Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
On 26/09/2015 16:40, Pascal Hambourg wrote: Does "lspci -nnk" show any SATA/IDE/AHCI/RAID controller and associated kernel module ? I think so. The machine is not networked, but redirecting the output to /home lets me view the file, and I see: SD host controller Intel .. MIPI-HSI controller [8086:0f50] Subsystem HP company device [103c:8023] Kernel driver: sdhci-pci Encryption controller Intel .. SEC [8086:0f18] Subsystem HP company device [103c:8023] no kernel driver (my entry, there is no line here describing kernel driver) Last three HW subsystems also do not have a driver: ISA bridge Power Control Unit SMBus Controller Broadcom BCM43142 wifi Looking back at the encryption hardware, are the Windows 8.1 SDDs encrypted? Or is that HW used only for video DRM etc? regards, Ron
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
On 2015-09-26 at 12:42, Ron Leach wrote: > On 26/09/2015 16:40, Pascal Hambourg wrote: > >> Does "lspci -nnk" show any SATA/IDE/AHCI/RAID controller and associated >> kernel module ? > > I think so. The machine is not networked, but redirecting the output > to /home lets me view the file, and I see: > > SD host controller Intel .. MIPI-HSI controller [8086:0f50] > Subsystem HP company device [103c:8023] > Kernel driver: sdhci-pci This is not a SATA/etc. controller; it appears to be an SD-card controller. > Encryption controller Intel .. SEC [8086:0f18] > Subsystem HP company device [103c:8023] >no kernel driver > (my entry, there is no line here describing kernel driver) This is also not a SATA controller; it appears to be a TPM or similar. On my system, 'lspci -nnk | grep -A 2 SATA' reports: 00:1f.2 SATA controller [0106]: Intel Corporation 82801JI (ICH10 Family) SATA AHCI Controller [8086:3a22] Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. P5Q Deluxe Motherboard [1043:82d4] Kernel driver in use: ahci -- 01:00.0 SATA controller [0106]: Marvell Technology Group Ltd. 88SE9123 PCIe SATA 6.0 Gb/s controller [1b4b:9123] (rev 11) Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Device [1043:8438] Kernel driver in use: ahci -- 07:00.0 SATA controller [0106]: JMicron Technology Corp. JMB362 SATA Controller [197b:2362] (rev 10) Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. P8P67 Deluxe Motherboard [1043:8460] Kernel driver in use: ahci I.e., the SATA controllers are identified with the label "SATA controller". I suspect that this will be true on most systems. > Looking back at the encryption hardware, are the Windows 8.1 SDDs > encrypted? Or is that HW used only for video DRM etc? At a glance based on descriptions so far, it looks as if the UEFI is not passing the existence of the hard drives on to the OS, for whatever reason. Could you provide the full 'lspci -nnk' output, just in case there's a detail that's not being noticed as relevant? -- The Wanderer The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. -- George Bernard Shaw signature.asc Description: OpenPGP digital signature
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
On 26/09/2015 17:58, The Wanderer wrote: On 2015-09-26 at 12:42, Ron Leach wrote: I see: SD host controller Intel .. MIPI-HSI controller [8086:0f50] Subsystem HP company device [103c:8023] Kernel driver: sdhci-pci This is not a SATA/etc. controller; it appears to be an SD-card controller. Very possibly; the machine has a separate SD card slot. The HD is solid state, I think it's referred to as an SSD. I've loaded the basic (non graphical) Jessie 8.2 Live CDimage on a USB stick. Sadly, this doesn't contain mc, so using the basic command line in /dev I do see a number of (possibly) relevant entries: mmcblk0 ; note the 0, there is no entry without a digit mmcblk0boot0 mmcblk0boot1 mmcblk0p1 mmcblk0p2 mmcblk0p3 mmcblk0p4 as well as sda sda1 ; being the Live USB image The 'boot' part of the name mmcblk0 makes me wonder if this is a device that Debian names 'mmcblk0'. Is this a clue? At a glance based on descriptions so far, it looks as if the UEFI is not passing the existence of the hard drives on to the OS, for whatever reason. Could you provide the full 'lspci -nnk' output, just in case there's a detail that's not being noticed as relevant? I'll have a try at doing this. The m/c isn't networked, but I'll put an SD card in and see if I can copy the full output onto that, and then post it. regards, Ron
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
On 22/09/2015 02:30, David Christensen wrote: On 09/19/2015 05:17 AM, Eike Lantzsch wrote: First of all I'd do a complete disk image +1 Do this before you boot Windows for the first time. with e.g. Clonezilla. I typically use 'dd' and/or 'gzip', as they are included in the rescue tools on Debian installation media. I'm part way there. I can boot into a live Debian, but Debian doesn't see the SDD HD; the only (meaningful?) entry in /dev is +sda (my boot USB / live Debian stick), followed by -sg0. Parted 'Print Devices' only lists '/dev/sda'. dmesg does not record any other device. Here's what I did: I took this advice to use dd from Debian media and used a Wheezy rescue 'live CD' iso - because we have one already and didn't need to download anything; I'd checked beforehand that the rescue image included dd. Because the machine [1] only has 2 USB ports, and my USB DVD r/w unit uses both sockets, I needed to use an image on a USB stick. Following the Clonezilla instructions http://clonezilla.org/liveusb.php to create a boootable USB looked a bit involved, compared to the Debian advice of 'just use DD to copy the .iso to the stick', so I put the Wheezy rescue image on a stick, instead of using Clonezilla. This machine requires 'ESC' to switch into a 'start up' menu, in which F10 will enter BIOS setup. First I looked at the keyboard to make sure where ESC, and F10 were (they're hard to see because most of the Fn keytops are taken with symbols). Then I plugged in the power lead. waiting to pounce in case the machine started; it didn't. After a minute or two to let the battery charging sequence settle down, I pressed PowerOn, and hit the ESC key several times, got the startup menu, and F10 put me in the BIOS setup. I've prepared the BIOS on this machine to: - not boot without a password - use an administrator password as well (in case some BIOS features are hidden from basic users) - switch off secure boot (advice from a earlier poster on this thread) - also enable legacy boot (this machine allows both UEFI and legacy boot to exist, *but* it uses UEFI first, so not sure how the system could ever boot from a legacy device since the SDD HD will always be found first); somebody did say not to do this - set the boot order in both UEFI & legacy to be USB CD, USB HD, inbuilt SDD, in that order Saving these settings surprised the machine because, on restart, it said that secure boot was off, and did I *really* want to do that (yes, please) and, if so, enter a code from the screen. Then it rebooted and loaded the Wheezy rescue live CD, straightaway. With the rescue system you get a shell and I sudo'd into mc to look around at /dev, and the dmesg log, to see which device was the SDD HD so that I could set dd's of= parameter correctly. That was how I realised that Debian hadn't seen the SDD HD, and I double checked with parted. The SDD uses a gpt partition, of course, and I would have preferred to use gdisk to look around but gdisk isn't on that live CD. I haven't started windows yet, and I still intend to use dd to image the 32GB SDD HD before I do run windows. Any ideas why Wheezy might not be seeing the SDD? There is - apparently - some problem with the recovery partition on the SDD likely being a format that kernels before 3.16 (?) cannot recognise. But I wouldn't have thought that would also mean that Debian doesn't, even, see the device. (Unless, maybe, there's some kind of protocol between the software and the drive logic that needs to be followed, which the wheezy kernel doesn't have.) Thanks to the several people who contributed thoughts to this issue, I'm halfway there. I'm also trying to download the smallest Jessie live CD, but it'll take a while. In the meantime, I'll look out for any other suggestions, regards, Ron [1] HP Stream 11 Notebook PC http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/default.aspx?cc=ie=en=8245635
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
Ron Leach a écrit : > > I'm part way there. I can boot into a live Debian, but Debian doesn't > see the SDD HD; the only (meaningful?) entry in /dev is +sda (my boot > USB / live Debian stick), followed by -sg0. Parted 'Print Devices' > only lists '/dev/sda'. dmesg does not record any other device. Does "lspci -nnk" show any SATA/IDE/AHCI/RAID controller and associated kernel module ?
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
Ron Leach a écrit : > On 26/09/2015 16:40, Pascal Hambourg wrote: >> Does "lspci -nnk" show any SATA/IDE/AHCI/RAID controller and associated >> kernel module ? > > I think so. The machine is not networked, but redirecting the output > to /home lets me view the file, and I see: > > SD host controller Intel .. MIPI-HSI controller [8086:0f50] > Subsystem HP company device [103c:8023] > Kernel driver: sdhci-pci This rather looks like a Secure Digital controller (for SD card reader). > Encryption controller Intel .. SEC [8086:0f18] > Subsystem HP company device [103c:8023] >no kernel driver > (my entry, there is no line here describing kernel driver) > > Last three HW subsystems also do not have a driver: > ISA bridge Power Control Unit > SMBus Controller > Broadcom BCM43142 wifi AFAICS, nothing to do with a disk controller either. Can you post the complete output ? If you boot Windows, open the device manager and select "display by connection" (or so), can you see the device chain up to the disk ?
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
On 26/09/2015 17:53, Pascal Hambourg wrote: If you boot Windows, open the device manager and select "display by connection" (or so), can you see the device chain up to the disk ? Hehe. Pascal, this is before Windows has ever run; my objective is to image the SDD HD *before* I run Windows for the very first time, stabilise it, shrink it, and install Debian. I'm at stage 1; getting a Debian running with which I can dd the SDD HD to a fresh, large, USB stick. I've got Debian, and dd, but I don't seem to have an SSD HD right now. :) I'm going to try to post the lspci output in full, anyway, as soon as I can get it off the (non-networked) machine. Ron
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
Ron Leach a écrit : > > I've loaded the basic (non graphical) Jessie 8.2 Live CDimage on a USB > stick. > > Sadly, this doesn't contain mc, so using the basic command line in > /dev I do see a number of (possibly) relevant entries: > > mmcblk0 ; note the 0, there is no entry without a digit > mmcblk0boot0 > mmcblk0boot1 > mmcblk0p1 > mmcblk0p2 > mmcblk0p3 > mmcblk0p4 > > The 'boot' part of the name mmcblk0 makes me wonder if this is a > device that Debian names 'mmcblk0'. Is this a clue? mmcblkN is the device name of MMC/SD cards, so the SDD could be viewed as this type of device. You can check in /proc/partitions if the device size matches the size of the SSD.
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
On 26/09/2015 17:53, Pascal Hambourg wrote: Ron Leach a écrit : On 26/09/2015 16:40, Pascal Hambourg wrote: Does "lspci -nnk" show any SATA/IDE/AHCI/RAID controller and associated kernel module ? I think so. The machine is not networked, but redirecting the output to /home lets me view the file, and I see: SD host controller Intel .. MIPI-HSI controller [8086:0f50] Subsystem HP company device [103c:8023] Kernel driver: sdhci-pci This rather looks like a Secure Digital controller (for SD card reader). Pascal, I've found the SDD HD, using the Jessie Live CD image 'standard', i386 sudo fdisk -l gives: Disk /dev/mmcblk0: 29.1 GiB ... ... Disklabel type: gpt then lists 4 devices, with the names I posted earlier, in its 'devices' table. Fdisk also then reports 2 other 4MiB disks (not devices, so not in the partition table?), named mmcblk0boot1 mmcblk0boot0 I'm checking the sector counts to see if the basic disk /dev/mmcblk0 includes those 2 mmcblk0boot* disks. Ron
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
On 09/26/2015 08:03 AM, Ron Leach wrote: On 22/09/2015 02:30, David Christensen wrote: On 09/19/2015 05:17 AM, Eike Lantzsch wrote: First of all I'd do a complete disk image +1 Do this before you boot Windows for the first time. I typically use 'dd' and/or 'gzip', as they are included in the rescue tools on Debian installation media. I'm part way there. I can boot into a live Debian, but Debian doesn't see the SDD HD; the only (meaningful?) entry in /dev is +sda (my boot USB / live Debian stick), followed by -sg0. Parted 'Print Devices' only lists '/dev/sda'. dmesg does not record any other device. ... [1] HP Stream 11 Notebook PC http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/default.aspx?cc=ie=en=8245635 The computer specifications indicate: Storage 32 GB eMMC Here is information on eMMC devices: http://www.howtogeek.com/196541/emmc-vs.-ssd-not-all-solid-state-storage-is-equal/ http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/CS-034803.htm I assume that the eMMC device is soldered onto the motherboard. That precludes removing the device, put it into another computer, and having your way with it... So, you need to find a live CD/ USB stick that includes support for eMMC -- e.g. according to Intel, a Linux kernel with the mmc_block module. One trick I've found useful is to install Debian onto a USB flash drive instead of a HDD/ SSD/ SSHD. (I prefer SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 flash drives for their compact size, low cost, and decent speed.) This can be done on any computer with suitable BIOS, CD, DVD, and/or USB capabilities. I can then put the USB live drive into any machine that supports booting/ running from USB and get most of the functionality of a regular Debian system. David
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
On 09/19/2015 05:17 AM, Eike Lantzsch wrote: First of all I'd do a complete disk image +1 Do this before you boot Windows for the first time. with e.g. Clonezilla. Does Clonezilla have the ability to resize partitions on restore? I used Ghost 2003 on Windows machines back in the day, and that was a killer feature. I typically use 'dd' and/or 'gzip', as they are included in the rescue tools on Debian installation media. David
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
Andrew M.A. Cater a écrit : > On Sat, Sep 19, 2015 at 11:43:11AM +0100, Ron Leach wrote: > >> 4. Then I'd like to install Debian. I'd prefer to install Debian Wheezy >> because we have a very slow internet service and already have the install >> DVDs for D7.8. Is Wheezy 7.8 installable on UEFI, or should I use the >> legacy boot system in the BIOS? > > No, don't install Wheezy at all if: Jessie works from the outset with UEFI. Wheezy works with UEFI too. I'm currently using this combination. Howerer I observed diplay problems in the installer with some platforms. > If you boot from Debian install media you can use the partitioning tools in > the > installer to shrink an installed Windows partition. Put the empty space at > the end > of the disk. It may be safer to shrink a Windows partition from Windows disk management tool.
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
On Sun, Sep 20, 2015 at 10:45:07AM +0200, Pascal Hambourg wrote: > Andrew M.A. Cater a écrit : > > On Sat, Sep 19, 2015 at 11:43:11AM +0100, Ron Leach wrote: > > > >> 4. Then I'd like to install Debian. I'd prefer to install Debian Wheezy > >> because we have a very slow internet service and already have the install > >> DVDs for D7.8. Is Wheezy 7.8 installable on UEFI, or should I use the > >> legacy boot system in the BIOS? > > > > No, don't install Wheezy at all if: Jessie works from the outset with UEFI. > > Wheezy works with UEFI too. I'm currently using this combination. > Howerer I observed diplay problems in the installer with some platforms. > > > If you boot from Debian install media you can use the partitioning tools in > > the > > installer to shrink an installed Windows partition. Put the empty space at > > the end > > of the disk. > > It may be safer to shrink a Windows partition from Windows disk > management tool. Yes, but the original poster asked if there was anything he should do prior to booting into Windows for the first time. It is entirely possbile to have installed Debian before you boot into Windows - the crucial thing is not to move the first Windows partitions apart from resizing. When Windows first boots, it should deal with the issue of disk size correctly. For a potential Windows 8 -> 10 upgrade on that specification of machine: look carefully at Microsoft's advice including using USB sticks as extra storage temporarily If you dig back through Planet Debian, you'll find a post of mine about how to rescue the upgrade if it all goes wrong. If the machine only has 32G of SSD storage, then it's possibly too little disk space to dual boot well. Windows 10 will want approximately 20G to run. Although I referenced the http://wiki.debian.org/InstallingDebianOn/Acer/T100TA, it may also be best to look at the links for the Acer X205TA referenced in the early paragraphs there. I'm quite tempted to write up a detailed blog on how to get dual boot working with a preinstalled Windows installed using UEFI and the steps to install Debian in this situation All the very best, AndyC
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
On Sunday 20 September 2015 20:12:50 Andrew M.A. Cater wrote: > I'm quite tempted to write up a detailed blog on how to get dual boot > working with a preinstalled Windows installed using UEFI and the steps to > install Debian in this situation > > All the very best, That would be terrific. Very helpful. Lisi
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
Andrew M.A. Cater a écrit : > > Yes, but the original poster asked if there was anything he should do prior > to booting into > Windows for the first time. It is entirely possbile to have installed Debian > before you boot > into Windows Is there any benefit to do so instead of completing the Windows installation and then installing Debian ? I can't see any.
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
On Sat, Sep 19, 2015 at 11:43:11AM +0100, Ron Leach wrote: > List, good morning, I have purchased a Windows 8.1 (optional W10) notebook > and I wondered what, if anything, I ought to do *first* before letting > Windows start after first switch-on, and then also installing Debian to make > a dual boot system. I have installed Debian to dual boot on several Windows > laptops in the past but have never installed on UEFI, nor side by side with > W8.1 or W10. I do need to continue to be able to also boot to Windows for > work purposes. > Not a problem, probably. I have at least one machine here dual booting which has had 8.1 on, updated to 10 and dual booting with Debian on UEFI. > In the past I have partitioned a system with 3 sections: > - A windows OS and programs area > - A separate partition where I store all data files (documents, > spreadsheets, etc) which I could read from and write to, from Windows or > from Debian > - A Debian OS area (including /home, but happy to take advice on that) > 8.1 and 10 may already set up several Windows partitions. > Previous m/c preparation methods have been: > - Let Windows start, configure it as required, and compress its use of the > HD > - Create the shared files partition > - Create a blank partition for Debian > followed by a Debian install. > Suggestion is to leave Windows as is and just create a single partition to install Debian at the end of the disk. > The machine config is Celeron N2840, 32GB SSD, 2GB RAM, W8.1/W10, WiFi, USB > 2/3, SD card slot. Apparently (some web comment) the machine also has a > special partition where it keeps various codes and certificates, and only a > recent kernel (I think, > 3.16, does that seem likely?) can read past that, > on boot, without hanging. This sounds very like a Bay Trail machine: http://wiki.debian.org/InstallingDebianOn/Acer/T100TA may help here. You might need Debian multi-arch .iso to start with. > > The m/c has not yet been switched on. I would welcome advice about the > initial sequence of using this machine, to facilitate the subsequent > installation of Debian. Specific queries I have are: > > 1. On switch on, do I need to interrupt the boot? Eg should I leave UEFI on > or off, and ought I change any other BIOS things first? It might be handy > to change the boot sequence to default to USB first, I thought, in case > there's some reason to *not* start Windows immediately on first switch on. Switch off Secure Boot. You can leave UEFI on. > > 2. Some comments on the web suggest 'imaging' the system, next, in case of > needing to fallback to the original system - though I suspect that was where > users had decided to remove Windows entirely, not something I wish to do. > (And I'm not sure how, unless the machine would boot from a live DVD or > something which I suspect it won't unless the BIOS config is changed). > Clonezilla on a USB stick will work nicely. > 3. Because I'll be using Windows from time to time, I will want to have > created its 'recovery' files and I'm inclined to do that pretty much as soon > as Windows starts and settles down. After that I'll compress the space > Windows takes, and create my additional 'files' partition, using Windows, so > that Windows can see that partition without difficulty. Do that after installing Debian? Don't boot to Windows before installing Debian, potentially. > > The main Windows issue is whether Debian more happily co-exists with Windows > 8.1 or Windows 10, because (apparently) we will have a one-shot choice > between the two, on Windows' first start after switch on. > If Windows is installed first, then Debian, Debian should recognise that there is a Windows install and install grub-efi correctly. > 4. Then I'd like to install Debian. I'd prefer to install Debian Wheezy > because we have a very slow internet service and already have the install > DVDs for D7.8. Is Wheezy 7.8 installable on UEFI, or should I use the > legacy boot system in the BIOS? > No, don't install Wheezy at all if: Jessie works from the outset with UEFI. You may find that there is no legacy boot option in the BIOS if you are unlucky. > And that's really my main point of uncertainty, and why I haven't yet > switched the machine on. Do I need to do something, first, to ensure that I > will be able to install Wheezy and be able to dual boot, after having let > Windows start, and compressing the space it takes? > If you boot from Debian install media you can use the partitioning tools in the installer to shrink an installed Windows partition. Put the empty space at the end of the disk. > Apologies for the length of the post, but would be grateful for any advice, > > regards, Ron Hope this helps, AndyC
Re: Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
On Saturday 19 September 2015 11:43:11 Ron Leach wrote: > List, good morning, I have purchased a Windows 8.1 (optional W10) > notebook and I wondered what, if anything, I ought to do *first* > before letting Windows start after first switch-on, and then also > installing Debian to make a dual boot system. I have installed Debian > to dual boot on several Windows laptops in the past but have never > installed on UEFI, nor side by side with W8.1 or W10. I do need to > continue to be able to also boot to Windows for work purposes. First of all I'd do a complete disk image with e.g. Clonezilla. Just my 2 cents Best regards Eike -- Eike Lantzsch ZP6CGE It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's. It isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs. -- Oxford University Press, Edpress New
Boxed W8/W10 PC; must anything be done, first, to enable dual-bootable later?
List, good morning, I have purchased a Windows 8.1 (optional W10) notebook and I wondered what, if anything, I ought to do *first* before letting Windows start after first switch-on, and then also installing Debian to make a dual boot system. I have installed Debian to dual boot on several Windows laptops in the past but have never installed on UEFI, nor side by side with W8.1 or W10. I do need to continue to be able to also boot to Windows for work purposes. In the past I have partitioned a system with 3 sections: - A windows OS and programs area - A separate partition where I store all data files (documents, spreadsheets, etc) which I could read from and write to, from Windows or from Debian - A Debian OS area (including /home, but happy to take advice on that) Previous m/c preparation methods have been: - Let Windows start, configure it as required, and compress its use of the HD - Create the shared files partition - Create a blank partition for Debian followed by a Debian install. The machine config is Celeron N2840, 32GB SSD, 2GB RAM, W8.1/W10, WiFi, USB 2/3, SD card slot. Apparently (some web comment) the machine also has a special partition where it keeps various codes and certificates, and only a recent kernel (I think, > 3.16, does that seem likely?) can read past that, on boot, without hanging. The m/c has not yet been switched on. I would welcome advice about the initial sequence of using this machine, to facilitate the subsequent installation of Debian. Specific queries I have are: 1. On switch on, do I need to interrupt the boot? Eg should I leave UEFI on or off, and ought I change any other BIOS things first? It might be handy to change the boot sequence to default to USB first, I thought, in case there's some reason to *not* start Windows immediately on first switch on. 2. Some comments on the web suggest 'imaging' the system, next, in case of needing to fallback to the original system - though I suspect that was where users had decided to remove Windows entirely, not something I wish to do. (And I'm not sure how, unless the machine would boot from a live DVD or something which I suspect it won't unless the BIOS config is changed). 3. Because I'll be using Windows from time to time, I will want to have created its 'recovery' files and I'm inclined to do that pretty much as soon as Windows starts and settles down. After that I'll compress the space Windows takes, and create my additional 'files' partition, using Windows, so that Windows can see that partition without difficulty. The main Windows issue is whether Debian more happily co-exists with Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, because (apparently) we will have a one-shot choice between the two, on Windows' first start after switch on. 4. Then I'd like to install Debian. I'd prefer to install Debian Wheezy because we have a very slow internet service and already have the install DVDs for D7.8. Is Wheezy 7.8 installable on UEFI, or should I use the legacy boot system in the BIOS? And that's really my main point of uncertainty, and why I haven't yet switched the machine on. Do I need to do something, first, to ensure that I will be able to install Wheezy and be able to dual boot, after having let Windows start, and compressing the space it takes? Apologies for the length of the post, but would be grateful for any advice, regards, Ron