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.
It will be a refurbished unit. To simplify having any required servicing
done by the vendor, the installed Windows must remain.
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
