Uefi And Dual Boot

I have several cd/dvd os's other than windows. I can go into bios and change everything from secure boot to legacy and keys and csm changes to boot from dvd's into these systems but then to get back into 8.1 I have to go back to bios and change everything back to use windows again. Is there an easier way to do this.

8.1 computer and it works with making changes - I just want to do this in an easier fashion.

 

Try installing EasyBCD 2.3 onto Windows 8.1 and run it. In the lower panel of Add new entry, you can add those disk-based OSes (see below).



Once added, you'll have a boot choice menu when you boot/restart your computer. Make sure the disk based OS you want to boot to is in the optical drive before selecting it.

 

That sounds good. I've seen of it in other places and it and rEFInd keeps coming up. Was thinking EBCD sounded easier. Thanks and I'm going to give it a shot!

 

D/L'd and installed. When run this pops up. Support page basically saying to go through the steps I have been doing. All options in the add item or edit menu are greyed out. One mention of a grub loader that I'll have to read more on before trying.

EasyBCD has detected that your machine is currently booting in EFI mode. Due to limitations set by Microsoft, many of EasyBCD’s multi-booting features cannot be used in EFI mode and have been disabled.

Press ‘OK’ to continue or ‘Help’ to read more about these limitations and possible workarounds.

 

You're welcome.

While you're in EBCD, check out the Useful Utilities. I use the one called iReboot. It enables me to boot directly to any of the versions of Windows I have installed on my two hard drives without having to choose in the boot menu (the computer will restart, but go directly to the chosen OS) (see below).



The icon sits in the System Tray/Notification Area. Right-click on it to bring it up. Check mark Reboot on Selected then click on one of the entries (Win 8.1 Pro is my default OS, hence the check mark).

Once you've configured EBCD with your additions, you may be able to do the same since the boot info is stored in the Bootloader.

 

Yeah, You'd need to be in Legacy boot any way because you can't boot from USB/optical drive with Secure Boot enabled. It will only boot to the hard drive. So, you'll have to leave it in Legacy Mode to be able to use EBCD.

Sorry I didn't think of that this morning (was still having morning java ).

Grub Loader is used if you're running Linux along side Windows.

 

My two computers are a bit older than yours and use BIOS instead of UEFI and the drives are initialized MBR instead of GPT. So, if I wanted to be able to boot to a CD/DVD or a USB connected drive (hard drive or flash drive) with a UEFI/GPT setup, I'd have to change to Legacy and leave it that way.

 

" leave it that way."

But while I'm in legacy 8.1 won't boot. On reboot or power off/power on all I get is something like 'no boot device Insert media and press enter.' So I have to change back and forth each time.

 

Sorry, I'm at a loss about this. There's got to be a setting that needs to be changed in UEFI to allow booting to the internal hard drive while in Legacy mode but, I don't know which it is. Hopefully, someone here can chime in and be of more assistance than I am — someone like Earthling perhaps.

While in Legacy, it seems to be looking to boot from optical media or a USB connected drive instead of the internal hard drive.

 

I agree with mdonah, there should be a way around this in your UEFI/BIOS settings, maybe requiring not only setting Legacy Mode but also requiring disabling secure boot. Trouble is each manufacturer sets up UEFI their own way, there isn't a standard approach. Here is Dell's method for example -

http://www.dell.com/support/Article/us/en/04/603195/en

 

Thanks for that info Earthling. But, the problem is that while the OP is in Legacy Mode, he/she CAN'T boot to the internal hard drive and Win 8.1 — he/she CAN boot to CD/DVD.

Is there a way to boot to the internal hard drive while in Legacy mode or is it impossible to boot to a GPT drive while in Legacy mode?

 

I think I have an answer.

Quoted from this page:

https://www.thomas-krenn.com/en/wiki/Installing_Operating_Systems_on_UEFI_Systems

"Windows (see below) can boot from GPT devices only in UEFI mode."

DARN!!

 

The OP doesn't actually say he has a GPT disk but I think, from the behaviour he is getting, that he must have GPT. In that case there isn't anything he can do to boot Win 8 in Legacy mode. What he could do though is convert his GPT disk to an MBR disk. There are several methods available but based on my extensive use of Minitool Partition Wizard without issues that's the way I would go about it. This article should help. Once converted to MBR there should be no problem booting 8.1 in Legacy mode, I do so myself.

 

Just an addendum to the above - I would always image my system disk before attempting any partition or format changes.

 

Yes. That's what's recommended.

Just as an experiment, I used MiniTool to try and convert one of my MBR drives with OS installed (System Drive) to GPT. I was greeted with a warning that doing so would render the computer unbootable. So I know I'd have to do a complete Disk Image, delete all volumes on the MBR disk, convert it and restore the image to the converted drive.

But, while I would be comfortable attempting the task, I don't know if the OP would be.

 

I haven't seen any warnings about that when doing GPT > MBR but I don't have a GPT system I could test on either. The image is simply in case the procedure fails, not to restore it to the converted disk.

 

Thanks to both for the info. I will go through all the links to get more info. Also will look into rEFInd a little deeper. I won't have time for some of this till the weekend so I have a few days to go over everything for preps. I guess 8 and UEFI are going to put me on a learning curve ride. I have seen it said somewhere that 10 was even harder in this respect. Also see where some developers have paid to get keys to be considered safe to boot. Newer Ferdora and newer Ubantu are supposed to work in secure mode. I have tried doing 1 step at a time. Turn off secure mode and try both. Then turn csm (legacy) on and off and try both. May still be something else to try- under csm I have two sub headings that I have tried stepping thru. Think it's tie to break out the note pad (real paper) and keep track of everything. There's also 'keys' to delete and install when going back and forth. Will post more when something changes.


Lost my connection in the middle of this. Post to save saved part of it. But I had copied and pasted to a txt. Whew!

 

I looked into rEFInd myself. GEEZ!! I don't think I'm going to be getting a UEFI/GPT computer any time soon. I'll stick with my "old" BIOS/MBR computers for the time being.

 

Last two boxes I have bought have UEFI mobos but I'm running them with MBR disks as I like to be able to boot easily into other OSs and bootable CDs. Fortunately that's how they were supplied, but if I got one with GPT I would convert it.

 

It's a gpt disk. Has 4 partitions on it now. 2 system use 1 recovery and Windows main partition. Reading through several software pages about their conversions most say to blank the disk first- or their software will blank the disk -some have a subtle phrase - 'will convert any data disk'-. That phrase should be 'will convert any DATA disk to alert the reader it's not for 'system' disk. I'll have to first see if imaging will get all 4 partions imagined for to do a complete recovery. Maybe. I already have other machines that are mbr and same comparable size disk. One thing I' looking at is the ability to use much larger drives that are available today which this is the only one I have that can break that barrier. AND more partition capability! Maybe that I leave this issue alone and use only newer os's on it that have bought the keys for secure boot. And agree with not buying a gpt box if avoidable. Next new one here will probably be built by a local shop with '7'. Older used ones - I can play with anything. But this does give me some mental excersize. Some times that's a good thing. And thanks for looking to you two!

 

Found 2 good reads on the 2TB barrier. The first shows some disks and OS limits and ways around the limit. The second is MS explanation of why there is this limit on different systems. Doesn't give me what I was looking for but did learn things looking. Right now 1 keystrokes and 4 clicks lets me boot how I want and the same clicks and keystrokes to get back. Might be my only option for this machine.


http://carltonbale.com/how-to-break-the-2tb-2-terabyte-file-system-limit/

http://blogs.technet.com/b/askcore/...anding-the-2-tb-limit-in-windows-storage.aspx

 

I asked the MiniTool authors about the mbr to gpt conversion for a disk with the Windows OS already installed. It can't be done.

I've already imaged the hard drive I want to convert from mbr to gpt but, if I blank the disk, convert it to gpt and restore the image to that converted disk, it still might not boot to it. Mbr and gpt use different ways of booting.

It's not my main drive (fortunately). If the gpt conversion fails, I can still boot to my main mbr disk. I can then convert the gpt disk back to mbr and restore everything with the image (whew!).

 

I'm curious if the image can be restored that way. I don't think from what I've read tho that the bios will boot it but that it can be read as a data drive. Another thought is - if the restored image is good then could that image be used to boot a failed gpt machine? I do have spare mbr disk and while this is fresh on mind I might try the opposite of what you're thinking and see if this can be restore to a mbr disk. Crossed fingers and curious!

 

Found similar on tom'shardware.

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2398120/restoring-mbr-windows-backup-image-gpt-partition.html

 

According to what I've read from Earthling in this thread and elsewhere, UEFI computers will boot to mbr disks. Earthling's doing just that.

I think the distinction on how Earthling's computer was configured UEFI/MBR (he believes it WAS configured this way when he got it) is in whether it's a 32-bit computer or a 64-bit computer. A 32-bit computer won't support the 128 partitions you can have on a gpt disk — only 4 partitions max.

 

Fascinating stuff guys but, unusually for me I'm not tempted to try it - converting MBR to GPT that is. Right now my two key systems, my UEFI PC and my UEFI laptop, are both running faultlessly with MBR and can boot into whatever I want - other OS or any of several bootable ISOs, and I ain't gonna wreck the situation just to satisfy my curiosity. But the wife does have an unused laptop same model as mine - I wonder if she'd notice

 

Did the mbr to gpt conversion on my secondary drive with MiniTool last night. MiniTool converted the disk BUT, when the operation completed, there was a partition created that had the label "Other" and the description "GPT Re…" (Reserved?, Recovery?) and I immediately knew I couldn't restore from my image. So, I converted it back to mbr last night and restored the image this morning — it's working fine.

Curiously though, the Recovery partition that was previously invisible in File Explorer (but showed in Disk Management) now shows up as an accessible fixed drive (partition) in File Explorer.

 

So I imaged the 8.1 to a Toshiba 500 external and made a recovery boot thumb drive. Tomorrow I'll copy everything off my spare drive to the main. It's just data - no system on it now. Then my plan is to remove my main drive replaced with the empty drive and try the restore. It is a 450-500 mbr similar in size to what I'm using now. This way I won't be taking a chance on hosing my only 8.1. Have no install disk for worst case casuality. Used Windows image disk utility from the file history options page. Also made the boot thumb drive from there, so everything is on Windows to work. I want to see if a gpt disk image will work on mbr.else to do this mbr thing I would need a 8.1 install disk. I would just a soon buy a '7 disk.

One thing I found out the usb recovery by itself is only 243mb. It gives the same menu and tools as if you had check advanced reboot. Recovery refresh troubleshoot advanced opts command prompt all in 243mb. And it does boot in secure mode (usb is first in boot menu in bios(or uefi) or whatever it is.)

Also neat is you can select to add your recovery partition to the thumbdrive if it can hold at least 16gb. An excellent easy tool for everybody in case of a dead drive and no access to the recovery partition. I'm going to get an extra thumb and make one myself.

@Earthling- I believe any unused gear is made to be played with.

 

Well tried to image back to the mbr disk and no luck. Restore found the image fine. Found the mbr disk fine. But as soon as the re-image started it stopped. Tried several times and ways. Same results. Did notice a pop up box that said something like 'retore will re-create the image in the same style and scheme as the original' or something close. I did leave a restore partition on the mbr that is for the vista box it originally came in. Still have that box. Didn't figure a partition would stop the restore -unless- the re-image was trying to convert to gpt. May copy that partition off to a local drive and try again just for final proof.

What I did achieve?

A fresh image of the 8.1
A good secure boot thumb drive for troubleshooting
A good copy of the 8.1 recovery on a 32g thumbdrive with secure boot tools also
A very clean mbr disk formatted ntfs in the x:windows\system32 format options

Also learned my '7 is EFI (not UEFI). It has no secure boot method and has a MBR disk.

 

I'd be interested to hear whether the 8.1 image of your GPT disk will restore if you first remove that recovery partition, i.e. can you restore a system image of a GPT disk to an MBR disk and will it be bootable. I think not. Wish I had a spare machine and a spare week!

 

Hey guys, HERE is an interesting article on conversion both ways without data loss. I've just remembered I have a displaced HDD from when I converted this laptop from HDD to SSD and I could put this in my wife's unused laptop temporarily to check this out. Just need that spare week now, but as we're very soon to depart on our winter holiday in the sun it will have to stay on hold for the present.

 

Hey Earthling, saw your post earlier but was d/l'n and converting videos with Freemake and this wireless has limited bandwidth. Yeah the next step for me is deleting the partition and see what I come up with. Have the drive cage and cables sitting on another box here besides my speaker by the desk waiting probably for next week-end. If there's a way to convert and save or restore data I'm still looking. The link you gave seems familiar. I think the author has other discussions either earlier or later on same subject. I'll post more after concrete steps have been tried.

Y'all have fun in the sun! We have sun here but it IS cold and this is FLORIDA! What gives?

 

Cold!? You mean it's only 20C? It's been 1C here today with light snow. Not good.

 

Ha, my friend in Iowa informed me that at 10:30am Sunday it was -11° F which converts to about -24°C!!! Now that is cold.
I'm glad I'm not in Iowa.