Ubilinux installation query?

David Rolfe

Hi,

I am posting in this section of the Forum, rather than in MS Windows, as my plan is to install Ubilinux onto the 128GB eMMC drive on my UP Squared board first, and then to install Windows 10 onto a 250Gb Samsung 850 Evo mSATA drive later, so that I will then have the option of booting into either OS independently.

I prefer to take one step at a time, so after updating the BIOS, and downloading the Ubilinux 4 iso file to my Windows PC, I now want to prepare a bootable USB drive for use on my UP2, using the latest (2.17) version of Rufus.

However, on reading the Wiki I am told to create this using the dd option, which surprised me somewhat, as I was about to use the 'iso' one! Anyway, I followed the instructions carefully, and Windows showed just two folders, namely ‘EFI’ and ‘loader’ on my USB stick, which I hope I can now use to install Ubilinux on the eMMC drive of my UP2?

Having done this, I would appreciate confirmation that I will then be able to install Windows 10 onto a suitable mSATA drive, (hopefully without any problems) at a later date, once I add this to my board?

Sorry for the rather long post, but as I would hate to do anything to ‘break’ my new system, I felt it best to ask on here first!

eduncan911

Whenever you want a dual-boot Windows + Linux system, you always install Windows first regardless of the disks and layout (same disk, separate disks, etc). Then you install your Linux of choice second.

This is because GRUB can detect (most) Windows installations and will set up a entry for Windows automagically. And Windows always clobbered the MBR and erased GRUB.

Now... that advice was for MBR booting. The UP boards use UEFI which I have tried many times to use on other UEFI systems and always run into the Windows-always-boots-no-matter-what scenario. I usually revert back to Legacy booting on those systems.

I am currently using my UP boards for a project at the moment. But if you can wait until next week, I'll format and test this for you if no one else does it first.

Reach out to me next week if you still need someone to test it.

WereCatf

Eh. I installed Ubilinux on the internal eMMC, then later on I installed Windows on a SATA-drive. No problems anywhere, it defaults to firing up Grub, but I can just choose whether to boot Grub or the Windows Boot Manager manually with F7.

eduncan911

Ah well there we go!

Using ArchLinux, I really prefer EFI now too. But always had to revert back to legacy booting on my Lenovo devices. I'm pretty much convinced Lenovo has serious EFI issues when secureboots are disabled.

David Rolfe

Thanks to you both for your comments.

I too had been reading that it is better to install Windows 10 first, but it doesn't look as if you had any problems doing it the other way round. Providing I use UEFI mode for both installations I reckon I should be OK, although I am still not clear whether 'secure boot' should be enabled or not.

It does look as if you have managed to achieve what I am aiming for, but to be on the safe side I had even thought of installing Windows 10 first onto my mSATA drive, and then disconnecting it before installing Ubilinux onto the eMMC, and then putting the mSATA drive back in again afterwards, just to be sure!

Hopefully I would then have the opting of booting into either OS, but with Ubilinux as the default and having the option of pressing F7 to run Windows.

Unfortunately I think that might all have to wait until next week though, as I am away for a long weekend!

@eduncan911 - Your kind offer is much appreciated Eric.

Daniel Hrynczenko

I might have missed something,with ubilinux 3 the installer just repartitioned the emmc on my up3 without any questions asked and installed os - thus erasing the windows installation and disregarding any pre-setup partitioning . Could have accepted that it if it wasnt that I'm on a mobile connection and now have wasted 10+ Gb of data traffic

DCleri

Hi Phuse,

I suppose you are talking about UP Squared (UP^2) and ubilinux 4.0, please correct me if I am wrong.

I am sorry to hear about your issue with the installation.

The ubilinux 4.0 installer comes with automatic and interactive installer. As you can see from the download page there is a warning in red that states the following:

Be aware that the installer will boot automatically from USB and it will wipe and replace the eMMC content of your system unless you select interactive install.

If you select interactive installer you can chose to which media you can install and select for example a SATA drive or a USB drive.

I hope that my suggestions may help for future installations.

David Rolfe

Hi dcleri,

I actually made the first post in this thread, when I outlined my objectives, although I have since posted in the 'Windows' thread also, as I am still not really sure how important it is which OS I install first, provided of course that they are both done in UEFI mode, and I would therefore appreciate your comments on this subject.

All I have done so far is to update the BIOS, which appears to have been a successful operation.

Thanks!

WereCatf

As someone who personally installed Ubilinux first and Windows second, it doesn't seem to matter. I mean, they both use the UEFI boot-method, so you just choose in BIOS which one it should boot by default -- the UEFI bootloaders themselves are installed in eMMC partition 1, both for Windows and for Linux. It's not the same thing as with older BIOSes using MBR-boot scheme, where one OS might overwrite the other's bootloader.

DCleri

Hi Montala,

Sorry for my late reply... to answers your questions from the main topic:
1. Yes the USB stick seems to be prepared correctly, you can proceed installing ubilinux
2. Yes you can install Windows to the mSATA drive at any time, just make sure that you install the system fully on the mSATA (without touching or changing the partitions on the eMMC)

Once you have installed both systems I suggest you to select the eMMC as first boot device (or second after USB) and, once booted ubilinux:
mount your Windows partition (simply open the Windows disk with the file manager)
then from a terminal window you should run the following command:$ sudo update-grub
and then reboot. Windows boot option should now be available from the Linux Grub menu.

Let me know if you may have any other questions.

David Rolfe

Hi dcleri, and thanks for the tips.

I am going to be away for the next few days, but will sit down quietly on my return to carry out the procedures.

My first task will be to install ubilinux onto the eMMC from my already prepared USB stick.

This will then be followed by a Windows installation onto my msata drive, after which I will follow your suggestions, which I think I understand.

However, you may well be hearing from me again early next week!