02-22-2019, 03:22 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-07-2019, 10:32 PM by br1anstorm.)
[warning and disclaimer: this post is more about Win7 and Lenovo laptops than about Linux Lite. But as a member of both Linux Lite and Linux Mint forums, and user of both distros, I'm hoping that someone here might be able to shed light on a slightly odd problem I have encountered].
I have a spare - second-hand, refurbished - Lenovo T430 laptop which came with a clean (re)install of Win7. I decided to set it up to dual boot with Linux. But in the slightly untypical way that I already have dual-boots on my main (Samsung) laptop and my desktop computer, I wanted to use EasyBCD to modify the Windows bootloader to point to the Linux Grub option, rather than having GRUB replace and take over the Windows MBR bootloader.
It should work fine. But in this instance it didn't. I think the problem lies in the way the Windows MBR was configured. But I don't know how to diagnose and investigate.
If anyone can offer advice, I'd welcome it. Here are the clues:
1) When Win7 alone was on the computer, I noticed that on initial boot up the Windows boot menu-screen flashed up very briefly with two options - 'Boot to Windows', or 'Restore the Original Windows Image'. The latter choice came with a warning note at the bottom of the menu screen that this would erase all existing data. In any case the delay default must be about 2 secs, because it then boots up by default into Win7. Comment: I have other computers with Win7 installed, and I have never seen this menu appear on booting any of them;
2) when I looked at the partitioning using GParted, I noticed that there were already three primary partitions on the hard drive: 100MB System Reserved, 13GB Recovery, and the main Win7 partition (which I shrank to make room for Linux);
3) while running the Linux installer (i was actually aiming to install Mint), I noticed that on the screen offering the usual options (install alongside, replace, or 'something else'), the installer reported that there were "multiple OSs already on the system". Comment: I thought that a bit odd, but assumed that maybe it was seeing the existing Recovery partition as containing a duplicate, or image, of the Win7 OS. I went ahead anyway with 'Something Else', installed Mint into appropriate partitions, put its Grub on to [/], and completed the install without any issues;
4) the next step (as those who use EasyBCD will know) is to boot back into Win7, open EasyBCD, and add the Linux distro - telling EasyBCD where to find the Grub. After a reboot, that should work - as it does perfectly well on my other computers. Normally, the Windows boot menu comes up, offering Win7 or Linux. Choosing the latter takes you on to the Grub screen, from which you boot into your Linux distro. Simple....normally!
5) this however did not happen. On reboot, the first screen fleetingly offered was as at (1): the same Windows boot menu for 2 secs, offering only Boot Windows Normally, or Restore Original Windows Image. No sign of Linux, and no way to boot into it.
I'd like to know why EasyBCD evidently didn't manage to modify the MBR to link to the Grub and enable me to boot into it. (The EasyBCD forum is not very active - I get no response there).
I'm wondering if the Win7 Recovery arrangements are part of a Lenovo configuration which has already modified the MBR (or BCD) to offer a System Restore Image. Has anyone else encountered this?
Can I go into a Live session and go looking at the Windows boot files? If so, what should I look for?
I know I could abandon all this and go the traditional route of dual boot with Grub replacing the Windows bootloader in the MBR. But I'm worried that the MBR may already have been modified, and I am puzzled that the installer appears to see multiple systems on the computer already. So I hesitate to try to install Linux and have Grub take over the boot process completely. Also I hate unsolved problems......I'd like to know why I get this current boot menu, before I try to set up something else.
I have a spare - second-hand, refurbished - Lenovo T430 laptop which came with a clean (re)install of Win7. I decided to set it up to dual boot with Linux. But in the slightly untypical way that I already have dual-boots on my main (Samsung) laptop and my desktop computer, I wanted to use EasyBCD to modify the Windows bootloader to point to the Linux Grub option, rather than having GRUB replace and take over the Windows MBR bootloader.
It should work fine. But in this instance it didn't. I think the problem lies in the way the Windows MBR was configured. But I don't know how to diagnose and investigate.
If anyone can offer advice, I'd welcome it. Here are the clues:
1) When Win7 alone was on the computer, I noticed that on initial boot up the Windows boot menu-screen flashed up very briefly with two options - 'Boot to Windows', or 'Restore the Original Windows Image'. The latter choice came with a warning note at the bottom of the menu screen that this would erase all existing data. In any case the delay default must be about 2 secs, because it then boots up by default into Win7. Comment: I have other computers with Win7 installed, and I have never seen this menu appear on booting any of them;
2) when I looked at the partitioning using GParted, I noticed that there were already three primary partitions on the hard drive: 100MB System Reserved, 13GB Recovery, and the main Win7 partition (which I shrank to make room for Linux);
3) while running the Linux installer (i was actually aiming to install Mint), I noticed that on the screen offering the usual options (install alongside, replace, or 'something else'), the installer reported that there were "multiple OSs already on the system". Comment: I thought that a bit odd, but assumed that maybe it was seeing the existing Recovery partition as containing a duplicate, or image, of the Win7 OS. I went ahead anyway with 'Something Else', installed Mint into appropriate partitions, put its Grub on to [/], and completed the install without any issues;
4) the next step (as those who use EasyBCD will know) is to boot back into Win7, open EasyBCD, and add the Linux distro - telling EasyBCD where to find the Grub. After a reboot, that should work - as it does perfectly well on my other computers. Normally, the Windows boot menu comes up, offering Win7 or Linux. Choosing the latter takes you on to the Grub screen, from which you boot into your Linux distro. Simple....normally!
5) this however did not happen. On reboot, the first screen fleetingly offered was as at (1): the same Windows boot menu for 2 secs, offering only Boot Windows Normally, or Restore Original Windows Image. No sign of Linux, and no way to boot into it.
I'd like to know why EasyBCD evidently didn't manage to modify the MBR to link to the Grub and enable me to boot into it. (The EasyBCD forum is not very active - I get no response there).
I'm wondering if the Win7 Recovery arrangements are part of a Lenovo configuration which has already modified the MBR (or BCD) to offer a System Restore Image. Has anyone else encountered this?
Can I go into a Live session and go looking at the Windows boot files? If so, what should I look for?
I know I could abandon all this and go the traditional route of dual boot with Grub replacing the Windows bootloader in the MBR. But I'm worried that the MBR may already have been modified, and I am puzzled that the installer appears to see multiple systems on the computer already. So I hesitate to try to install Linux and have Grub take over the boot process completely. Also I hate unsolved problems......I'd like to know why I get this current boot menu, before I try to set up something else.