On 14/02/13 19:29, Dave Morley wrote:
On 14/02/13 19:24, Rowan Berkeley wrote:
On 14/02/13 18:28, Dave Morley wrote:
On 14/02/13 18:12, Rowan Berkeley wrote:
An Internet friend of mine (in Denmark, so beyond my physical
reach) just bought a brand new machine with Windows 8 on it
and tried to install Ubuntu direct from the website, despite
my detailed explanations and warnings about this. She now has
no Windows 8 and no Ubuntu, just a GRUB screen telling her
that Ubuntu can't boot because "Secure Boot" in the UEFI won't
let it. It would be interesting to know whether the
installation direct from the website would have worked if she
had switched off "Secure Boot" first, as I told her she had to
do. The apparent consensus is that it wouldn't: that only the
USB stick method will work. There's no way into the UEFI from
where she is, is there? Before anyone says, "Can't she get into
it by pressing F2 during start-up?", the answer is no:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-access-the-bios-on-a-windows-8-computer/
Did she install 32bit or 64bit Ubuntu? Secure boot is only available
on 64bit. 64bit quantal + at that,
I understand what you're saying; Only 64-bit Quantal has the
license key built into it which will cause UEFI to allow the Ubuntu
package to install itself. I don't have this girl online. I dare
say she will respond to my suggestions and enquiries in a day or
two. I know she confirmed that the machine she was buying had a
64-bit architecture, because up to that point she was following my
instructions. I think that she attempted to install 64-bit Quantal
direct from the Ubuntu website, but failed to switch off "Secure
Boot" in UEFI beforehand, which should have been done from inside
Windows 8, this being the way Microsoft (damn them) have built it.
Thus, the installation proceeded correctly, the license key having
served its function of getting UEFI to allow the installation to
occur. She chose the option of replacing Windows rather than the
option of dual boot (another indication of how foolhardy she is,
bless her). Thus, Ubuntu Quantal is in fact installed on the
machine. But the UEFI boot architecture does not contain the
traditional point of access by pressing F2 during start-up, so
there is no way for her now to access it and switch off "Secure
Boot". So the Ubuntu Quantal can't boot, and she's stuck with a
GRUB screen telling her so.
No, you can access the UEFI, it just might not be F2. You can turn off
secure boot from the UEFI. But my point is you don't need too, with
Quantal 64bit it is signed so it can install on a machine that has
UEFI and Secureboot in place. By the way, it still normally is F2.
Well, in her case it has got stuck in the way I have described. I've
sent her an email to try and get her back in contact. Until I can relay
your suggestions to her and get her responses, there isn't much more I
can say.
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