Can't access UEFI after installing linux dual boot

24

Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,071 Trailblazer
    One other thing. I don't think dual boot relative to VMs matters much any more with today's superfast CPUs, HDD/SDDs and abundant, fast RAM. I'm running SuSE, Win98SE & WinXP all on the same Windows host machine --- all at the same time --- and all talking to one another thru the network using VMWare. And they all seem like they're running native. I've got it set up this way because of Linux stuff, old apps and hardware that I still use that won't run right or at all under the latest WinVers. Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder
    edited February 2018

    If this is a BIOS issue (and sounds like it is) but can get to Windows, might it be better to reflash the BIOS. Either that or if F12 works, why bother with the BIOS ?

    BTW before doing anything, use a third party app like Produkey to extract and save offline all of you license keys.

  • jici79
    jici79 Member Posts: 34 Die Hard WiFi Icon
    First of all i am pretty sure you never tried to run a linux VM on windows Host. I installed a Debian on virtualbox on my machine before to try to dualboot and it was laggy as hell. Windows guest on linux host works better than if windows was install on the computer the inverse is a real pain in the ***** even today....

    I tried what you said. I did a complete reinstall following the procedure you gave me. The computer got stuck at 99% for 6 hours. This morning i did a force shutdown and it reinstalled windows saying that it couldn't erase all my files. You understand why i hate windows. It was telling me to wait for 6 hours without telling me what was going on...........anyway it didn't work...Now i will flash the BIOS and if it doesn't work i still have 3 days to bring back the computer and i will buy something else like an ASUS








  • jici79
    jici79 Member Posts: 34 Die Hard WiFi Icon
    edited February 2018
    I did flash the BIOS. It worked. I could access the BIOS BUT as soon as i tried to install linux again then what was supposed to happen happenened: can't access it anymore. I thought oh yeah but i'll flash the BIOS again but i can't since it is the same version. It cannot overwrite it. So there is clearly a conflict there .........It is the install of another OS that cause the BIOS to freak....
  • jici79
    jici79 Member Posts: 34 Die Hard WiFi Icon
    The F12 is not working too
  • jici79
    jici79 Member Posts: 34 Die Hard WiFi Icon
    Maybe the disabling of secure boot causes the mess.........
  • jici79
    jici79 Member Posts: 34 Die Hard WiFi Icon
    Really bothers me beccause the laptop works well but i know it will run in the mud in 2 years because of windows plus i NEED to use some linux software.....desperate
  • padgett
    padgett ACE Posts: 4,532 Pathfinder
    edited February 2018

    OK I have been playing with Linux on the Spin 1 but even with the store erased Grub just locks up. So far the only distro I have found that runs live from a F12 boot is Manjaro. By using the Manjaro bootx64.efi I can get the Kali menu up but it fails from lack of Grub. I suspect Grub may be the issue but am not skilled enough in Linux to change.

    ps I suspect that after flashing you need to re-enable the F12 boot.

    pps once you change everything needed in the BIOS you can remove the supervisor password again.


  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,071 Trailblazer
    Perhaps this link might help resolve the issue https://www.lifewire.com/change-the-efi-boot-order-efibootmgr-4028027

    Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • jici79
    jici79 Member Posts: 34 Die Hard WiFi Icon
    I didn't know that i have to activate the F12 button and since i am locked out of the BIOS again... i will not be able to do it

    From the link JackE posted it says that it is possible to boot a live distro from windows instead of going trough the BIOS.
    The only wonder i have is that from all what i found on the internet specifically for ACER you need to make the grub a trusted boot file and i have no access to BIOS right now.

    I will have to wait for a BIOS update to flash it again. I will decide today if i stick with the laptop and try to make it work or if i try to find another one more linux firendly
  • jici79
    jici79 Member Posts: 34 Die Hard WiFi Icon
    I will try with a more up to date distro ( ubuntu since my desktop of choice is GNOME ) instead of Debian that is staying behind in hardware support because their priority is stability
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,071 Trailblazer
    Since you seem adventuresome and can still return the machine to the vendor as defective,  another possible strategy is to google "replace Windows 10 with Ubuntu". You could save the ACER recovery partition. Make an image of the existing Win10 system and boot partitions. Clean Install Linux. Then figure out how to run the Win10 image as a VM under Linux instead of the other way around. 8^) Jack E/NJ  

    Jack E/NJ

  • jici79
    jici79 Member Posts: 34 Die Hard WiFi Icon
    That's the thing i'd like to keep windows since i need it for some specific softwares. Not sure how to do a an image that will work.

    It's clear now that there is a conflict where something is put  in the wrong place when i install linux preventing the access to the BIOS. If i return and buy something else maybe i will have the same exact problem and it will cost me 200$ more to get something with similar specs........
  • jici79
    jici79 Member Posts: 34 Die Hard WiFi Icon
    I was able to boot on usb from windows ( hold shift and restart ). The curious thing is that it was working with Debian but not Mint. It is a big surprise for me........usually Mint is much more upstream than Debian...
  • jici79
    jici79 Member Posts: 34 Die Hard WiFi Icon
    edited February 2018
    After deleting the linux installed on the partition i was able to run a live version of mint using the same workaround ( hold shift and restart ) Everything seemed to work out of the box ( wifi, touch pad ). I will probably give it a try and install it to see what happens.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,071 Trailblazer
    >>>.It is the install of another OS that cause the BIOS to freak..>>>

    Yeah, UEFIs are funny that way. If you still can't F2 into it, might be worth doing another re-set to see if it'll work any magic. Also, it might be possible to flash it again outside of Windows using a crisis stick and the Fn+Esc boot flash routine but would depend on if the ACER winflash package you used has the binary .BIN, .FD or .ROM needed buried in it somewhere.   Jack E/NJ    

    Jack E/NJ

  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    edited February 2018
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • jici79
    jici79 Member Posts: 34 Die Hard WiFi Icon
    Because i saw it on a blog that you have to do this in order to be able to install linux on uefi and after the install you enable it.

    I then saw that this is useless with the latest version of Ubuntu ( Mint is based on Ubuntu )

    BUT i have an update.

    I flashed the BIOS to 1.07 today. After i tried to reinstall Debian. after that i could not access the BIOS again. Then i tried to boot on linux mint live and it was not working. I then erased Debian and was able to boot Mint live.

    Later, only for the luck i tried to access the BIOS and it worked....

    So maybe the upgrade to BIOS 1.07 had an effect or the fact that i booted on a live version of Mint.....
    (yesterdy on BIOS 1.06 even after deleting Debian i was not able to access the BIOS.....)

    I'll try to install Mint this week and i will post the results here if it can be of any help for someone.
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    edited February 2018
    @jici79

    You don't have to disable secure boot.  My advice is to stop disabling secure boot.  I'll post the link below for you again.

    1. Make sure secure boot is enabled.
    2. Set a supervisor password
    3. Insert your linux USB
    4. Add Grub to trusted secure boot settings.....see link below.  example Ubuntu......   \EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.efi
    5. Install linux

    https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/468057/ubuntu-grub-not-showing-up-on-boot
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    edited February 2018
    @jici79

    After you install ubuntu or mint, if you want windows to boot by default, then you just enable the F12 boot menu in the bios and boot linux as needed by tapping the F12 key at the acer post logo.  If you want the grub loader by default then read below.




    I'm not an Acer employee.
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