What Easybcd has to do with the unix fanboysm Easybcd is a WINDOWS tool aimed to simplify the things for the people who don't want to mess with the obscure syntax of the stock command line options.
I have just started this. Using Disk Management I made a 160 gig HDD into 3 partitions 100,40,20. Install Win 10. Chose Custom install. I deleted the 100 gig and made a new one and seeing I am not on uefi board for this it only made 2 new partitions. 500 mb for the system and roughly 90 odd where Win 10 will live. Already made a Ubuntu USB using Linux USB Creator for Windows. ( untested as yet ) Win 10 installing
Since I am not allowed to use links in the post's I had send you PM with the tool which worked as bootable linux usb.
Not having much luck. Got Win 10 in. Got Ubuntu 15.04 in. Cant get to choose ? It seems to start in which OS it wants to ? This maybe the PC I am testing on. An old LGA 775 Abit IP35 Pro XE. I may test things out on my Sabertooth Z77 uefi.
Please start from the beginning. What starts with no action? If it's W10, use easybcd and add linux to your (windows) bootloader. If it's grub (ubuntu's bootloader) just add windows to it or use fdisk to make the windows partition active, then go back to the previous line. It's easier on BIOS machines.
Right cheers for that reply.. It seemed to be either or at first. But then I held down SHIFT at boot and did some sort of grub repair. ( sorry new to Linux ) Now I have rebooted a couple of times and the Grub menu comes up. This allows me to leave it and Ubuntu will boot or arrow down to the last entry which says summet like Windows boot loader ( or similar ) and Win 10 boots. To me this seems sort of what should be happening. But.... In the opposite order I expected. Thought Win 10 would be default. Yep I did suggest EasyBCD to the OP but I think he did not want any third part app.. Gunna do some more rebooting
I think he has no clue about what easybcd is. It's just a GUI for the windows command line utilities which are definitely obscure especially for a newbie. Although it comes with an installer it's just a self contained utility that doesn't touch anything on the system other than the bootloader configuration files.
Can I have a bit more detail please. Exactly how to put the Linux boot loader on its own partition. Then how to add it to the Windows Bootloader manually.. New to Linux. getting there I recon....
The reserved partition on BIOS machines is more an annoyance than an help for 98% of the users, who never take an advantage from it, basically it's needded to boot the encrypted disks. On the other hand it means some wasted space, one primary partition available, and more confusion about the partitions numbering.
The best way is to choose the advanced options during the linux installation. Assuming you have a single disk the default option is to install grub on the MBR, sda according to the linux nomenclature. There you can choose to install in the linux partition (if a single partition was chosen) or in the boot partition if that partition is present. So sda2, sda3, sda5...depending on your partition layout Doing the above, after the linux installation the PC will reboot on Windows, just use easybcd, add linux and choose a name for it and the right partition. BTW you can find a lot of guides about that argument with a bit of googling.
Chees for that. Think I get it. As for EasyBCD. The OP is stipulating no third party aps. ??????? Funy how we don't see the OP messing and giving any test results though...
Been messing with Linux & Windows for the past couple of days. ( not solid like, only a couple of hours in total ) I have been reading up on bcdedit within Windows. With a couple of scripts it looks like the Linux boot can be added to the Windows MBR. Not got that far with my testing yet though. I can easily get Windows in. I can easily get Linux in. But it is as my pic shows. The Linux Grub2 is the default boot where you choose the OS. What I am having a bit of bother with is setting up Linux boot to it's own partition. Not sure but I am thinking it might be the size of the drive I left over for Linux. And I think it may be too small. When I choose "something else" I see my " free scpace" wher I can create new partitions. I have read its best to have :- / = 10 gig Swap = at least RAM size / home = rest of partition Also i have been trying to set up /boot Because I recon this would be where Linux boot file would live after the install is complete. Saying that though I have not found definate proof if this is what actually happens. The problem I keep getting is once I make the swap partition i just get the remaining partition is "unuseable" I am starting with. 160 gig HDD and so far I have alloted 100 gig to Windows. This morning I am gunna have time to mess again and I think I will test out a couple of things. Not exactly what the OP wants but may help me understand things. Will have my Win 10 and Linux on two sererate drives, both 160 gig. Then i will try to make my above partition table in Linux but using the full amount of 160 gig. I think this should be more than enough to allow me to do this. If by doing this I keep getting the "unusable" I know i am doing something wrong. This is my thinking with bcdedit Please comment on what you guys think to this. Virgin territory to me. If Linux is on D drive If the linux boot is on its own partition. Within Windows using bcdedit I can tell bcdedit to find the Linux boot record. Add it to Windows. Then Windows or Linux can be set to the default boot device. " bcdedit / displayorder "id" first ( i realise that bit of script is not quite right. After ID I could not remember what to put, was just working from memory at what I have read so far.) Seemed to have gone on a bit. Hope it helps out. Still work to be done.
In response to my own question and thoughts about the partition size I allotted for Linux and it giving me "unusable" error. On a clean 160 gig HDD set to GPT I have managed to get this partition table Linux is installing as I type. I have a question ( Will try to find answer ) How can I tell if the Linux boot is actually on the /boot partition terminology ? is the Linux boot Grub2 ? Is Grub2 the equivalent to MBR ?