Cant install Mint or Ubuntu as dual-boot with windows

EDIT: no i dont have a secure boot option
Microsoft started requiring Secure Boot to be enabled by manufacturers beginning with Windows 8, and Secure Boot is only available on UEFI-based motherboards. It's gotta be there somewhere in your settings. It can almost always be disabled, but I have heard of a few rare exceptions that do not allow it to be disabled. When you put the BIOS into Legacy mode you disabled Secure Boot then, but there is usually a separate setting so that Secure Boot can be disabled and UEFI mode can remain enabled. There is a long, ugly, convoluted history between UEFI and Linux, and there are still problems with some Linux distros and with some hardware. :(

EDIT2: Acronis Loader is Acronis Backup software loader that allows you to boot into its recovery console before windows launches, I guess it replaces the MBR with its own, I could revert it back to Windows but then I wont be able to restore windows if I cant log in, I dont have any DVDs or USB spare to put recovery console on.
This may be the source of the trouble you are having. GRUB is looking for a Windows bootloader, but Acronis may be shielding that. Just wild-guessing (one of my hobbies :eek::D)... but I don't know how for you to proceed to make GRUB primary while Acronis is in place, unless the boot-repair tool mentioned above might work. I don't know if manually editing the GRUB config file will work either because I don't know if you can identify where your WIndows bootloader is actually being stored or accessed.

But, in reality, you are dual-booting now. You just have to choose the Boot Menu if you want to start Linux.

Cheers
 


G'day @1bit and welcome to linux.org :)

I would be inclined to blow away the Linux side of things and start again from scratch.

First of all, you need to safeguard your Windows. If you do not already have a recovery disk/usb stick ... you should have!

Read this article

https://www.howtogeek.com/141818/how-to-uninstall-a-linux-dual-boot-system-from-your-computer/

... 2 to 3 times, top to bottom. Have your recovery solution in place before you try anything from the article.

The HowTo Geek article references Windows Disk Management. You could do well to use the Windows Snipping Tool and save a copy of how your Partition Setup is currently placed and post it up to us.

Once you have blown away your Linux, see that the Windows works OK. Be sure you are in UEFI mode, not Legacy.

Have your install medium (disk or stick) for Linux ready - Mint or Ubuntu makes no difference.

Find in your Setup where it has Secure Boot, if you cannot find it, or either way, let us know your computer make and model, and the Setup utility and rev version on the PC, might be Dell, Insyde, whatever, it should be on the top of screen when you enter Setup.

The introduction of Acronis loader, easyBCD, Grub Customizer &c are just a waste of time and confuse the issues.

When you have found Secure Boot disable it.

Insert your installation (for Linux) medium, then save changes and reboot.

Start tapping your F2 or F12, Esc or Delete button - whatever takes you to a one-time boot, and place the USB whatver boot ahead of hard drive and save if necessary and reboot, you should get to the LInux installer, which for Ubuntu and Mint is called Ubiquity.

See that that works and then back out of it and report back.

Don't get ahead of us.

Cheers

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
 
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I will try what wizardfromoz says...but we may be able to go forward without having to reinstall..before i read the reply I disabled Acronis Loader and now in the boot menu is SAMSUNG SSD : UEFI (which boots into windows) and SAMSUNG SSD : P0 (which boots into Linux), Iamgoing to try and run the Grub repair command again and see if it picks it up, if not then I will reinstall

EDIT: it didntwork so Im gunna reinstall

EDIT2: ive been in every page in the BIOS and there is no SecureBoot option, the system is self built and has a Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H (rev1.0)
 
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Thanks for that info. Our apologies may be in order. A very brief search I have conducted under

Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H (rev1.0) "secure boot"

indicates there is NO Secure Boot with the MOBO. :confused:

The reference I read was 2013 and the Poster said Gigabyte had been adding Secure Boot and UEFI over the previous year, so flashing the BIOS might be an option if you wished that feature, but then if your Windozer 10 is running without it, perhaps no point.

On a new install, if it does not show up as detecting Win 10 and offering to install alongside it, then you would want to choose "Something else" at the bottom and go forward doing the partitioning. Do not choose encrypted or LVM along the way, will complicate matters.

In particular I would like to see a screenshot of your Windows Disk Management partitioning such as in that HowTo Geek article I referred

2gfjf0Z.png



It need not have the popup as above, but the bottom half is important in that the graphical view will include highlighted headers that are in bold blue or black. We can then better advise on partitioning.

Finally, how much RAM do you have?

Cheers

Wizard

EDITED - Got the RAM figure from your a-v Thread ... 12 GB :)
 
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Thanks for that info. Our apologies may be in order. A very brief search I have conducted under

Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H (rev1.0) "secure boot"

indicates there is NO Secure Boot with the MOBO. :confused:

The reference I read was 2013 and the Poster said Gigabyte had been adding Secure Boot and UEFI over the previous year, so flashing the BIOS might be an option if you wished that feature, but then if your Windozer 10 is running without it, perhaps no point.

Yes, apologies from me! Running Windows 10, I made a bad assumption that your motherboard was more recent. Gigabyte's specifications for your board indicate it was designed to support Windows 8/7/XP. Computers that sold with "Microsoft Windows 8 Certified" operating systems installed were required to have Secure Boot, but you built your own system so this requirement would not have applied to you.

Cheers
 
ok, so i reinstalled with acronis disabled and its picked it up this time, I chose INSTALL ALONGSIDE WINDOWS.. its working except that on boot both my USB and PS2 keyboards do not work, I can not choose Windows from the grub menu NOR can I boot into BIOS, when I tap F12 (boot menu) or DEL (bios) it does nothing and jumps into GRUB much faster than it would typicaly load up Windows Boot Loader, almost as if GRUB has taken over completely and blocking out all my keyboards, Iam at a total loss here and must have my windows installation operable as it is my main OS until I can get used to Linux. I read some google-fu links that said to enable Legacy USB in BIOS, thing is I recall its already enabled, so I tried my PS2 keyboard and thats the same...cant get into BIOS or select Windows (or any other option) in the grub menu....I do hope this can be fixed

thanks in advance
 
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Absolutely nothing about Linux, Windows or Acronis will have any effect on your keyboard at the point where you hit F2 to get into BIOS. At this point its only basic low level computer stuff. So this would suggest that you have some sort of disconnect between the keyboard and your computer. Power off, disconnect and reconnect the keyboard. If you plug your USB keyboard into a USB hub, don't. Connect the keyboard directly into the computer, try booting up again.
 
tried that and changing USB ports and result is the same, there a loads of posts on various forums of others having the same issue with Ubuntu afer install, even some cant get into BIOS like me (some can), the only thing I can do is set Windows as default using Grub Customizer but then I wont be able to get back into Linux as ive read of a few people doing this and reporting back that the keyboard still doesnt work in the grub menu
 
...ok so I resolved the keyboard issue by reseating the CMOS battery as that seemed to work for other people.

ok so thats me done (i think) for installation...
now I know I can install Linux dual-boot any time (the slip up for me was leaving FREE SPACE on the c-drive instead of UNALLOCATED SPACE and having Acronis Loader active instead of Windows Boot Manager)

thanks very much to everyone who helped :)

extra thanks to Antener and Wizardfromoz for their help, sorry I got ahead of you guys but I couldntwait for replys on my mobile mid install ... thank you
 

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