UEFI vs. BIOS install - Any adavantages?

[El Potro]

Hello community,

I'm setting up a computer with an ASUS P8H77-M PRO motherboard which offers two options: UEFI or BIOS, and I'm here wondering which option should I choose.

Is there any real advantage to choose UEFI? and disadvantages?

A small remark: I'm planning to use LVM and install several distros to this computer, using GRUB 2.

Thanks!

[oldfred]

I do not know LVM, but someone posted that the practical advantages are not as much as the theoretical.

Is Windows one of the installs as that requires gpt with UEFI or BIOS with MBR(msdos). But if only Linux then you can use gpt whether UEFI or BIOS.

UEFI is the new thing, not sure if there are a lot of advantages or not. Then main disadvantage is that as new, not many know it and some software still is resolving bugs. In Ubuntu most of the grub2 bugs are resolved or have work arounds.

Either way I would create the efi partition as the first partition or leave space for it. As the efi partition has to be first it can be difficult to try to add it later when drive is full of data. If using gpt and BIOS with Linux you need a tiny 1MB unformatted bios_grub partition.

gpt has some minor advantages over MBR.
GPT Advantages srs5694:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1457901
GPT or MBR
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1625285
Multiboot install with gpt & using gdisk
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1566090

My system is BIOS only, but I have gpt on two drives including my newish SSD and BIOS on my old XP and an older data drive. I just used gparted to partition.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php...ware_Interface
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/UEFI
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GPT
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Grub2

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UE...g#UEFI%20Shell
Recompiling GRUB not required with newest versions of grub.
Creating efi partition & folders in advance works.Must be 64bit version to have UEFI

[El Potro]

Hi Fred

Well, the case is not so much about LVM, but particularly about UEFI vs. BOOT in a system with multiple distros. I don't plan to use Window$ at all.

It sounds like a good idea to leave some space at the beginning. Actually I usually create a separate GRUB2 partition after the BIOS_BOOT, so that I don't depend on any particular distro for my boot-loader.

But now with UEFI the things are different. As far as I know, I'll have to create a ESP partition instead of a BIOS_BOOT, but the question that arises is, is it a good idea to install GRUB2 as the main .efi image in the ESP partition and then load all the distros from GRUB2?

Or is it a better idea to use rEFInd and that each distro will have a separate .efi image? is GRUB2 capable of loading different .efi images? I believe it loads directly the kernels and initrm, so I'm asking myself, what would be the difference/advantage then?

[oldfred]

I do not know rEFInd.

And grub2's os-prober does not correctly find other efi installs. Boot-Repair now creates a Windows chainload which really could be for any install in efi partition. Not sure how many of the other Linux have UEFI versions.

A Windows chainload:

menuentry "Windows 7 UEFI" {
search --file --no-floppy --set=root /efi/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
chainloader (${root})/efi/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
}

Not sure if all installs are grub2 how each would write a .efi file to boot a different partition. At this point you just may have to back up each. Or maybe with grub2 if one system is booted efi, then all it has to do is find the kernel & init files in the other install to boot? Not seen a dual Linux UEFI boot yet.

[El Potro]

Well Fred, if you don't know and nobody else can help with GRUB2, multiple distros and UEFI, then I guess I'm going to disable the UEFI feature and go back with a traditional BIOS+GPT approach. Because I'm setting up this computer for a friend and I don't want to mess around too much.

The day I get a UEFI motherboard for myself there will be more information available on this and then I'll experiment further.

Anyways if anybody knows more about this topic, I'll be glad to receive more information.

Thanks

[smartboyhw]

Well, unless you like Windows 8 (which requires Secure Boot on EFI), I don't recommend using UEFI. Use BIOS. It's better.

[El Potro]

Hi smartboyhw

why exactly you say I shouldn't use UEFI? And why BIOS as far as you concern is better?

I don't use Windows at all, who cares about that trash anyway?

[smartboyhw]

Hi smartboyhw

why exactly you say I shouldn't use UEFI? I don't use Windows at all, who cares about that trash anyway?

Well, it takes quite a lot of steps to make a UEFI boot CD, that's why I choose BIOS.

[El Potro]

That's a great reason to consider! I remember that I read that somewhere. Thanks for reminding it to me.

Is there any other(s)?

[smartboyhw]

That's a great reason to consider! I remember that I read that somewhere. Thanks for reminding it to me.

Is there any other(s)?

No.