Laptop dualboot
 

Hi,

when I want a laptop to be dualboot, with "secureboot" and it is an empty one with freedos.
Can I install Kubuntu first and then Win10 that I need to support customers?

Any one that has some experience in this field?

Regards,
Jan

If you install Kubuntu first then will have to go through extra steps to be able to boot Kubuntu after installing Windows. Would be better to install Windows first

If it is an EFI computer, you should be able to do it but you will have to set the boot priority with efibootmgr from Kubuntu as the default will probably boot windows. If you have EFI machines to work with, doing some research on it would be a good idea. If it is not an EFI but Legacy, much better to install windows first.

You can install linux on an external storage device, even on another machine. Then boot it by changing the boot priority in the bios. Fedora and Ubuntu are signed with m$ keys so odds are good that they play well with UEFI systems with secure boot enabled. Otherwise you might need to manually add the keys to the vfat partition. Or some such, I've never really set that up myself and probably handled by the installer if you install it on the system in question. Not all distros are UEFI ready, or do it out of the box / by default. So choose your poison carefully.

Thanks for the reaktions,

I have been searching what this laptop has for a kind of Bios/Efi/Uefi, cannot find it, not even on HP's own website.
So I will ask the dealer before I order.

I tried using Win with virtualbox but it is not that good, specifically after some updates where the networking
of the virtual machine is broken.

For "real" work I need my Linux, only for support I need Win10 once in a while. My wife uses a Win8.1 machine and is
asking to change to Linux due to the win-updates that do break installations too often.

Regards,
Jan

You should be able to determine if the HP laptop is EFI compatible simply by accessing the BIOS and going to System Configuration there and looking for that option.

;-) I know that, I have not yet bought the notebook.
Just sent a mail to the dealer with the questions.
As most of us here, I am not a "standard" user, so I have to list what I really need and
how I manage my own workflow so that the "use of / investment in" a notebook makes sense.

It does not cost much but as I will not use it intensively it must "fit in" and
hold for 5 years at minimum.

Regards,
JAn

I tend to rate laptops as 3 year devices. Beyond that and they're not much for laptop as the battery has died and the fan(s) died years ago.

3 years! I guess i am getting old.
The last one I had did it's job for over 10 years.

In my very limited experience, Consumer HPs manufactured in the last 4 years...DON'T play well with Linux, no matter what the BIOS choices supposedly are. I have had best luck with Acer and Lenovo, oddly enough. Supposedly Dell is a good choice too.

Thanks for the reply azrielle,

this wonders me because in linux-printing with hplip, HP is supporting Linux very good.

Anyone else have the same experiences?

Regards,
Jan

HP Printers have no relationship to HP COMPUTERS besides the Brand. They're neither designed nor manufactured by the same division. Moreover, I specified Consumer HP laptops. Those designed to be sold to BUSINESS or PROFESSIONAL markets, likely ARE Linux friendly.

Hi,

I can read azrielle and I know a printer is not a notebook.

I just spoke with a HP technician and as he runs a dualboot with linux himself
he explained that it is not a problem, as long as I disable secureboot or UEFI
all together.
HP as a company does not support it however.

Regard,
Jan

HP laptops work well IMO. IF IF IF IF IF. You'll likely need dongle options for networking, baring non-distro supplied networking drivers. But that's kind of the case with MOST laptops IMO. I have an old dell 1150 that requires special steps for the wireless to work. But it does work under linux. For my current HP laptops, I need special first steps too. But they do work with linux. But most computers that weren't linux first platforms will need such steps IMO. Even the raspberry pi is a bit of an effort if you want to run distro(s) that don't have device specific images for it. YMMV.

Thanks Shadow 7,

I am prepared to do some "frickling".
If the network-cable connection will work, that is fine.
I have build more systems from scratch and installed windows or linux on them,
mostly without problems.

Regards,
Jan