Sony VAIO E Series Windows 8/Ubuntu 12.10 Dual Boot, EFI help

[YannBuntu]

As Windows currently can boot when SecureBoot disabled, I would leave the SecureBoot disabled, then run the Recommended Repair. Then please indicate the new URL that will appear, reboot and tell if you can see the GRUB menu.

[shadowspectre]

http://paste.ubuntu.com/1392987/

Everything works now! Thank you YannBuntu and oldfred.

However, would it benefit you and your work on boot-repair if I try the quoted instructions with SecureBoot enabled?

please run Boot-Repair --> Advanced options --> untick the "Backup and rename EFI files" --> tick the "Restore EFI backups" --> Apply.

And, just out of curiosity, what is the purpose of SecureBoot?

[oldfred]

Secure boot is part of the UEFI standard to make it difficult for a user to install any other operating system. That is intended to reduce the security issue of anyone with physical access can boot with another system and copy your data.

In actuality it is Windows continuing to make it difficult to install any other system. It also makes it difficult to repair if you have to boot from another device which even if just Windows you may have to do.

http://web.dodds.net/~vorlon/wiki/bl..._Ubuntu_12.10/
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/publi...open-platforms

[YannBuntu]

http://paste.ubuntu.com/1392987/

Everything works now! Thank you YannBuntu and oldfred.

Good job. So now you are in a "normal" situation.
Do both "Windows UEFI loader" and "Windows Boot UEFI bootx64.efi.bkp" entries boot Windows successfully?

would it benefit you and your work on boot-repair if I try(..)

Thanks for proposing your help. I will ask you several tests that will help us understand UEFI and SecureBoot better, but please backup your documents first (better cloning your entire disk via CloneZilla), because this may break something if you do a mistake or if there is a bug I am not aware of.

First I will ask you this little test:
1) leave SecureBoot disabled (don't change anything in your BIOS)
2) from your installed Ubuntu, open a terminal and type:

sudo mv /boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu/shimx64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu/shimx64.efi.old

Press Enter, type your password (nothing will appear). Then type:

ls /boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu | grep shim

The output should be "shimx64.efi.old".

3) reboot the pc
4) tell me if you can still observe the "normal" situation (GRUB menu appears and let you boot successfully both Windows and Ubuntu)

5) if yes, stop here.
6) if not (eg if you can't boot Ubuntu any more), please boot on a Ubuntu liveCD, and type:

sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
sudo mv /mnt/EFI/ubuntu/shimx64.efi.old /mnt/EFI/ubuntu/shimx64.efi

then reboot the pc. This should revert the situation to original.

And, just out of curiosity, what is the purpose of SecureBoot?

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uefi#Secure_boot_2

[shadowspectre]

I figured it was Windows monopolizing, but I was hoping, it would be beneficial in some way to the rest of us. And, wouldn't a live cd/usb, or hardware designed to copy data from one harddrive to another (I would assume said harddware would have software capable of ignoring the eufi partitons or something) negate "making it more difficult to install another operating system?

Did anything useful come out of the UEFI movement for anyone else besides Windows? And, any news on a linux tablet; I remember hearing Canonical had something planned for that, based on it's Unity focus.

[YannBuntu]

we posted at the same time, please see above.

[shadowspectre]

I have learned this week that I can 100% reset this thing to factory settings (not as easy as my old Toshiba...since Vaio assumes u'd never touch the partitions...SecureBoot have a reason for that? hahaaha)...so I'm 110% willing to help...not that that would've changed regardless, hahahaha. Okay, going to back up the important stuff, and test all of that out for you.

[shadowspectre]

"Windows UEFI loader" and "Windows Boot UEFI bootx64.efi.bkp" both boot Windows properly.

I did the commands, everything worked fine. So I have stopped at step 5 (didn't do step 6).

[YannBuntu]

ok, thanks.
@OldFred: Conclusion of this first test: the "shim" files remain in the ESP after removing the shim packages, and they are not used when SecureBoot is disabled.

@shadowspectre: now let's try a 2nd test:

1) boot into your installed Ubuntu, and backup on a USB key the content of you /boot/efi folder. Make a ZIP file of it and attach it to your reply (or send it to me by email yannubuntu ATT gmail DOTT com)
2) enable SecureBoot in your firmware.
3) boot on your 12.10 CD, choose "Try Ubuntu", install and run Boot-Repair --> Recommended Repair.
4) Indicate the new URL that will appear.
5) Reboot the pc, the GRUB menu should appear. Please indicate what you observe when you select the "Windows UEFI loader" entry. Same for the "Windows Boot UEFI bootx64.efi.bkp" entry. And the "Ubuntu" entry.
6) if one of the 2 Windows entries fail, please run Boot-Repair --> Advanced options --> untick the "Backup and rename EFI files" --> tick the "Restore EFI backups" --> Apply. Indicate the new URL that will appear. Reboot and tell us what you observe when selecting the Windows entries.
7) if still not good, you can revert to "normal" situation by disabling SecureBoot, then running the Recommended Repair.

[shadowspectre]

I will be unavailable for a few hours. After that, I will jump right back into this. Sorry for the delay. One thing, the zip file is almost 25mb...this exceeds the forum's limit....as well as I believe my email's limit. Is there another way to send it?