Installing Ubuntu 12.10 x64 on Dell XPS 13 Alongside Windows from USB

[lviggiani]

Update - SOLUTION in post #10


Hi,
I just got a brand new Dell XPS 13 with Windows 8 preinstalled.
I would like to install Ubuntu 12.10 x64 alongside Windows 8 from USB.

I downloaded Ubuntu 12.10 and put on a USB with the ubuntu startup disk creator program.

I plugged the usb into the LH side USB port and stared the computer.
From bios setup I tryed to disable secure booting as read somewhere but it keeps booting straight into W8.
Then I enabled legacy boot order and in this way, by pressing f12 I can select USB to boot from. In this way I get a text bootloader menu and I select try ubuntu. After ubuntu desktop come up, I run the installer but when it comes to the setup mode screen, it does not detect any operating system installed and offers me to clear everything and install ubuntu.
Is this due to the fact that I booted ubuntu in legacy mode? and if so, how can I boot in uefi mode and install it alongside windows 8? the documentation that i have read says that ubuntu 12.10 should support uefi booting even if secure mode.
Can someone help me please?
Thanks in advance.

[lviggiani]

Hi, in the mean time I made some progress on this but I still have problems...

I successfully managed booting ubuntu live usb in efi mode. To do so,

I plugged the live USB into the lh side usb port (the rh side will not boot, no way!). Also do not use USB drive with the U3 feature as they will not be detected as bootable

I went to bios settings and added a new boot option:

Name: usb (or whatever you want)
Device: first one listed, reading USB
File: /efi/boot/bootx64.efi

Secure boot mode is on (also tryied off)
Boot options: uefi only (legacy disable)

Whit these option, by pressing f12 and selecting USB from boot menu I sucessfully managed to get the ubuntu desktop up.

However when I run the ubuntu installer and it comes to the installation type, it keeps sayng that no other operating system has been detected... and this is not what I want.
I happens with both the "fast/rapid start" option enabled and disabled in the bios settings.

Help please!

[oldfred]

You have to turn fast boot option off. If left on and you cannot get into Windows you may not be able to get into UEFI menu.
Best to turn secure boot off but leave UEFI boot on. Different systems do it with different settings. Some have secure boot off/on, Some have UEFI boot on which means secure boot off, but you do not want legacy/BIOS mode on.

You will need to use the 64 bit version of 12.10 and from the UEFI menu boot the flash drive in UEFI mode. That way it will install in UEFI mode.
Systems need quick boot or fast boot turned off in UEFI settings. Vital for some systems.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/UEFI


Grub has a bug in creating the dual boot entry for Windows, so you need Boot-Repair to create correct entries. Also if you already installed in BIOS mode Boot-Repair can convert to UEFI mode.

Post the link to the BootInfo report that this creates. Is part of Boot-Repair:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Info
Boot Repair -Also handles LVM, GPT, separate /boot and UEFI dual boot.:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair
You can repair many boot issues with this or 'Create BootInfo' report (Other Options) & post the link it creates, so we can see your exact configuration and diagnose advanced problems.
Install in Ubuntu liveCD or USB or Full RepairCD with Boot-Repair (for newer computers)
http://sourceforge.net/p/boot-repair/home/Home/
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuSecureRemix

Dell XPS 8500, desktop. Win 8 eventually worked (Ignore sidetrack to EasyBCD)
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2086383
No EFI boot on Dell Inspiron One 2330 UEFI/BIOS update solved issues:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2086631

[lviggiani]

You have to turn fast boot option off. If left on and you cannot get into Windows you may not be able to get into UEFI menu.
Best to turn secure boot off but leave UEFI boot on. Different systems do it with different settings. Some have secure boot off/on, Some have UEFI boot on which means secure boot off, but you do not want legacy/BIOS mode on.

You will need to use the 64 bit version of 12.10 and from the UEFI menu boot the flash drive in UEFI mode. That way it will install in UEFI mode.
Systems need quick boot or fast boot turned off in UEFI settings. Vital for some systems.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/UEFI


Grub has a bug in creating the dual boot entry for Windows, so you need Boot-Repair to create correct entries. Also if you already installed in BIOS mode Boot-Repair can convert to UEFI mode.

Post the link to the BootInfo report that this creates. Is part of Boot-Repair:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Info
Boot Repair -Also handles LVM, GPT, separate /boot and UEFI dual boot.:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair
You can repair many boot issues with this or 'Create BootInfo' report (Other Options) & post the link it creates, so we can see your exact configuration and diagnose advanced problems.
Install in Ubuntu liveCD or USB or Full RepairCD with Boot-Repair (for newer computers)
http://sourceforge.net/p/boot-repair/home/Home/
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuSecureRemix

Dell XPS 8500, desktop. Win 8 eventually worked (Ignore sidetrack to EasyBCD)
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2086383
No EFI boot on Dell Inspiron One 2330 UEFI/BIOS update solved issues:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2086631

Hi Oldfred, first of all thank you very much for your comprehensive post.
Unfortunately I had already read most of that documentation but I still miss something...

My current bios setting is
Intel Smart Connect Technology off
Intel Rapid Start Tecnology off
Secure Boot off
Boot menu type UEFI only

With these settings, it only shows Hard Disk and Network Boot options in the boot menu if pressing f12
So I added a boot option from the bios settings pointing to usb and setting /efi/boot/bootx64.efi

my usb has ubuntu 12.10 x64 live on it. I-ve cheched with uname -m and cat /etc/lsb_release.

Ubuntu live boots fine (I see grub 2.00-7ubuntu1). Then (here is the point where I get lost and confused) when I run the installer from the live desktop and I get to the installation type menu, I would expect and option saying that swindows 8 or other os have been detected and I can install ubuntu alongside them. Unfortunatelly I only get the option to clear the disk and install ubuntu (or manual partition mode), showing that windows 8 is not detected.

So the big point is: where do I go wrong if the installer does not detect any os already installed and offer the option to keep them?

Thanks!

[oldfred]

Intel SRT uses RAID and the Desktop installer does not have the RAID drivers. You can uninstall RAID meta data on drive.

Also turn off a fast boot setting. That by passes UEFI booting from keyboard and you can only get to UEFI menu from Windows. If Windows does not boot you may never get to UEFI to boot a repair flash drive or DVD.

Dell XPS Intel SRT issue on hibernating post #25
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1932965
Some info on re-instating details in post #9
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2038121
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2070491

Disable the RAID, for me it was using the Intel rapid management thingy and telling it to disable the acceleration or the use of the SSD. If you have a different system, just disable the RAID system then install Ubuntu. Once installed you can then re-enable it.

You will need to use the dmraid command prior to running the Ubuntu Installer so that it will be able to see the partitions on the drive because otherwise with the raid metadata in place it will see the drive as part of a raid set and ignore its partitions.

Also shrink Windows with the Windows tools and reboot a few times so it can run chkdsk and make any other fixes it does on a resize.

Windows 8 UEFI repair USB must be FAT32
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials...ndows-8-a.html
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/For...-166dddf32205/



For the Total space you want for Ubuntu:
Ubuntu's standard install is just / (root) & swap, but it is better to add another partition for /home if allocating over 30GB.:
If gpt(not MBR) partitioning include these two first - all partitions with gpt are primary
250 MB efi FAT32 (for UEFI boot or future use for UEFI, you only can have one, so if already existing do not attempt another)
1 MB bios_grub no format (for BIOS boot not required for UEFI)
Ubuntu partitions - smaller root only where hard drive space is limited.
If total space less than about 30GB just use / not separate /home or standard install.
1. 10-25 GB Mountpoint / primary or logical beginning ext4(or ext3)
2. all but 2 GB Mountpoint /home logical beginning ext4(or ext3)
3. 2 GB Mountpoint swap logical

Depending on how much memory you have you may not absolutely need swap but having some is still recommended. I do not hibernate (boots fast enough for me) but if hibernating then you need swap equal to RAM in GiB not GB. And if dual booting with windows a shared NTFS partition is also recommended. But you usually cannot create that as part of the install, just leave some space. Or partition in advance (recommended).
One advantage of partitioning in advance is that the installer will use the swap space to speed up the install. Thanks Herman for the tip.

[lviggiani]

Hi, thanks again for your support.
The instructions are not that straightforward to me as I'm not so expert, however it's a good challenge to learn more.

I've read your links and done some more research. What I (believe) I understood is:


I cannot expect Ubuntu installer to recognise win 8 and install in dual boot mode out of the box like in past systems not using UEFI

The safer way to install ubuntu in dual boot mode is to relay on WIndows 8 boot loader.

Basically steps to follow are:
1) Shrink Windows 8 paritition to free some space (either from windows 8 or from ubuntu installer menu)
2) From the Ubuntu installer, when it comes to partition mode, choose manual partition mode, create a logical partition on the freed space, inside that create:
- ext2, 250mb, mont point: /boot, primary
- ext4, almost all free space, mount point / (you may also want to create a separate partition for /home)
- 4Gb swap partition
3) Select the ext2 /boot partition where to install the boot loader.
4) After installation completes, the system will reboot into windows 8
5) On windows 8 download use the EasyBCD utility to create a boot entry for ubuntu

At reboot the windows 8 boot menu should allow you to boot either w8 or ubuntu.
(source)

Will that approach work? Even with SSD?
Thanks, Luca.

[oldfred]

With UEFI all partitions are primary.

Most desktops do not need a separate /boot.

If you only want a standard install which is fine for a new user, then auto install with just / (root) and swap is ok.

But often better to have a separate /home and a separate shared NTFS data partition.

Especially with UEFI there is no reason to use EasyBCD. In UEFI you have multiple boot loaders in the efi partition, it is like having multiple MBRs in the old BIOS configuration.

Ignore most install sites as they are referring to BIOS and MBR partitioning. If they mention logical partitions it does not apply to you. You need UEFI.

[lviggiani]

Hi Oldfred, I'm sorry for bothering you again on this but the more I read, the more I get confused...
The thing is also that I don't want to compromise my W8 installation as that is my production machine, so I'm very careful before doing anything on this.

That said, this is where I'm now:

0) I have all the intel smart/rapid/clever/super stuff off; secure boot off.

1) I have booted the Ubuntu live USB by selecting "restart" from Windows 8 while holding the shfit key down. That took me to a w8 boot menu where I selected to boot from the removable usb device.

2) At boot, the "textual boot menu" is shown and, as stated here, the fact that I see textual menu (first image) tells me that I'm booting the live installer in EFI mode. Is my assumption correct?

3) When I start the installer (from ubuntu live session), it says that no operating system has been detected on the computer... I though it has to do with the RAID thing. However, the posts about disabling RAID says that having RAID metadata in place prevent the installer from detecting partitions. But this is not my case... if I select "other" and I go to manual partition mode, I can see all the partitions including the EFI one, the restore etc... So, what does it mean?
Do I have RAID metadata or not on my SSD drive?
Do I actually need to run the dmraid commands to disable RAID?
Removing raid metadata will compromise my Windows 8 installation?

4) In your last post you mentioned that I can install the boot loader in the existing EFI partition. How? Just select /dev/sd1 from the drop down menu in the manual partition window of Ubuntu installer?

Let's suppose that my live session is started in EFI mode and the RAID thing is not necessary. In order to install ubuntu and reuse the EFI partition for the boot loader:
- Resize c: partition and create a / and swap in the free space
- Select /dev/sda1 (the existing EFI) partition to install the boot loader
Will that work? If not, please can you give more detailed steps?

THANKS!!!!
...and sorry again...

[oldfred]

Use Windows Disk Management to shrink Windows and reboot Windows a couple of times. It has to run chkdsk and maybe other fixes to update itself with its new size. Sometimes doing that outside Windows causes issues.

Also backup efi partition and Windows install. One user in another thread only did the install when Windows partitions not shown and overwrote the entire system or erased Windows. Hw ia waiting for Windows reinstall DVD from Vendor.
Ubuntu did away with the alternative installer which was for RAID and LVM installs. (server still has RAID drivers.) But all the install features were not in 12.10 Desktop installer, so perhaps parts do work?

The vendor recovery DVDs are just an image of your drive as purchased. If you have housecleaned a lot of cruft normally included, run many updates with many reboots, and added software you may want a full back up.
Backup windows before install - post by Mark Phelps
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2040149
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1626990
http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp
Another suggestion by srs5694
http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm


Windows 8 UEFI repair USB must be FAT32
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials...ndows-8-a.html
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/For...-166dddf32205/


I think the users with Intel SRT ran the dmraid uninstall commands to remove the meta-data to make it work. Links posted above. Some more.
Intel SRT - Dell XPS Screen shots of Intel SRT screens & lots of details
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2038121
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2036204
Details in post #10 on an install that worked
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2020155

[lviggiani]

SOLUTION

Here is a step by step guide of how I achieved installing Ubuntu 12.10 along side Windows 8 on Dell XPS 13 with SSD and UEFI.
I'm reporting this because as a not-so-expert user, I had to read many posts before I could feel safe trying. Maybe some other user would appreciate a step-by-step guide.

Also thanks to Oldfred and all other users posting their experience.

DISCLAIMER: you'll be playing with partitions and data you may have in your Windows 8 installation. So please DO A BACKUP before doing anything else. Also CREATE A RECOVERY USB from windows 8 dell utility in case something goes wrong. I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR LOSS OF DATA. IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO BACKUP OR RESTORE YOUR SYSTEM, PLEASE DO NOT FOLLOW MY GUIDE!

And now the guide:

BACKUP YOUR SYSTEM

• From Windows 8, run Dell backup utility and create a rescue USB

SYSTEM SETUP

• Reboot (or power on) the computer while holding the F12 key down. Hold it down until the menu is displayed.
• Use the arrow key to select "Setup" and hit enter.
• Move with the RH arrow to second page (Advanced) and disable Intel (R) Smart Connect Technology and Intel (R) Rapid Start Technology (use the up/down arrows to select them and the space bar to change values)
• Move with the RH arrow to the "Boot" page and disable Secure Boot (again up/down arrows, space bar)
• Press F10 and save configuration and reboot in windows 8

DOWNLOAD AND PREPARE UBUNTU LIVE USB

• Download Ubuntu 12.10 64Bit from official Ubuntu site
• Create a bootable USB live installer as stated here

Caution: Do not use SanDisk USB keys with the U3 feature as they might not be bootable. Alternatively you may want to use the U3 Removal Tool before creating the USB live installer

SHRINK C:/ DRIVE TO FREE SPACE FOR UBUNTU

• In Windows 8 perform a defrag on C:\ drive and possibly free some space using ccleaner (not required but suggested)
• Make sure no documents or other program is open before proceeding
• In Windows 8 press the Windows key and type cmd then hit enter
• In the console that appears, type diskmgmt.msc then hit enter
• In the Disk Management window, select the C drive at the bottom, right click on it and select "Shrink Volume" (translation may not accurate here as I've Italian version installed)
• Enter the space you want to reserve for Ubuntu in megabytes. I used 50Gb (50000) and confirm
• Once completed reboot a couple of times to see if Windows wants to run an automatic disk check

INSTALL UBUNTU

• Insert the USB Live installer in the LH side USB port (not personally tested but I read of an user having issues starting the live media from the RH USB 3.0 port)
• In Windows 8 find the power off icon (i.e. hit the bottom-left corner and select settings) press it and select reboot while holding the shift key down
• Select "Use a device" (again translated from IT)
• Select "USB Storage Device"
• The system will reboot and you will see the grub textual menu. Make sure that you see the first image as stated here. If you see the second image, stop!!!
• Once the Ubuntu desktop is up, run the installer from the Desktop shortcut and follow the instructions
• When the installer comes to the Setup type, it will say that no operating system has been detected on the hard drive, don't worry... select "other" below and go to manual partitioning system
• Locate the 50GB (or whatever you've chosen) free space and create:
• 4000MB partition; type: swap
• all the remaining free space partition; type: Ext4; mount point: /
• Select ok, make sure that the boot loader is being installed on /dev/sda and continue with normal installation

REPAIR THE BOOTLOADER

• Once the installation is complete, the computer will boot straight into Ubuntu, not giving the option to select Windows 8. Don't panic!
• Log in in Ubuntu desktop, then press CTRL+ALT+T to show the terminal window
• Now type the following commands (source

)

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair && sudo apt-get update

then

sudo apt-get install -y boot-repair && boot-repair

• Click on the "Recommended repair" and wait the program to finish
• Once completed, reboot your system
• The grub menu will appear showing some options. Select the first one reading Windows.
• Windows 8 loader will start and most likely here the windows disk check routine will start. If so, once completed, the system will reboot and GRUB menu will appear again.
• Select Windows again and check that it will start successfully.
• Then restart and select Ubuntu from GRUB menu and check that Ubuntu works too.

CONGRATULATIONS! You've now a UEFI dual boot system in place!

FURTHER STEPS
Update your system

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Install Dell kernel patches to enable display and keyboard backlit control as well as multitouch gestures

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:canonical-hwe-team/sputnik-kernel
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Then reboot. Now you should have gestures like described here

That's it! Enjoy your Ubuntu!