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Thread: 12.10 Windows 8 dual boot UEFI ~ no Windows entry in grub menu

  1. #1
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    12.10 Windows 8 dual boot UEFI ~ no Windows entry in grub menu

    I booted from a live ubuntu-secure-remix-12.10-64bit.iso USB then shrank my pre-installed Windows 8 system partition using gParted.
    I then booted into Windows without problems several times and ran chkdsk without any errors.

    As the Ubiquity installer does not appear to allow the use of LVM and encryption I used the minimal installer to install 12.10 in UEFI mode.
    I created an unencrypted /boot partition /dev/sda6 and an encrypted LVM physical volume /dev/sda7.
    In sda7 I then created swap, root and home logical volumes.

    After the install I booted into Ubuntu OK, then executed 'tasksel' to install Ubuntu desktop.

    Ubuntu desktop boots and runs OK, but there is no windows entry in the grub menu.

    Boot-info http://paste.ubuntu.com/5585977/ shows two EFI partitions, the original one in the Windows system and /dev/sda6.

    Should boot-repair be able to safely fix grub for dual boot? If not, what else should I try?

    Thanks,

    Kevin

  2. #2
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    Re: 12.10 Windows 8 dual boot UEFI ~ no Windows entry in grub menu

    Boot flags in gpt partitions just mean the efi partition and never should be used on any other partition. Remove boot flag from sda6. In fact grub even in MBR does not use boot flag, only Windows.

    Then Boot-Repair should work. It has two options on efi booting. Some systems only boot the Windows folder or the Windows efi file. So for those systems the work around is to rename grub's shim file that has the Windows secure boot key to be the Windows file and boot grub. Then grub boots the backup. But those systems that have a correct UEFI that will allow multiple booting the file names do not have to be renamed.

    Boot-Repair - Updated Jan 1, 2013 to not rename first time, but rename if first time Windows does not boot. Post 706 and 711
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...769482&page=71
    Boot-Repair copied /EFI/ubuntu/grubx64.efi to /EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi (in case the BIOS is hard-coded to boot into /EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi or secure boot
    signed GRUB file shimx64.efi.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  3. #3
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    Re: 12.10 Windows 8 dual boot UEFI ~ no Windows entry in grub menu

    Thanks, oldfred.

    Boot flag removed from sda6 and system rebooted in case it made a difference.
    On starting boot-repair I get message: "RAID detected. You may want to retry after installing the [mdadm] packages. (sudo apt-get install -y --force-yes mdadm --no-install-recommends)".
    The system is a laptop with a single hard drive, so I do not know whether to proceed with boot repair. I have googled this message but have not found anything that appears relevant to my system.

    What now?

    Thanks,

    Kevin

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    Re: 12.10 Windows 8 dual boot UEFI ~ no Windows entry in grub menu

    I think Boot-Repair does not know difference between RAID and LVM. Both get mounted with /mapper. I believe Boot-Repair works either way as it installs lvm2 & RAID drivers.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  5. #5
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    Re: 12.10 Windows 8 dual boot UEFI ~ no Windows entry in grub menu

    So do I need to install the [mdadm] packages, or should I ignore the message?

    Thanks,

    Kevin

  6. #6
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    Re: 12.10 Windows 8 dual boot UEFI ~ no Windows entry in grub menu

    You should not need the mdadm but will need lvm2. I would think it would auto install the lvm2 if you are using encryption, but any liveCD/flash drives you use will need that first.

    sudo apt-get install lvm2

    With encryption be sure to have a good backup plan.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  7. #7
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    Re: 12.10 Windows 8 dual boot UEFI ~ no Windows entry in grub menu

    Thanks for the advice oldfred. I take your point re backups.

    I ran the recommended boot repair, ignoring three messages: 'RAID detected ...' , 'EFI detected – please check the options.', and 'You may want to retry after decrypting your partitions ….. '.
    Boot repair ran through some stuff to do with mdadm and lvm2, asking me to copy and paste a bunch of sudo commands into a terminal. Included were 'sudo apt-get purge -y –force-yes grub*-common shim-signed linux-signed*' and 'sudo apt-get install -y --force-yes grub-efi linux'.
    Finished with no error reported.

    Message displayed 'Do not forget to make your BIOS boot on sda2/EFI/ubuntu/grubx64.efi file!'
    I do not understand the meaning of this as I can find no means of specifying a filename in the BIOS.

    Boot info URL: http://paste.ubuntu.com/5588757/.

    On rebooting the grub menu below was displayed:
    Grub.jpg

    Testing with Secure Boot disabled:
    • Entries 1 & 2 boot into Ubuntu OK.
    • Entries 3 & 4 boot into Windows OK.
    • Entry 5 boots into the Windows 'Boot Options' screen.
    • Entries 6-8 fail to boot with a 'file not found' error message.

    Testing with Secure Boot enabled, the machine boots straight to error message:

    'Boot failure: a proper digital signature was not found.
    One of the files on the selected boot device was rejected by the secure boot feature.'

    It's great progress to have a dual-bootable system.

    What should I try to get Secure Boot working?
    Is it safe to delete the non-working grub menu entries from '/etc/grub.d/25_custom'?


    Thanks,

    Kevin

  8. #8
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    Re: 12.10 Windows 8 dual boot UEFI ~ no Windows entry in grub menu

    You can delete the non-working entries in 25_custom. But some come from grub2's os-prober.
    # Edit 25_custom entries created by Boot-Repair:
    sudo cp -a /etc/grub.d/25_custom /etc/grub.d/25_custom_backup
    # turn off execute bit or it will run backup also
    sudo chmod a-x /etc/grub.d/25_custom_backup
    gksudo gedit /etc/grub.d/25_custom
    # Then do:
    sudo update-grub


    # I add this line to grub configuration or turn off the execute bit on 30_os-prober
    gksudo gedit /etc/default/grub
    GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=true
    or turn off executable bit
    sudo chmod a-x /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober
    # Then do:
    sudo update-grub


    grub2's os-prober creates wrong style (BIOS) chain boot entry
    https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...2/+bug/1024383
    type of entry from Boot-Repair that should work.
    'Windows UEFI loader'
    Type of entry that does not work:
    'Windows ...) (on /dev/sdXY)'

    If your system is one that only boots Windows (not really what UEFI is designed for).

    Boot-Repair - Updated Jan 1, 2013 to not rename first time, but rename if first time Windows does not boot. Post 706 and 711
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...769482&page=71
    Boot-Repair copied /EFI/ubuntu/grubx64.efi to /EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi (in case the BIOS is hard-coded to boot into /EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi or secure boot
    signed GRUB file shimx64.efi.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  9. #9
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    Re: 12.10 Windows 8 dual boot UEFI ~ no Windows entry in grub menu

    Thanks oldfred. I understand your explanation of how to tidy up the Grub menu and prevent it getting messed up again by os-prober.

    I'm afraid I do not have a firm understanding from the latter half of your post of what I should do to get Secure Boot working.
    Neither post 706 or 711 seem relevant as following the recommended boot repair my system does boot into the Grub menu from where I can start Ubuntu or Windows from two entries each (with Secure Boot disabled).

    You seem to be saying that Grub has created a BIOS type chain boot entry. Are you suggesting that I run boot-repair again?

    I repeat that I can find nowhere in the BIOS setup screens where I could specify 'sda2/EFI/ubuntu/grubx64.efi' as the boot path.

    Further advice would be much appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Kevin

  10. #10
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    Re: 12.10 Windows 8 dual boot UEFI ~ no Windows entry in grub menu

    I think in the UEFI menu it is just ubuntu that is shown not the grub or shim efi file. UEFI shows the folders, ubuntu, Windows, Boot, that have efi files not the files inside them unless you use UEFI tools which not all UEFI systems seem to have to browse the efi directory.

    It is grub2's os-prober that creates chain load entries. It has not been updated yet to find correct efi entries, but Boot Repair adds correct chain entries.
    UEFI is designed to multi-boot. Each folder in the efi partition can have a different system to boot. It is like having many MBRs in the old BIOS configuration each with a different boot loader. Secure boot is just supposed to add that the UEFI have a key and the boot loader have a valid matching key. Currently Windows (maybe Redhat) are the only valid keys and many UEFI systems do not make it easy to add a new key, so Ubuntu is using the Microsoft key in shimx64.efi. So there should never be an issue of grub booting. But it then turns out many UEFI vendors are internally modified the UEFI code to only boot Windows folder or only the windows efi file. Boot Repair then will rename shim to be the Windows file so the UEFI thinks it is booting Windows. It still has the Windows key, so it is valid. And then grub chain loads to the backup of the true Windows file to load Windows.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

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