How to properly install MX Linux and remove all Windows boot files from EFI (Fresh Start) [Solved]

[needmorebrains]

I have a newer HP laptop 17z-ca000 CTO with pure AMD hardware (except memory, display and audio). It is running Windows 10 22H2 which, if I read the MS blogs properly, may be losing some support soon based on how many people migrate to Windows 11 (Reading between the lines from MS blogs). They give a date for support, but then they back that up with adoption statistics and muddy the discussion. Not my fault, so on to the question: If I want to remove all Windows boot.efi files and completely reformat and re-create the efi/uefi/gpt partitions, then do a guided install of MX, can the OS run all the hardware/firmware like it should, or is that still specific to device(s)? How can I help if not? This device is somewhat expendable, so I can play with it some.

[Huckleberry Finn]

Before doing anything, you can try everything on live session. You can prepare a live usb on Windows with Rufus, then boot MX and just try everything.

In case you create a new partition table, everything will already be wiped (the whole disk).

[MXRobo]

Take with a grain of salt, but you may want to consider leaving the original ESP UEFI Partition intact; this MIGHT make bios updates easier.

[needmorebrains]

Yes, to both. I have never tried to do a BIOS update from HP if I switched OS to Linux anything. I think they have very little support for a system that should have Windows, but is substituted with Linux. I know they (MS) love Ubuntu, but it is a crash-worthy linux OS if I ever used one! I am shocked that debian is still their core. OK I'll try a live USB first,see what happens and let you all know. Good ol'Rufus! a great bootloader (the best)!

[Huckleberry Finn]

In the meantime, you can also (if you like only) select "auto" installation (assuming you're planning to wipe the disk) and it'll do all for you.

[needmorebrains]

@Huckleberry Finn

That MIGHT be the next effort. Windows is getting a little too AI'e for me. I mean, I use tools I have used since CPM 1.0 back in 1995, and newer tools also, and they always say they can find nothing wrong, then the system is still not working correctly, then run another tool, and it sees problems, but can't fix them! And all their main support staff are unpaid (like all of us). Ridiculous! And to top it all off, they keep locking up my hardware from ME, and I am not the security hole!

Forcing Linux to get a secure key for UEFi from them to "borrow" the EFI partition! Windows 11 will run on an older Mac or Apple product no sweat, but my NEWER laptop.... NO you have a bad processor, not new enough, and yes, I can side-load this stuff and go around it, but I am not one of those who likes doing that! Kind of defeats the whole approach to security and updates.

One day, all the MS people will turn on their devices and get a message that says that THEY have your stuff, sign in and setup your cloud drive and account and you can have it back. Would you like that without ads $$$$$ or with? $$$.

[davidy]

What I absolutely love about MX is it's snapshot utility. I have used the snapshot ISO from my intel laptop to install MX on 2 different amd pc's using the liveusb creator. One was an older amd kaveri desktop I built from scratch and had win7 on it for several years, and the other is a brand new amd minpc (HM90) that was supposed to have win10 on it. MX's snapshot iso from my laptop works like a charm. Speaking of which, my laptop has had one update from the manufacturer's original OS (PopOS), so even though there may be bios updates for it as long as it does what I need, I don't care.
MX Linux's versatility is truly amazing and is what makes it the BEST!
As for windows, I put PhoenixLite on my UM350 just so I could run my xerox laser mfc software. No login, no secureboot, no cortana, no store, no BS. Plus if I ever need a windows specific ap to run I can do that too.

[needmorebrains]

OK, I took the dive on the "old" (2 years!) HP and pulled it up on LiveUSB (AHS Newest MX). The only complaint from UEFI was Secure Boot. It wanted a PK from linux kernel. So I turned that off in UEFI and rebooted, then "special code" to actually disable, then MX ran. I checked ALL the hardware. Every driver, all hardware was there and aware.

Thanks to all for your assistance! I think MX is the best, and a shout out to DistroWatch which is where I first saw MX. I am in awe of it's power and stable environment.

@davidy I like the input from you on this situation. Great help, you and all the team. Thank you!

[Antiks72]

@Huckleberry Finn

That MIGHT be the next effort. Windows is getting a little too AI'e for me.

Imagine buying a new laptop, going through the hassle of opening an MS account, turning everything off and deleting what you can, updating it and then installing Wireshark.

Without even touching a browser, the network activity from that laptop to anonymous servers on the internet was breathtaking. Any attempt to run scripts to shut down telemetry were met with a blue screen upon reboot. It then fixed itself and booted normally.

There were more than 10 servers my laptop was chatting with, and many of these had no whois entries, and others were guarded by markmonitor.com.

[needmorebrains]

Antiks72
Yes. I have seen several videos where people did this with older versions of Windows, not so much with 11, especially since Bing went GPT.

Needless to say, it is getting on the border of insanity to keep signing up for different services for "metrics" and uncontrolled device data sharing. It seems to be a little out of control, but you agreed when you accepted the license (if you read the whole agreement before you accepted it).

I don't know where I stand on it all. Some things are helping to put bad people away, but the hackers are using it to steal personal data and companies are usually really slow to see the theft and report it to their customers (most of the time the customer IS the canary in the coalmine, so to speak).

Lawmakers in every nation are trying to use the legal system to fix various things, but they are all over the map on solutions and suggestions. Have heard very few security people (computer engineers) talk to the lawmakers, I guess they are too smart for the politicians to understand, so they interview the CEO's, or CTO's, and get some money to help with their election. I think it will all become a money grab at some point, and you will need to be extremely wealthy to even afford to use the web at all.