Fresh Linux Mint 14, No GRUB.

[jamedfor]

Hi oldfred, thanks for the input!

I installed Windows 8 to a new partition from an old XP one into some newly created space, I assume that's why it is at sda5. Based on your post:

1. I assume sda2 would be better?
2. I just installed these OSs, would it be easier to just erase everything, install windows 8 to sda1, then follow with sda2 for Mint and sda3 for swap?
3. when I look at gparted, I see sda1 first, followed by sda5 with no space in between. Is this setup a candidate for your method?

Let me know if theres any more data you need!

-John

[oldfred]

Only because you have not used all the primary partitions could you use fixparts to convert.
It probably would be better to reinstall. Then you can totally reorganize partitions.

But especially with Windows 8 I would also want another NTFS shared data partition. Windows 8 is always hibernated, just in different levels. Turning off hibernation helps a little, but you still should not write into the Windows system partition. Best to set as read only.

Since linux is ok with logical partitions I would try to make a lot of drive extended for logical partitions.

WARNING for Windows 8 Dual-Booters
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1953674
It defaults shutdown to a hybrid hibernation/off state for fast boot
http://www.kapilarya.com/how-to-enab...p-in-windows-8
But then files may be corrupted similar to Windows 7 Hibernation:
http://ubuntu-with-wubi.blogspot.ca/...rid-sleep.html
http://superuser.com/questions/14472...te-w-dual-boot

[Chdslv]

Windows always installes itself to the first partition, actually using one small and one big partition, so it should be in sda1 & sda2. If not, install it again. Then, install the Ubuntu distro with Quantal base, which is geared to work with Win 8's restrictions. Mint has the Quantal base, so it should "see" the Win8 partition.

The new grub-pc of Quantal cannot be set up the old way, by using sudo grub-setup /dev/sda, hence the need to use of YannUbuntu's Boot-repair.

Anyway, once Win8 is installed in the beginning of your hard disk, and a good Qunatal based distro is installed in the next nearest partition--not in a primary one--you should be able to "see" Win8 in the grub.

If you still don't see that, re-install grub-pc, and that grub-pc should br from Quantal repos. You can watch the work in the Terminal and while finishing, grub-pc would find Win8. If not, you should use Boot-repair and let it correct the problem.

And, if the problem persists, you have to install Quantal in another partition, so that Quantal would take up the grub. But, you won't be able to uninstall Quantal, if you want to dual boot.

As, Mint says that it had been built from the mini.iso, something might've gone missing, which Quantal has.

You should read Jesse's article about his problems of getting away from the Win8's restrictions in the last week's Distrowatch. http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20121126
Jesse gives a running commentary how he managed to get rid of the Secure Boot problem. You may learn something from there.

The moral out of this; don't get caught to Microsoft's machinations, and if you really want to use MS Windows, use Win7.

Finally, I looked at Win8 and my personal feeling is that Win8 would go the same way as Vista, but that's another story.

Good day!

Ch

[YannBuntu]

Hello

cat: write error: Broken pipe
FIBMAP: Invalid argument
FIBMAP: Invalid argument
...

is not important, it 's a minor bug of BootInfoScript: http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/boo...cript/ticket/2
and it is not the cause of your problem.


Your problem is that your Windows8 has missing boot files:

Boot files:        /bootmgr /Windows/System32/winload.exe
(...)
/mnt/boot-sav/sda5/ may need repair.

Solution:
1) Use a Windows disc this way: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Re...ta/7Bootloader , until you get direct access to Windows
2) then use Boot-Repair to recover your GRUB menu

[jamedfor]

Thank you all so much for your quick responses and time spent helping me! In the end, I gave up trying to fix my setup. Because I had just installed these systems, I used a USB drive to erase all partitions and installed windows 8 on sda1 and sda2 (it needs 2 partitions, a source of my initial problems.) and followed up with linux mint installed on a new sda4 partition. This way the grub loader installed properly and my problems are solved!

Thanks again,
John