On Sat, Apr 30, 2022 at 09:09:19AM -0500, Richard Owlett wrote: > Thanks for a quick reply. > > On 04/30/2022 07:23 AM, Christian Britz wrote: > > Generally it is easier to install Windows first, then Debian, but of > > course it is possible the other way round. > > My post evidently could have been clearer. > My friend's laptop will be purchased with Windows pre-installed. > I will set it up to dual boot Debian in order to demonstrate some Linux > software. >
This is probably a bad move: if _anything_ goes wrong, even with Windows you are likely to get the blame. I'd suggest that instead, you use something like a Debian Live to demonstrate software - that will make no changes. As someone who has done this, you may be in for a world of pain, misery and support calls. If your friend doesn't have a copy of Office - get libreoffice for them, for example, or other software that exists for both OS to help them out. > It will be a refurbished unit. To simplify having any required servicing > done by the vendor, the installed Windows must remain. > So: You have a Windows laptop that has "a" preinstalled Windows on: it may not be installed the way you'd want - it might be installed with a large recovery partition / a generic image / have been installed using BIOS mode. If it were me, I'd be tempted to get hold of a Windows .iso and make a clean install of Windows and other software if that's feasible. You can get a Windows .iso from Microsoft to do the reinstall by using their media make - specify as you download it that it's for this computer. Alternatively, there may be a way to effectively do a reinstall by doing a Windows refresh - which may wipe out applications installed. If you can get your friend comfortable with using Debian live, then suggest that _they_ with your help, dedicate a portion of the disk to Debian. Installation: Windows first - shrink the disk using Windows partition manager. Install Debian, use OS prober which should also find the pre-existing Windows install. Set the Windows clock appropriately so that Debian doesn't reset it when daylight saving time cuts in or whatever ... Debian first: Install Debian: use gparted to resize the disk. Leave the second part of the disk completely blank. As you install Windows, tell it to use only the free space. It _will_ assume that it's the only OS: at that point, use a Debian medium in rescue mode to set Debian as the OS in charge of boot. > As the only Windows computer I've added Debian to was back in days of > Squeeze. Never having with UEFI nor Secure Boot I did a brief web search. > > What I found wasn't well written and was not specifically Debian oriented. > Reading your post suggests I've forgotten things and know less than I > thought about recent hardware/software. > > Suggested formal articles? > TIA > > > > > The Debian boot manager can > > be configured to respect the Windows installation, the Windows boot > > manager does not know anything about other operating systems, so you > > should leave that to Debians tools, usually GRUB. You can also select > > the OS to be booted in most (?) UEFI settings implementations. > > > > The Debian installer is capable of resizing existing Windows > > installations, to make room for Debian. > > > > You should keep a Debian Live USB stick around, because Windows still > > sets the MS boot manager as default under some circumstances. > > Alternative would be to select the boot device from UEFI settings as > > mentioned and then fix the problem from the installed Debian. > > > > To get GRUB to know about Windows OS, you need the package os-prober. I > > am not sure if this is automatically installed by the installer, if it > > detects Windows. If not, install it later. Note that os-prober will > > probably get deactivated in the next Debian release for some security > > concerns, AFAIK it is not yet decided, how this will be finally handled > > and if there will be an alternative mechanism. > > > > If you can choose between UEFI and BIOS (legacy) mode, I would recommend > > UEFI, it simplifies booting and has probably other advantages too. I use > > UEFI with disabled secure boot. It is possible to use secure boot with > > Debian, but you have to actively care for key handling and signing of > > kernels and modules which you compile yourself then. > > > > Another alternative to your plan might be to run the Windows > > installation in one of the many available VM solutions. This works very > > well, except for accelerated video (no option if you want to play games > > or use special streaming software which is only available for Windows). > > > > Hope that helps, > > Christian > > > > > > > > On 2022-04-30 13:50 UTC+0200, Richard Owlett wrote: > > > I will be setting up a Windows laptop to dual boot Debian. > > > If the machine has legacy BIOS, no problem as I've done that before. > > > > > > If it is a UEFI machine (possibly with secure boot, what should I be > > > reading. > > > > > > TIA > > > > > > >
