Asus laptop how to install Linux in UEFI

M

maxruben

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Material: Laptop ASUS K75VM
Windows 7 64 bit
Processor: Intel® Core ™ i7 3610QM 2.3 GHz ~ 3.3 GHz
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 630M 2GB DDR3 VRAM
Chipset: Mobile Intel HM76 Express
Graphics chipset: GeForce GT 630M Nvidia


Hello everyone,

Can you give me the procedure to install Linux Mint Cinnamon (17.2)
My drive format GpT
My windows 7 installed in UEFI
My BIOS version is: Bios _Asus_1072009 Date 05/25/12 ver 04.06.05
Indeed I do not know much and I lose myself between: fastboot off and disable SRT fastStartup etc ...but I really want to learn about Linux I really have ENOUGH about windows!!
The only thing I want is to keep the UEFI.

Thank you for your help.
 


UEFI is "firmware"... you must keep it. No options about that.

Many Linux distros will install in UEFI systems, but sometimes different approaches are needed. Some will work with Secure Boot enabled, but most do not (not yet, anyway). Fastboot should probably be off, since you mention that.

There is another UEFI setting to consider: "Legacy" mode, also referred to as "CSM". Or sometimes this setting may be called "UEFI Boot"... so if it is called that and it is ON, it is UEFI method, but if it is OFF, then it is the legacy method. Many Linux distros need the Legacy mode ON to work.

If you do NOT want to dual boot with Windows, and you DO want to put Linux ONLY on your laptop, that makes it easier. Get your Linux Mint 17.2 (64-bit only) ready to boot up on a DVD (if you have a drive for it) or on a USB stick. Set Secure Boot and Fastboot both OFF, but leave UEFI Boot set to ON (or else Legacy/CSM set to OFF). Boot on your DVD/USB and make sure it works okay in "live mode". If all is good, use the Desktop icon to install Mint and when you get to the partition section, tell it to use the entire disk. That should do it. If it doesn't work, try changing the Legacy mode setting.

"Should" do it. Famous last words. If things can go wrong, they probably will go wrong. Be sure to save anything important from your Windows drive before you start doing any of this stuff. If you have not made a set of "Recovery DVD's" from your Windows install, I would also do that before you begin, in case you want to return to Windows later. When you tell Linux to use the entire disk... it will. And it will also delete your Recovery partition on the hard drive.

Good luck!
 
UEFI is "firmware"... you must keep it. No options about that.

Many Linux distros will install in UEFI systems, but sometimes different approaches are needed. Some will work with Secure Boot enabled, but most do not (not yet, anyway). Fastboot should probably be off, since you mention that.

There is another UEFI setting to consider: "Legacy" mode, also referred to as "CSM". Or sometimes this setting may be called "UEFI Boot"... so if it is called that and it is ON, it is UEFI method, but if it is OFF, then it is the legacy method. Many Linux distros need the Legacy mode ON to work.

If you do NOT want to dual boot with Windows, and you DO want to put Linux ONLY on your laptop, that makes it easier. Get your Linux Mint 17.2 (64-bit only) ready to boot up on a DVD (if you have a drive for it) or on a USB stick. Set Secure Boot and Fastboot both OFF, but leave UEFI Boot set to ON (or else Legacy/CSM set to OFF). Boot on your DVD/USB and make sure it works okay in "live mode". If all is good, use the Desktop icon to install Mint and when you get to the partition section, tell it to use the entire disk. That should do it. If it doesn't work, try changing the Legacy mode setting.

"Should" do it. Famous last words. If things can go wrong, they probably will go wrong. Be sure to save anything important from your Windows drive before you start doing any of this stuff. If you have not made a set of "Recovery DVD's" from your Windows install, I would also do that before you begin, in case you want to return to Windows later. When you tell Linux to use the entire disk... it will. And it will also delete your Recovery partition on the hard drive.

Good luck!

Hi,
Thank you so much for your answer.
I didn't precise it but at the beginning I want to keep W7 to give me some time to get used to Linux. I imagine that refer to dual boot? Can you tell me what I have to do with my configuration?
Thank you for your time and your answer.
Best regards
 
First and most important: Save anything from your Windows drive that is critically important and that you must have. When you start changing critical boot time operations, things can go wrong and you may not be able to boot back into Windows. BACK UP YOUR STUFF.

Asus (like most brand names) probably has a program in Windows that will allow you to make Recovery DVD's. MAKE THEM NOW. If you don't have a DVD drive, then buy an external drive (they aren't too expensive)... and make your Recovery DVD's now.

Sometimes, if you've used a computer for a long time, it will fail to make the Recovery DVD's (probably because Windows has some glitch somewhere). If this is the case, then do a Recovery from the hard drive partition so that you have a fresh Win7..... and then make your Recover DVD's now.

I hope you are getting the point of how important it is that you have Recovery DVD's.

Every brand computer uses UEFI differently. I can not tell you exactly step-by-step how to install Linux in a dual-boot configuration with your Win7 and guarantee that you will be successful the first time you try it. This is complicated stuff, and perhaps my instructions might not be clear, or maybe you might misunderstand something... and then you will have lost your Windows and will have to re-install it first (from Recovery DVD's) before trying again to put on Linux. It is possible that Linux will keep your Recovery hard drive partition intact, but it is possible that you could lose that too.

If you have made your Recovery DVD's, then you will need to run a full DEFRAG of your Windows partition, and after that you will need to use Disk Management to "shrink volume" on your Windows partition. Windows will only allow you to shrink it to a certain level, and you'll want to shrink it as much as possible so that you leave plenty of room for Linux (and so you can add new programs to Linux later). If you follow this step and shrink your Windows partions, then DO NOT FORMAT the new partition that is created. Leave it as "unallocated space" and stop there.

Next, look around in your UEFI settings and see which of the settings are available to you that I mentioned in my first reply: Secure Boot, Fastboot, Legacy Mode (also called CSM), and any other items that might relate to booting your computer (not network booting though). Write them down, but don't change anything just yet. If you could post a screenshot of what your UEFI boot options are, that might help too.

OK, I'll stop there for now. Maybe you need time to make the Recovery DVD's, or maybe you will decide that this is harder than you thought. This stuff is hard for a newbie, and that's why it can so easily go wrong. But it goes wrong for me too, and I've been at it for awhile now. UEFI makes the process much harder now, but that can't be helped.

If you just want to "play" with Linux for awhile... then burn the Linux Mint ISO to a DVD or USB and run it as a "live" version, without installing it to your hard drive. It runs a little slower, but it won't kill your Windows partition.

Cheers!
 
Hi Atanere,
Thank you for your reactivity.
The recovery DVD's are already done, I used them when I have reinstalled w7 a while ago.
What I can already tell you that to go to secure boot I have first to activate CSM that is not because the UEFI is.
I'm going to check it in details and come back to you.
Thanks a lot.
Have a good day.
Max
 
OK, glad you have Recovery DVD's ready. Maybe we'll get lucky and you won't need them, but better to be safe than sorry.

I will be back with you soon too. I am going to restore my HP laptop with Recovery DVD's (to Windows 8.1)... and I'll try to make some notes along the way to set up dual-boot on this one with Linux Mint. I think I can help you better if it is fresh in my mind, although your Asus still may not behave the same as my HP.

Cheers!
 
I had an Asus laptop once (I gave it to my sister) and it actually installed Linux much more easily that this HP laptop I have now. I've struggled with it all day with only limited success. UEFI is really difficult on this machine.

But, poking around the web found a couple of very well documented instructions on installing Mint on Windows 7 and 8 computers with UEFI. They are very similar, but I'd suggest reading through both of them to get a good feel for what you're about to do. I think the author gives a much better description and also includes screenshots to help. Please check these out and let us know if you have any questions on the process.

http://linuxbsdos.com/2014/06/11/ho...-17-and-windows-8-on-a-pc-with-uefi-firmware/

http://linuxbsdos.com/2015/02/27/dual-boot-linux-mint-17-1-windows-7-on-a-pc-with-uefi-firmware/

Cheers!
 
Hi Atanere,
I feel sorry for you, hope you didn't restore your HP because of me.
I'm going to read the staff you linked to me.
I will come back soon.
Have a good day.
Max
 
No worries! I had Debian on my laptop and I had been thinking of putting Mint on there anyway because I use Mint on my daily desktop. But I have had many battles with this laptop before, and I'm sure I will have many more. It is helping me to learn too.

Those articles I linked to are the instructions I wish I could have written. I think they will guide you very well to get Mint installed. If you happen to boot the Mint DVD (or USB) and it boots up to a "black screen"... you will probably have to add a special boot parameter called nomodeset to make it work. That seems to happen in my case a lot.

Good luck!
 
I forgot to ask you 2 things:
Do you have an idea how to deactivate Intel Smart Response Technology?
I checked my bios and I didn't find any fast boot is it possible?
Thanks.
 
Hi Max,

No, I don't know anything about the Intel Smart Response stuff, except a brief scan on the web with Google. It seems to be something like a RAID system, and it does look like you want to disable it before attempting a Linux install. Sorry I can't help more with that.

Fast boot may not be in your UEFI settings. I've seen a little more info on fast boot concerning Windows 8 systems, and that it has to be disabled from within Win 8. Since you have Win 7 I don't think that is going to be an issue. But if you find it in UEFI, by all means turn it off. In Win 8 it is a sort of hibernation instead of a full shutdown, and Linux doesn't want to install with a hibernating (running) Windows. I encountered this yesterday too.

Some stuff I've read says when you get ready to install Mint... that you can leave secure boot turned on, and continue using UEFI boot (so legacy mode (CSM) turned off). However the folks who make Mint say to turn secure boot off. Ahhh, what fun.

In my trial yesterday, I was in fact able to install Mint with secure boot still turned on. That's the first time I've ever been successful doing that. But then the install "broke" later and Mint is not currently booting for me. Of course, Windows runs like a champ... just like HP wants it to. I didn't have time to try to re-do it all again or figure out the issue with Mint.

It's quite likely you will have to reinstall Windows after you disable the Intel SRT hard drive configuration. I'm glad you have Recovery DVD's! :D You may need them more than once! Or maybe you will have better luck and things will go smoothly if you get all your preparations in order. I hope so!
 
UEFI is "firmware"... you must keep it. No options about that.

Many Linux distros will install in UEFI systems, but sometimes different approaches are needed. Some will work with Secure Boot enabled, but most do not (not yet, anyway). Fastboot should probably be off, since you mention that.

There is another UEFI setting to consider: "Legacy" mode, also referred to as "CSM". Or sometimes this setting may be called "UEFI Boot"... so if it is called that and it is ON, it is UEFI method, but if it is OFF, then it is the legacy method. Many Linux distros need the Legacy mode ON to work.

If you do NOT want to dual boot with Windows, and you DO want to put Linux ONLY on your laptop, that makes it easier. Get your Linux Mint 17.2 (64-bit only) ready to boot up on a DVD (if you have a drive for it) or on a USB stick. Set Secure Boot and Fastboot both OFF, but leave UEFI Boot set to ON (or else Legacy/CSM set to OFF). Boot on your DVD/USB and make sure it works okay in "live mode". If all is good, use the Desktop icon to install Mint and when you get to the partition section, tell it to use the entire disk. That should do it. If it doesn't work, try changing the Legacy mode setting.

"Should" do it. Famous last words. If things can go wrong, they probably will go wrong. Be sure to save anything important from your Windows drive before you start doing any of this stuff. If you have not made a set of "Recovery DVD's" from your Windows install, I would also do that before you begin, in case you want to return to Windows later. When you tell Linux to use the entire disk... it will. And it will also delete your Recovery partition on the hard drive.

Good luck!
what is fastboot?
 

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