[GLLUG] Experience installing Linux with EFI boot

[Chris Bell]

On Thursday 04 Feb 2016 12:02:55 zylum at peacenews.info wrote:
> Hello,
>        I have become very used to installing GNU/Linux (usually Debian
> based) for visitors to our weekly Free Software clinic in Brighton.
> 
> People have begun to come in with fancy new laptops, which usually have
> two boot options in the BIOS (is it bios or something else these days?)
> 
> The two options are EFI boot or Legacy boot. Windows (probably Windows
> 10?) will only start-up if EFI is selected, but a Gnu/Linux live USB
> will only start-up if Legacy is selected. Assuming that most people want
> to dual boot their machine, until they get used to Free Software, I am a
> bit scared to start messing around re-partitioning things.
> 
> I found this page, which looks very informative:
> http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/index.html
> 
> I thought I would try to draw on other people's practical experience as
> well doing the reading. Secure boot seems specifically conceived to make
> it harder to escape from the Micro$oft empire.
> 
> Until now, mostly people have brought in old laptops which need giving a
> new lease of life, eg. because they are still running Win XP, and/or
> because Windows has become too bogged down with rubbish extensions and
> malware. Mostly if a computer has ground to a halt, people are grateful
> for whatever we can do, but with newer machines, people might be more
> choosy. This EFI thing is quite new to me.
> 
> Any advice much appreciated.
> Benjamin.
> 
I found that when installing from scratch without preserving a previous OS it 
was easiest to use "expert" mode but select guided formatting to configure the 
EFI boot layout if required by the hardware, then step back to view what has 
been proposed before selecting "manual" to complete the format as desired. 

Chris Bell
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