[PLUG] Dual boot Windoze 8.1, Linux Mint 17.1 64 bit

[Ken Stephens]

Brian Martin wrote:
> On 05/15/2015 02:03 PM, Wayne E. Van Loon Sr. wrote:
>
>> The situation is that my brother bought a new laptop with Windows 8.1.
>> He used to have a laptop (that was stolen a few days ago) that I had set
>> up dual boot for him. That machine was a legacy (non EUFI) machine. I
>> have tried several times and different combinations with this new
>> machine, EUFI enabled and then disabled, using some directions I googled
>> up. Each time after an install, the machine boots right into Windows
>> with no option to select another OS.
>>
>> I was hoping someone with this experience and knowledge would be at the
>> clinic this Sunday.
>
> This is a non-trivial exercise, though certainly do-able.  I've done it
> numerous times.
>
> First you'll have to figure out how to boot from another source, usually
> through a F12/F11/Fsomething-else key, or by changing the BIOS to boot
> preferentially off of a DVD or similar storage.
>
> Once you've mastered that, I recommend booting a Linux rescue system of
> some sort and taking an image of the existing drive, in case you trash
> your current one.
>
> Then assuming they've allocated all the disk space for the Windows
> system, you'll need to make some disk space by reducing the size of the
> existing partitions.
>
> Now you'll be able to go through a normal Linux installation into the
> available space.  At that point it should install its own boot loader
> which, in my experience, will also detect the Windows partition and add
> a menu entry for it.  Then some clean-up (put the BIOS back if you
> changed it, set your default boot to Windows if that's your brother's
> preference, etc.) and you're pretty much done.
>
> That's the general approach I use.  Others may use a different approach.
>    I think tapping the Linux Clinic folks for the finer detail is a great
> idea.  Good luck.
>
>    
Wayne,

I would take a different approach.  I would load the system with the
Linux distribution of your choice and use the Virtual Machine Manager,
powered by libvirt and load your windows into that.  That way when
it blue screens you still have a system that is up.

Ken Stephens
CAD 2 CAM