Installing Ubuntu 12.10 with Secure Boot
 

I recently purchased the DVD for Ubuntu 12.10 that would overcome Secure Boot and allow me to install it as dual boot with Windows 8. All went well, up to the point were the DVD was ejected, during the first part of the procedure. Unfortunately, just at this point there was a power cut, which screwed up the next part of the installation. After power was restored, I tried to start again. I was presented with a boot screen asking me to choose Ubuntu, or Windows 8. Bearing in mind that Ubuntu had not been installed at that point - I selected Ubuntu anyway, expecting to be asked to insert the DVD to continue the installation. This did not happen, all I got was a message to tell me that Windows 8 could not boot as a file was missing. This happens every time, except if i choose to boot Windows 8, it boots okay. The power cut has obviously screwed up the installation procedure. Has anyone any suggestions please? Can I somehow remove this dual boot page, and start clean again, or is there another way?

Have you tried booting the DVD again and just starting over?

Ubuntu DVD with Secure Boot
 

Yes, of course. This was the first thing I did, but now I cannot get the computer to boot from the DVD. It must have done it the first time to create the dual-boot option page, but since the installation was interrupted by the power cut, I can no longer get the computer to boot from the DVD. This is why I felt that if I could remove the dual boot option, and start clean, it would install Ubuntu as it was meant to. Where on the computer is the dual boot option installed, and how do I get to it to delete it please, or is there another option?

I can't directly help, due to a lack of experience, especially with UEFI bios. Following is a link to background documentation from Ubuntu: UEFI

Your post is unclear in terms of whether you were able to enter the computer's BIOS so that you could select the option to boot from the optical drive. I would assume that if booting from the optical drive was disabled by the UEFI BIOS that you would have gotten some-sort of error message. If you can enter the computer's BIOS to select the optical drive as the boot source; Ubuntu (after it loads) will give you an option to install. You should be able to pick-it-up from there.

If the above does not work, there is a text file Grub that sets the computer's boot options. Since I am not familiar with Grub, I would suggest researching using the text strings "Grub UEFI BIOS".

Yes, thanks for that. I tried every setting possible with Bios. Setting the internal DVD drive as 1st priority made no difference at all. I'm on the point of giving up and chucking it in the bin. I don't like being dictated to by Microsoft, as to what operating system I should use, and I'm only prepared to go so far. The lesson is, don't buy anything that is secure boot. I played around with the Bios so much that I couldn't get it to do anything at all apart from giving me error messages. Imagine what it would be like if you wanted to change a radio in the car, and all you could get was the local radio station, no matter what it was tuned to! That's how I feel!
If I haven't solve it today, it will be on its way to the dump tomorrow. £350 up the shute and an expensive lesson learnt.

Here in the US, with DRM based on the concept of so-called "intellectual property", we are headed down that path. Microsoft seems to be trying to lock Linux out of the PC market by "forcing" the release of a product that could almost be referenced as DRM since it has apparently been designed not to accept Linux.

ZDNet article: Linux Foundation UEFI Secure Boot key for Windows 8 PCs delays explained. Here is another article briefly reviewing how to get around the secure boot issue. Linux and Windows 8 UEFI secure boot issues. Based on these articles, UEFI should never have been released by whoever is developing it until it would work with other operating systems. Have you tried to contact the manufacturer of the motherboard? Good Luck.

PS: The the US is pushing other countries to adopt these onerous measures. 2012 in Review: Digital Rights Activism Around the World

I'd' think that the system is damaged. I don't believe a good working system can't boot to a dvd that has worked before. You may be missing some press any key to boot message or something like that.

Booting with Secure Boot
 

Yes, I agree with that. It's often a simple thing that gets forgotten. Well, I still have the computer, as I have at last, managed to get it to boot up Windows 8 again, but I still get an options screen to boot either Windows 8 or Ubuntu, but when I choose Ubuntu, I get the message "Windows cannot start due to a file missing", even though I select the option to boot Ubuntu, and have the Ubuntu DVD installer disk in the drive. The options page must have been created when I first ran the disk, and the power cut screwed it up. I need someone to tell me how I can navigate to this boot page, and how I can delete it. Isn't the Bios info stored in Rom chips on the mother board? It's not something I have had to deal with at this level before. (There is no option to change the boot order of the DVD drive, as it is not displayed in the list of options. It's as if it isn't installed.

Have you tried pulling out the hard disk, sticking it into a new machine, and wiping it completely? Unless I'm mistaken, it sounds like the BIOS might be finding what it thinks is a boot record which it subsequently tries to boot but cannot on account of some incompleteness or data corruption.

Ubuntu DVD with Secure Boot
 

Well Thanks for that. It's something I considered before killing myself! Seriously, I have now resolved it more by luck than anything else. I managed to disable 'Secure Boot' with the option provided in the boot up sequence. This however, did not solve the problem, but allowed the boot up sequence to start, and then freeze, which was better than having no response at all. Another option was to select 'OEM'as the first startup. This solved the problem, but I'm not saying this would be the correct thing to do in every case. I was able to created an 'OEM' boot, which after completing all the details required as an OEM, ejected the installation disk, allowing me to re-insert the disk and boot as a first time user. I filled in all the details, and those details were accepted, and I can now boot normally without the use of the installation disk. There is still a problem which I shall eventually solve, and that is that it will not allow me to install Linux Mint, which I was keen to install. Still, I've nearly resolved one problem, I'm sure I can solve this one as well! For the record, the computer is an HP PAV16-2375E. We're not finished yet Microsoft!