[Durham] MINT & BIOS

[A Pearson]

Barry
Thanks but I am sure the keyboard is OK.  Its working everywhere else.  I am quick off the mark as there is little time to act when the enter screen shows.  I have had some success today.  I disconnected the Linux drive and managed to access the Windows drive and also get into the BIOS. so there does no seem to be any malfunction there as it operates normally so I made a quick backup with Acronis. I have not reconnected the Linux drive at this point in case someone has an answer.  I did change the mouse though because at first it was not entering my password but after a reboot it was OK except when I tried to enter Acronis where it was only giving  a vertical line movement. Strange one but the other mouse did the trick

Thanks again
Alan
 

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Barry Titterton via Durham 
  To: durham at mailman.lug.org.uk 
  Sent: Monday, December 04, 2017 3:36 PM
  Subject: Re: [Durham] MINT & BIOS


  On 04/12/17 11:19, A Pearson via Durham wrote:
  > Hello all
  > 
  > My question is can mint lock the BIOS in a dual boot situation?
  > I set up a new desktop computer some while ago with Windows 7 on one
  > hard drive and Linux Mint 17.3 Cinnamon on a separate hard drive. Each
  > was installed with only one drive connected at the time of installation.
  > I would go into the BIOS and select boot priority depending on which OS
  > I wanted to run.
  > 
  > I did this to avoid using a boot loader such as GRUB as I had been
  > caught before and found when I uninstalled Linux due to the boot loader
  > I could no longer run Windows. That was many years ago. This system has
  > been operating successfully for many months but I now find I cannot
  > access Windows as the normal Del key is not bringing up the BIOS
  > screen, it just boots to Mint. I have operated other computers like
  > this in the past but offline.
  > 
  > The only difference is that I ran updates on the MINT whereas I had not
  > done this previously. I cannot confirm if I got into Windows since then
  > or not. No other changes have been made to MINT system.
  > 
  > Why am I bothering with Windows you ask? I aim to phase out XP on my
  > existing main desktop as software support diminishes and replace this
  > with Win7 on this later desktop which will become the new main one. This
  > will become the prime one whilst I learn the Linux system and assess my
  > existing software requirements in relation to stored data.
  > This latter one is currently the dual boot. If there is no way round
  > this I may have to accept the boot loader or keep it just for Windows
  > and run Linux on the recently received laptop. I am about to try to
  > access the Windows disk to see if I can get in with the Linux disc
  > disconnected but not hopeful
  > Has anyone got any ideas please on this one or come across it before? 
  > All I can assume its maybe to do with the Mint updates when both drives
  > were in circuit. If there is no other way round this if I update to
  > Mint 18 will this install the GRUB boot loader as I wish the Windows
  > disc to remain in an operable state?
  > 
  > Thanks & Regards
  > Alan Pearson
  > 

  Hi Alan,

  Have you tried the obvious and tried a different keyboard? It may be the
  DEL key itself that is at fault.

  Barry T

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