It will then show up in the Menu.

* See this tutorial for how to use GParted: GParted partitioning software - Full
tutorial
* You need at least one partition for root ("/") and one partition for swap. If you
want to separate your data from the system files, make a home partition (/home)
as well.
* Very General Partitioning Guideline:
-- Root partition = 20GB size, Ext4 file system
-- Swap partition = 1-2 times amount of RAM, formatted "linux-swap"
-- Home partition = Ext4 file system, rest of available space (should be the
largest partition)
* After making the partitions ahead of time, double-click the "Install" icon on the
desktop to start the installation process.
* Go through preliminary steps and when asked how to install, choose the
"Something else" option.
* Next page will show all partitions available on the drive.
* You now need to select the partitions you made and assign mount points to
them for the installer.
* Highlight the partition you made for root, then click the "Change" button and fill
in the appropriate details.
* Use as = Ext4 journaling file system
* Size = keep as you already have it
* Mount Point = /
* No need to check the format box if you already formatted it with GParted.
(If creating partitions during installation, then click the format box as shown
in pic.)
* Click "OK" when done.
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* If you made a home partition, do the same except make the mount
point = /home.
* Highlight the EFI System Partition (usually a 200-550MB partition
formatted FAT32) that Windows already created on the system and click
"Change". Make sure it's set to EFI Boot (or /boot/efi) -- leave the size
and formatting alone (do not change them). Here is a screenshot example
of what you should see (your partition size may be different):
See this post for a fuller description of what this step looks like if needed:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=163238&
p=840112#p840090.
* No need to do anything with the swap partition -- the installer will
automatically recognize and use it.
* VERY IMPORTANT STEP!!! Near bottom of window, "Device for
bootloader installation" should be the EFI System Partition. Select that
one in the drop-down box. It will be a small (200-550MB) partition formatted
as FAT32. It will likely be /dev/sda1 or /dev/sda2; but double-check that to
be sure.
* Once that is done, click "Install Now" to complete the installation.
If you succeed with the installation, it would probably help future users if you
posted under here with the specs of your computer and what UEFI settings ended
up working for you. (If there was anything else you needed to do in addition to
steps listed here, that would be nice to know also.) I'm sure users with the same
or similar set-up as yours will greatly appreciate it! A quick easy way to list your
computer specs is to open a terminal (Menu -> Accessories -> Terminal) and
enter this command:
CODE: SELECT ALL
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inxi -Fxz
Then just copy/paste the output into the forum reply interface. Thanks!
If you've followed these steps and the installation appeared to operate properly,
but you have problems booting into Mint or Windows afterwards, submit a new
post in the forum asking for help. The problem may be related to your graphics
card, or something else that can be fixed without the need to go through the install
procedure again (which will likely just have the same result). Post as many details
as you can about the problem, including any error messages seen. Also let people
know exactly which version of Mint and desktop environment you are using. Basic
specs and/or the computer model you are using are also helpful to those who may
provide answers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Brief, general description of boot process when starting a computer:
* Push the power button
* Built-in firmware on the motherboard handles the initial startup, (see here for
more details).
* Then points to a bootloader in the Master Boot Record of hard drive (on
BIOS-based systems), or an EFI System Partition on the hard drive (on
UEFI/EFI-based systems).
* Which then boots the operating system. (On BIOS-based systems, stage 1 of
bootloader is on MBR, which then points to stage 2 boot files elsewhere on drive
to boot the OS.)
Definitions:
Hard Drive -- physical device that holds the operating system and your data files.
It can be setup with one or more partitions to hold everything.
Partitions -- separate divisions of space on a hard drive to organize files. MS
Windows frequently refers to these spaces as "drives" (eg. "C:" drive, "D:" drive,
etc.) -- which is technically incorrect way to describe them. If those "drives" are all
contained on the same physical device (hard drive), that is a technically incorrect
description of what they are. They are partitions, not drives! When a Linux user
says "drives" he/she is referring to separate physical devices, not partitions.
Remember this distinction and try to use correct terminology when asking for help
on a Linux forum -- it will eliminate misunderstandings.
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MBR -- Master Boot Record. The first 512 bytes on a drive. Holds the partition
table of drive and 1st stage of boot loader for operating system. You won't see it
when using partitioning software -- it's not a partition.
MBR Partitioned Disks -- used on BIOS-based computers and is limited to
having up to 4 "primary" partitions, or a combination of primary partitions and an
"extended" partition that can house "logical" partitions to get around the 4-partition
limit. (Some UEFI-based computers will allow for partitioning in MBR format, but is
more typical for them to use GPT partitions.) MBR is limited in ability to read drive
capacities greater than 2TiB.
GPT -- GUID Partition Table. Similar to MBR, but newer and more advanced.
(Forum member srs5694 has a better definition of this than me here -http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=162625&p=839096#p839086)
GPT Partitioned Disks -- normally found on newer computers using UEFI
firmware; but can be used on BIOS-based computers with Linux. (As of now 03/2014 - MS Windows computers must use UEFI firmware to use GPT partitions
and must be 64-bit Windows versions. That could change in the future for all I
know.) GPT allows for creating over 100 partitions without the need of "extended"
partitions. Also able to read drives with much greater capacities than MBR
partitioned disks.
ESP -- EFI System Partition. Special partition on GPT partitioned disks for
holding EFI boot files. It is usually a small (200-550MB) partition formatted as
FAT32 at the beginning of the disk.
Basic UEFI Information:

What You Need to Know About Using UEFI Instead of the BIOS
HTG Explains: Learn How UEFI Will Replace Your PCs BIOS
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
UEFI and Installing Linux:

UEFI on Ubuntu-based Distros
Linux on UEFI: A Quick Installation Guide
Arch Linux: Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
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Creating Windows 8 Recovery Disk:

Create a USB recovery drive
Disabling Secure Boot:

Disabling Secure Boot
How to Enable or Disable Secure Boot in UEFI
Disabling Fast Startup:

How to Turn "Fast Startup" On or Off for a Hybrid Boot in Windows 8 and 8.1
How Windows 8 Hybrid Shutdown / Fast Boot feature works
Special Note for users who encounter boot problems AFTER a Windows 8
update -- see link posted by Spearmint2 below for information on fixing the
problem.
Solving UEFI boot problems caused by Windows 8:

How to access and change UEFI settings in Windows 8 computers that might be
causing problems booting Linux DVD/USB.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------END NOTES:
The information on this post came from reading much material posted all over the
internet (some of which is linked throughout), from other posts on this forum, and
from my own experience and learning as I've tried helping people through
installations. I can't possibly remember ALL of the useful posts that I've learned
from, but would like to acknowledge a few members of the forum whose multiple
posts have contributed significantly to the information contained here.
In alphabetical order, those people are: austin.texas, Derik_S, Mark Phelps,
Spearmint2 and srs5694. (srs5694 is the author of some of the links within this
tutorial and the maintainer of the rEFInd tool sometimes used to solve UEFI
booting issues.)
If you need further assistance with your installation after reading this, make a new
post in the forum with your questions. This is not the right place for support
requests. I (along with others who could help you) don't normally check the tutorial
section to answer support questions.
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I am not an "expert", "Linux guru", nor a technical writer -- just an experienced

user. If you find any glaring mistakes feel free to let me know so I can correct
them. I've tried to keep this as simple as possible, so have no plans to add
corrections that are simply more nuanced meanings to terminology or additional
scenarios for a possible installation. That would likely just confuse new users
more. But feel free to add your own clarifications and/or alternative scenarios for
partitioning, etc. under this post.
3/26/14 EDIT:
* Just found my own "glaring" mistake. Forgot to add the important installation step that is now
there in blue. (My mind must have been fried -- that was a big one to forget.)
* Added some further details in areas and added a paragraph near the end asking for users to
post feedback on successful installs that others may find helpful.
* Added info crediting other forum members for posting information that contributed to my
understanding and got passed along in this tutorial.
4/1/14 EDIT:
* Added screenshots generously provided by Derek_S.
* Changed title of post to show it's a tutorial.
5/15/14 Edit:
* Added "Special Note" under "Disabling Fast Startup" with link to post by Spearmint2.
6/29/14 Edit:
* Added link to Rufus for making live USB in Windows.
8/10/14 Edit:
* Changed wording of top intro and added note regarding support requests.
9/7/14 Edit:
* Made better description of booting live DVD/USB in UEFI/EFI-mode as suggested by Dirkoir.
11/30/14 Edit:
* Minor spelling correction.
12/1/14 Edit:
* Changed screenshot links.
12/11/14 Edit:
* Added useful link under "Solving UEFI boot problems caused by Windows 8" section. Thanks
to forum user kencm for finding and posting that information here.
4/6/15 Edit:
* After post by user lmintnewb2, added note regarding potential problems when trying to resize
Windows.
Last edited by gold_finger on Thu Dec 31, 2015 4:40 am, edited 21 times in total.
9 of 19
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Please add [SOLVED] to your thread if a solution is found. Go to your first post in the thread, hit
"Edit" button and add [SOLVED] to the title of the post.
How To Format Your Forum Posts.
Try Linux Beginner Search Engine for Linux questions.
Re: Guideline for Installing Mint on a

Windows 8/8.1 Compute
by Previous1 Sun Mar 23, 2014 5:08 pm
I vote for Sticky.
Tutorials | cynicaltux
Arch Linux i3wm, 64bit
Previous1
Level 4
Posts: 363
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2013
11:48 am
Contact:
Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

Windows 8/8.1 Computer
by ander111 Mon Apr 14, 2014 1:02 am
This tutorial was terrifically helpful as I installed Mint 16 Mate on my (UEFI)

Toshiba C50D-A notebook (AMD A4-5000 CPU, 4GB DDR3, AMD Radeon HD
8330 graphics).
In the PC's UEFI settings, I did disable Fast Boot. (In case there's any confusion,
this [usually] means changing the "Boot Speed" setting from "Fast" to "Normal".)
You must do this because "Fast" causes the PC to skip checking for extra
deviceslike the USB drive you're trying to boot from.
ander111
Level 3
Posts: 152
Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2010
5:18 am
However, I found I did not have to disable Secure Boot to get the Mint USB to
launch. I think it's because I was careful to prepare my USB drive to be
UEFI-compatible. To do that, I used the free Rufus USB-formatting utility, with
these settings:
Partition scheme and target system type: "MBR partition scheme for BIOS or
UEFI computers"
File system: FAT32
New volume label: (Enter whatever name you'd like for the Linux version you're
using... I called mine Mint16Mate)
Create a bootable disk using: ISO Image (then click the "drive" icon and select
the Mint ISO file you downloaded)
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I left all other settings at their defaults, clicked Startand a minute later, had my
ready-to-boot, UEFI-friendly Mint USB drive.
Hope this helps!

by Spearmint2 Mon Apr 14, 2014 2:05 pm
Definitely of sticky quality! One of the better simplified tutorials I've seen to date.
Qualifies under "git'er done!" without needing or bogging down into all the
background understandings which can be researched deeper later on. A good
tutorial to point windows 8 users to from now on.
update;
article about WHY you need to disable Fast Start or is it Fast Boot? Anyway,
seems Shut Down only goes to Hibernate in W8 now, and Restart is where the
cold boot or full boot is located.
Spearmint2
Level 12
Posts: 4239
Joined: Sat May 04, 2013
1:41 pm
Location: Maryland, USA
http://www.zdnet.com/uefi-and-windows-8 ... 000028217/

All things go better with Mint. Mint julep, mint jelly, mint gum, candy mints, pillow mints,
peppermint, chocolate mints, spearmint,....

by gold_finger Thu May 15, 2014 1:50 pm
Spearmint2 wrote:
article about WHY you need to disable Fast Start or is it Fast Boot? Anyway,
seems Shut Down only goes to Hibernate in W8 now, and Restart is where the
cold boot or full boot is located.
http://www.zdnet.com/uefi-and-windows-8 ... 000028217/
gold_finger
Level 8
Posts: 2461
11:39 pm
Didn't notice this until today. Thanks for posting that. Very useful! Have added a
note and link in tutorial to your post.

11 of 19
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by Umbra Polaris Sun Jun 08, 2014 8:17 am
and how to reenable the Reset feature of Win8/8.1.1

i had this issue: viewtopic.php?f=46&p=872262#p872262
Tri-boot : Mint 17 / Kali / Windows 8.1.1

by goodsayan Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:11 pm
Hi,
Umbra Polaris
Level 2
Posts: 52
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2014
8:17 am
Location: Nha trang
(Vietnam) / Paris (France)
goodsayan
Level 1
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2013
5:53 am
I have a acer aspire S7-191-73534G12Ass, intel core i7-3537U 2GHZ, 4Go de

DDR3, SSD de 128Go with W8.1 preinstall.
I have a problem during install. After partitioning I have a popup windows with
"?????" and a button "valid".
If I click, I return to the setup page.
I see the partitions I created but no longer mount point / or swap.
I can't click "Change" at the bottom to change the information.
If I click on "install now", I get an error "No root filesystem"
If I quit and I start again, I have the same problem, always this windows with
??????
I have try to choose in setup page, EFI partition, or /dev/mapper
/isw_gfhehehgheHDD0 but it's not good.
I resume my method
- Shrink windows partition 60Go for linux mint 17. (128Go SSD)
- Turn off fast boot
- Turn off secure boot
- Start Linux Mint 17
- On free space, I created 2 partitions 56Go primary ext4 and / and the rest for
primary swap. Install now and the windows ????? appaer... I valid and I come
back on a screen with my partition. If I click on "install now", I get an error "No root
filesystem"
Can you help me?

by edgarfelizmenio Thu Jul 24, 2014 4:02 am
Hi,
12 of 19
edgarfelizmenio
Level 1
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2014
3:43 am
09/03/16 13:23
I need some help re: the very important step (device for bootloader installation):
The EFI partition is labeled as SYSTEM_DRV and its flags are boot and hidden. It
is formatted as FAT32. I am thinking that this is where the bootloader should be
installed because of the boot flag. However, an article that I have read
somewhere says that the SYSTEM_DRV partition contains the boot files and the
Windows Recovery Environment, which when deleted may give me some trouble.
Does the installer overwrite everything on the EFI system partition?
BTW what I have is a Lenovo IdeaPad Y410p
Intel Core i5-3317U Processor (1.7GHz)
3MB Cache Memory 8GB DDR3 SDRAM
1TB SATA HDD (7200rpm)

by gold_finger Sat Jul 26, 2014 7:05 pm
edgarfelizmenio,
I and others seldom look in the "Tutorials" section of the forum to answer support
questions, which is probably why nobody answered your questions. It would be
best to start a new post for your question in the "Installation & Boot" section.
I'll try getting you started here, but if you have further questions please make a
new post.
gold_finger
Level 8
Posts: 2461
11:39 pm
edgarfelizmenio wrote:
Does the installer overwrite everything on the EFI system partition?
No, it just adds files needed for Mint -- it won't erase what is already there for
Windows or other OSs.
edgarfelizmenio wrote:
The EFI partition is labeled as SYSTEM_DRV and its flags are boot and
hidden. It is formatted as FAT32. I am thinking that this is where the bootloader
should be installed because of the boot flag. However, an article that I have
read somewhere says that the SYSTEM_DRV partition contains the boot files
and the Windows Recovery Environment, which when deleted may give me
some trouble.
Are you sure that Windows was installed in EFI-mode and that the partition you
speak of is really an EFI System Partition? There are links in tutorial for
determining your Windows installation mode -- double-check that first. If you are
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09/03/16 13:23
still not sure what your installation is, boot the Mint installation DVD/USB and run
this command:
CODE: SELECT ALL
sudo parted -l
Then look at output where it says "Partition Table". If it says "gpt", then Windows
was installed in EFI-mode. If it says "msdos", then Windows was installed in
Legacy-mode and this tutorial does not apply under that situtation.
If you need to make a new post in "Installation & Boot" section, include the output
from the command above and a screenshot from the GParted program showing a
picture of your hard drive partitions. (GParted should be on the live Mint
installation DVD/USB in Menu -> Administration (or System).

by funkdified Fri Aug 08, 2014 4:35 pm
Under "Installation type" I am missing the "efi" type partition. I am running

windows 8.1 64 bit. I have a fat32 partition in sda2 which is 272MB but when I
elect to change it I do not see the "use as EFI boot partition" option shown in the
image:
funkdified
Level 1
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2013
7:39 pm
I'm confused. It looks like boot is written to the windows partition?
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09/03/16 13:23
If I create root, home, and swap partitions, and click "Install Now" I get the
following error:
> The partition table format in use on your disks normally requires you to create a
separate partition for boot loader code. This partition should be marked for use as
a "Reserved BIOS boot area" and should be at least 1MB in size.
**UPDATE** >> It looks like I do have an EFI system partition, but Mint isn't
recognizing it as such, and is not providing the option to "Change" to "EFI Boot
partition" selected.
mint@mint ~ $ sudo parted -l
Model: ATA TOSHIBA THNSNS25 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 256GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: gpt
Number Start End Size File system Name Flags
1 1049kB 316MB 315MB ntfs Basic data partition hidden, diag
2 316MB 588MB 273MB fat32 EFI system partition boot
3 588MB 722MB 134MB Microsoft reserved partition msftres
4 722MB 123GB 123GB ntfs Basic data partition msftdata
5 245GB 246GB 472MB ntfs hidden, diag
6 246GB 254GB 8389MB ntfs Basic data partition hidden, diag
7 254GB 256GB 2147MB Basic data partition hidden
I figured it out: http://superuser.com/questions/794429/mint-17-and-windows8-1-dual-boot-no-efi-partition/794497#794497

by gold_finger Sun Aug 10, 2014 11:04 am
funkdified wrote:
Under "Installation type" I am missing the "efi" type partition. I am running

windows 8.1 64 bit. I have a fat32 partition in sda2 which is 272MB but when I
elect to change it I do not see the "use as EFI boot partition" option shown in
the image:
gold_finger
Level 8
Posts: 2461
11:39 pm
I see you figured this out before I saw your post.

For everyone else reading here, if you run into this situation it means you did not
successfully boot the Mint installation disk in EFI mode. To install in EFI mode, the
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09/03/16 13:23
install disk must be booted in that mode. Find out which special key needs to be
pressed on power-up of computer to get into the Boot Menu. There should be two
options for booting DVDs and/or USBs. Pick which ever one has "EFI" or "UEFI"
as part of its description.
REMINDER AGAIN: For anyone using this tutorial, please post support requests
to the "Installation and Boot" section of the forum. This is the "Tutorials" section
and most forum members (myself included) do not scan these pages to see if
people need help. If you post for help here, it could be days or weeks before
anyone notices.

by apemanx Tue Aug 12, 2014 12:44 pm
Just for information,
apemanx
Level 2
in the installation you get asked to install the boot loader. Remember to choose
the /dev/sda? partition that you made the UEFI boot when using a secondary hard
drive. On Windows 8.1 and the other a linux hard drive. I could not get it to work
just on /dev/sda. Choose the partition.
Posts: 70
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1:21 am
Location: South Africa
Contact:
This will ensure that you can plug out the Linux Hard drive and still boot the other
OS - or Windows 8.1.
I tested this procedure twice.
Breaking and fixing is learning! This knowledge gained gives power. And power gives you
freedom if used with wisdom!

by regalrender Thu Aug 14, 2014 9:23 am
I have installed linux mint already (twice in fact) and yet I still did not get the option
to dual boot. I then tried this tutorial and I couldn't understand some of it but I still
tried and I still don't get the option to dual boot.
regalrender
Level 1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014
11:33 pm
Is there any way to create a partition for linux mint in the BIOS? The only partition
I can select as an option while in the boot part of the BIOS is the Windows one or
my DVD drive. Under all that there is an option to "add new Boot option" and I
imagine what i'd need to do is make an option that's for either linux mint or one
16 of 19
09/03/16 13:23
that just prints a list of all the partitions and then I can select which one. How
would I write that into the BIOS "add new Boot option"? It's under the boot section.

by Spearmint2 Thu Aug 14, 2014 10:14 am
I have installed linux mint already (twice in fact) and yet I still did not get the
option to dual boot. I then tried this tutorial and I couldn't understand some of it
but I still tried and I still don't get the option to dual boot.
It seems you are expecting something different than what actually happens. Are
you expecting to see something asking if you'd like to set up a dual boot, click
here, and then do it? If so, you will NEVER see such. The dual boot happens
WHEN you install a second operating system and then run the grub-update
command. That will THEN add both systems to the bootloader and you will see
them in the Grub Menu which appears as choices. Even then, nothing will say
"This is a dual boot", you will just have to realize that's what it is.
Spearmint2
Level 12
Posts: 4239
1:41 pm

by regalrender Thu Aug 14, 2014 11:14 am
Spearmint2 wrote:
regalrender
Level 1
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014
11:33 pm
I have installed linux mint already (twice in fact) and yet I still did not get
the option to dual boot. I then tried this tutorial and I couldn't understand
some of it but I still tried and I still don't get the option to dual boot.
It seems you are expecting something different than what actually happens.
Are you expecting to see something asking if you'd like to set up a dual boot,
click here, and then do it? If so, you will NEVER see such. The dual boot
happens WHEN you install a second operating system and then run the
grub-update command. That will THEN add both systems to the bootloader and
you will see them in the Grub Menu which appears as choices. Even then,
nothing will say "This is a dual boot", you will just have to realize that's what it
is.
I don't expect that to happen, I expect there to be a second partition created in the
17 of 19
09/03/16 13:23
BIOS boot when I create the second partition, and in the BIOS I can choose
whether to use windows partition as a first option, or Linux partition as a first
option. I see now that that is not what happens, as there still is only the windows
boot option, even after installing linux. I don't know what Grub is or how it works.
Is GRUB the thing that adds the linux partition into the Boot loader?

by Spearmint2 Thu Aug 14, 2014 2:37 pm
No, no, no. BIOS doesn't do that. Maybe those new BIOS with windows 8 and
UEFI settings do? Typically a BIOS shows the physical drives on the computer,
not how they are partitioned, nor what systems are installed on them. You can set
the physical drive, CD, DVD, or USB to boot a system from, but won't see the
divisions called partitions, volumes, on it. When you come to the bootloader
AFTER the BIOS has done POST and handed it to the chosen boot device, is
when you can see the choices for bootable systems. Even that won't show you all
drives nor partitions unless they are bootable. You can finally see all drives,
partitions once you have booted into a system and use whatever software is
available for that in the operating system.
Spearmint2
Level 12
Posts: 4239
1:41 pm

by gold_finger Sun Aug 17, 2014 3:26 pm
@regalrender
gold_finger wrote:
REMINDER AGAIN: For anyone using this tutorial, please post support
requests to the "Installation and Boot" section of the forum. This is the
"Tutorials" section ...
gold_finger
Level 8
Posts: 2461
11:39 pm

by PloppyPirate Mon Aug 18, 2014 6:12 pm
I have an Acer Aspire E3-111-C5GL with windows 8.1 installed.

1.On boot I clicked F2 and disable secure boot and enable F12.
2.I had a jump drive with Linux mint 17 installed on it with Rufus with default
18 of 19
PloppyPirate
Level 1
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2014
6:05 pm
09/03/16 13:23
settings.
3.Plug in on the left side usb port.
4.Boot and click F12.
5.Select thumb drive and boot Linux.
6.Install as you wish.

by gold_finger Wed Aug 20, 2014 5:20 pm
PloppyPirate,
Thanks for posting your computer and the settings it took to make the install work.
I'm sure that will be helpful to people with similar machine.
gold_finger
Level 8
Posts: 2461
11:39 pm

ceciliasp
Level 1
by ceciliasp Sat Aug 23, 2014 7:42 am
Thus should be a sticky right away! Solved all my problems! Txs

Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2012
5:21 pm
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19 of 19
09/03/16 13:23

Tutorial Installing Linux Mint On A Windows 8.1 PC

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Board index Main Edition Support Tutorials

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Computer

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

UEFI firmware settings vary from one manufacturer to another, making it

Dual-Boot Installation of Linux with Windows 8/8.1/10

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

Pick a Mint version to Install:

Preparing Windows for the Linux Installation:

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

Terminal) and entering the following command:

sudo apt-get install gparted

It will then show up in the Menu.

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

Basic UEFI Information:

UEFI and Installing Linux:

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

Creating Windows 8 Recovery Disk:

Disabling Secure Boot:

Disabling Fast Startup:

Solving UEFI boot problems caused by Windows 8:

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

I am not an "expert", "Linux guru", nor a technical writer -- just an experienced

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

Re: Guideline for Installing Mint on a

I vote for Sticky.

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

This tutorial was terrifically helpful as I installed Mint 16 Mate on my (UEFI)

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

http://www.zdnet.com/uefi-and-windows-8 ... 000028217/

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

Windows 8/8.1 Computer

and how to reenable the Reset feature of Win8/8.1.1

Tri-boot : Mint 17 / Kali / Windows 8.1.1

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

I have a acer aspire S7-191-73534G12Ass, intel core i7-3537U 2GHZ, 4Go de

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

Does the installer overwrite everything on the EFI system partition?

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

Under "Installation type" I am missing the "efi" type partition. I am running

I'm confused. It looks like boot is written to the windows partition?

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

Under "Installation type" I am missing the "efi" type partition. I am running

I see you figured this out before I saw your post.

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

Just for information,

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

[TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a Windows 8/8.1/10 Co...

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a

Re: [TUTORIAL] Installing Mint on a