Many problems installing MX Linux alonside Windows 10

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Can we please see the output of this command from the "live" environment:

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# parted --list

If you can boot the ISO in UEFI mode then this command may tell us more:

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# efibootmgr -v

[Stevo]

The UEFI setup is the upper Delete key on the MSI GP63. You have to enable the boot menu hotkey option once in the setup--it's not on by default.

There is also a secret 4-key combo, once in the BIOS, that unlocks all sorts of advanced settings like you'd see on a really good desktop's motherboard's BIOS (I don't know what most of them do, like "IM Slope") but apparently MSI gets really upset if you post it in public.

[Stevo]

OK, I hibernated and took a look at what I have set, and I think I found out what you need to do. This is a dual boot UEFI mode with Win 10.

Security: Secure Boot is disabled, Secure Boot mode is Standard.

Boot: UEFI mode, Fast Boot is still enabled. The next is Boot Devices, here is where I think you have to make some changes.

Leave Boot #1 as the USB HD/Flash Drive, whatever it says. Skips if not present.
Leave Boot #2 as CD/DVD whatever, will also skip.
The next should be the standard hard drive boot. Go down to that, hit Enter, on that, and you should see some options that currently have the Windows Boot Manager at the top. That's why it's booting straight to Windows in UEFI mode.

Jeesh, I already forgot exactly what keys you use for changing it, but there's help on the Set Up screen. What you want to do is make MX 18.1 (or whatever version you have) the #1 entry on that list. You should see MX 18.1 further down on the list. That way it boots to GRUB instead of straight to Windows, and you can still boot to Windows from GRUB, too.

Then save your changes, and it should reboot to GRUB. Note that BIOS updates usually reset the changes to the default, so you'll have to go back in and turn off Secure Boot, though I don't think the EFI file order changes.

BTW, the root password on the Live session is "root". The user password, used by sudo or when logging back in, is "demo". If your laptop is going to have only one user, you can use the same password for the user and root when you install to simplify things.

[JayM]

Jeesh, I already forgot exactly what keys you use for changing it, but there's help on the Set Up screen. What you want to do is make MX 18.1 (or whatever version you have) the #1 entry on that list. You should see MX 18.1 further down on the list. That way it boots to GRUB instead of straight to Windows, and you can still boot to Windows from GRUB, too.

Probably the plus and minus keys. That's the way it is in most BIOSes and UEFIs. YMMV though.

[figueroa]

Hi Adrian: You are right. I rebooted while pressing F11 and Del and the system went to the bios utility. I then changed the boot mode to UEFI instead of Legacy. But now I am back to the original problem. When I boot up I get a message saying ">>checking media presence......" That stays there for about 3-4 minutes and then it goes right to the bios utility (without going to the grub menu or MX Linux or WIndows 10). So I cannot boot to the hard drive with MX Linux or Windows 10. (I can still boot from a USB drive with MX Linux on it and I can get online that way.)

So I am still stuck.

After resetting your system setup to boot in the UEFI mode, you need to boot from the MX-Linux USB and install MX-Linux again over the previous MX Linux. Once MX-Linux is reinstalled in the UEFI mode, you will be able to boot into either Windows or MX-Linux from the GRUB menu, as long as you haven't overwritten the Windows partitions.

However, there is always the possibility that a buggy BIOS (the computer's firmware that initializes booting) will force you into Windows unless you press F11 each time, but that's a crap-shoot. There are often ways to change that in the BIOS setup, or by running complicate commands within Windows, but that's an advanced subject. Good luck.

Installing an operating system when you don't want to damage an existing operating system is inherently dangerous to the existing operating system. Especially when the existing operating system is MS Windows that already occupies the entire hard drive. MX-Linux is well documented. Read up on this first.

[fehlix]

After resetting your system setup to boot in the UEFI mode, you need to boot from the MX-Linux USB and install MX-Linux again over the previous MX Linux.

Hmm, actually that is not strictly needed to re-install the whole Linux operating system.
Let's try to walk through it this way.
A Linux OS can be installed even without any bootloader.
If MX Linux is already installed in BIOS mode together with a GRUB(bios) bootloader, the missing piece to boot into the installed system from with UEFI is just a UEFI-capable bootloader.
Now, if we want to have GRUB(uefi) as UEFI-bootloader for that installation
what we would need to do can be achieved in either of two ways (and even some more).

Either:
Just install/setup the remaining/missing pieces of GRUB(uefi) part:
This could be done from booting MX-LIVE in UEFI mode and using MX Boot Repair to "install" GRUB-UEFI for that alraeday installed MX Linux.

Or:
And this might not as such so well known, we can also "create" the needed GRUB-UEFI bootloader
from within running BIOS-booted MX Linux itself. The only small piece what we cannot do within BIOS-mode is to update the UEFI-bootmenu (to create NVRAM-table bootmenu) within the UEFI-setup of the system, because the UEFI-NVRAM-table is not accessible from with BIOS-booted system. But even in those cases lot's of UEFI firmware do allow you to select an installed GRUB-UEFI bootloader ("Boot from EFI file") (even if not announced already within the NVRAM-table) or the UEFI-firmware do scan during bootup for all available EFI-bootloader installed with the ESP (EFI System Partition).

In the situation described within this thread the easiest method for the OP would be to just to "install" GRUB-EFI from the running MX Live using MX Boot Repair.
HTH

Klare Sache und damit hopp.

[j2mcgreg]

Regarding the problem with the cursor jumping around that still seems to be happening.

"

On most laptops, when the cursor seems to have a mind of its own its due to the touch pad detecting overhead movements. On your laptop you can toggle the touchpad On/off (in favour of a mouse) with the FN + F3 key combination.

[figueroa]

After resetting your system setup to boot in the UEFI mode, you need to boot from the MX-Linux USB and install MX-Linux again over the previous MX Linux.

Hmm, actually that is not strictly needed to re-install the whole Linux operating system.

I don't disagree. I was trying to suggest the easiest path for a non technical user. After all, installing MX is drop-dead easy, assuming the BIOS settings are agreeable to the desired outcomes and a few right choices are made during installation -- all of which are well documented by MX.

[Stevo]

Hey, guys, I have the MSI GP63 with the same BIOS setup (see my post above). They need to move the MX 18.1 efi file to the first option, ahead of the Windows Boot Manager that's currently #1, in the boot device hard drive options. That's it--assuming they reinstall MX in UEFI mode and turn off Secure Boot.

[JayM]

No further response from the OP in two days. I wonder if he ended up just reinstalling Windows and is now going to have a poor opinion of Linux in general/MX in particular, all due to his unfamiliarity with his computer's UEFI? (Which I don't fault him for, I've been using and supporting PCs since 286s and 386s were common and I still struggle with getting UEFI systems to behave.)