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M. Ahmad Zafar
Asked: 2012-11-28 09:24:22 +0800 CST

Dual boot Windows 8 and Ubuntu on HP ENVY Ultrabook 6t-1100

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I plan to buy HP ENVY Ultrabook 6t-1100 which comes with Windows 8, 32GB SSD and 500GB Hard drive. I however want to Dual boot it with Ubuntu. Any issues? Furthermore, would it be possible to install Ubuntu on SSD and Windows 8 on the standard Hard drive? Is it possible to disable UEFI from BIOS on this system?

12.10

3 Answers

    • It's not possible to disable UEFI, since UEFI is the type of firmware you've got. That said, it is possible to boot most UEFI-based PCs in BIOS/legacy mode rather than in EFI mode. Doing so would require either re-installing Windows or reconfiguring it to boot in BIOS mode rather than in EFI mode. Overall, that's probably not the best way to go.
    • Ubuntu 12.10 ships with EFI support. It also supposedly ships with support for booting with Secure Boot active. (Any PC with a Windows 8 logo must ship with Secure Boot active.) That said, I've never tried it, so I don't know how well it works in practice. If necessary, you should be able to disable Secure Boot, too.
    • In theory, you should be able to install Ubuntu on the SSD and Windows 8 on the spinning disk.

    You may want to check out my Web page on EFI boot loaders for Linux. It's not really an EFI primer, but it does have some basic information on it, and on options for how to boot Linux on an EFI-based computer.

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  2. I had a lot of problems installing Ubuntu 12.10 alongside Windows 8 but this tutorial helped me a lot. Maybe it will help you:

    Dual-boot Windows 8 and Ubuntu 12.10 on UEFI hardware

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    1. Ubuntu12.10 has some issues with UEFI but running Boot-Repair after installing Ubuntu solves them. See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI
    2. Computers sold with Windows8 all have SecureBoot, which may cause problems (see https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI#SecureBoot ), so better buying a computer without preinstalled Win8.
    3. To avoid compatibility problems, best is buying a computer with preinstalled Ubuntu or without OS. Nowdays, there are cheap ones, eg at ubuntu-fr we generally recommend Clevo laptop, they are all compatible with Ubuntu12.04/12.10, and there are good ones for 350$. See also https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuPre-installed
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