Especially newer laptops (2018+) have options to switch between RAID and AHCI boot mode.
If the laptop is running in RAID mode and Linux does not recognize its drives, it will have to be switched to AHCI. Unfortunately, this also means Windows
needs to be reconfigured, otherwise it won't boot anymore. Just google [windows 10 switch from raid to ahci](http://triplescomputers.com/blog/uncategorized/solution-switch-windows-10-from-raidide-to-ahci-operation/).
If the drive still is not visible, try to look for an entry called `Fastboot` and set it to off (or how Dell calls it, `Thorough`).
Disable fast boot in Windows 8/8.1/10
-------------------------------------
- Open the control panel (Win 10: the old-style control panel, not the
newish one) and select the power options
- Click on „Choose what the power buttons do“ on the left bar
- By acquiring admin rights click „Change settings that are currently
unavailable“
- scroll down and uncheck the box for fast startup
ThinkPad T.40 Serie BIOS Version
- BIOS version should be greater or equal to 1.14. 2.x to be sure not
to brick the system
How to detect 32bit EFI and how to deal with it
-----------------------------------------------
- No provided install image will boot
- Windows is installed in 32bit mode
- Some older Macbooks have this config
- To install a 64bit Linux (we never encountered a 32bit CPU with
that), manually replace the bootloader with a grub standalone and
- MUST do this before booting the Linux live system, otherwise
existing systems might be broken!
- In the BIOS, go to the boot options and set either BIOS (often
called legacy) XOR UEFI mode! **DO NOT USE HYBRID MODES.**
- If available (e.g. on Lenovo Workstation laptops), disable CSM when
using UEFI / enable it when using BIOS mode.
- Save, reboot and check if the existing OS starts
- If yes, you found the right mode
- If no, it’s the other mode, so switch it and don’t forget to
attempt to boot the existing OS again, this time it must work or
there’s a real problem.
Find out the partition table type: EFI or MBR?
----------------------------------------------
- MUST find this out before installing, can mess up the system
otherwise!
- Check for a partition labeled “EFI” and formatted as FAT32
(generally pretty small). Note that this partition might not be
visible from Windows.\
If there is such a partition, it’s EFI, else it’s an MBR table.
Remember that type!
- At the last step of installing, double-check that the installer
detected partition type correctly.
Turn off Bitlocker
------------------
On some laptops (including all Surface devices) BitLocker Drive Encryption is enabled by default. It needs to be disabled first.
**Do not change any BIOS/UEFI settings before disabling BitLocker!** You will have to provide the decryption key otherwise, which the user typically has no access to, which in turn makes the entire disk unreadable.
### Disabling BitLocker
To disable BitLocker, do the following:
* Launch a command prompt with administrator rights and use `manage-bde -off C:`, where `C:` is the drive you wish to decrypt.
* Use the command `manage-bde -status` to query the decryption progress.
* You will need to wait until decryption is complete, which can take up to an hour depending on the number of files on the drive.
After decryption, continue installing Linux as usual.
### Unlock BitLocker Encrypted Devices
If you change any UEFI settings on a BitLocker encrypted device (typically Surface devices), you will be prompted for the BitLocker key on next boot.
Since Surface devices come encrypted out of the box, the user does typically not have that key and Windows will refuse to boot. If this happens, resetting the UEFI settings to factory settings should fix the issue.
Alternatively, you can just enter the correct Bitlocker key. This works only if the user has a Microsoft account linked to the device. You can get the BitLocker key as follows:
* On another device, google for "BitLocker Recovery Key". You should find several Microsoft Support or FAQ pages on how to recover the key.
* Search for a link saying "To get your recovery key, go to BitLocker Recovery Keys" or similar. Go there.
* Ask the user to sign in using their Microsoft account. The website will then display their recovery key, which can be used to unlock the device.
* In `Virtual Memory` pick `Change` and unchange `Automatically manage `
`paging file size for all drives`
* Set `No paging file` on partition you want to remove it from
* Disable System Protection. Restart.
* [Win + R] -> `SystemPropertiesProtection.exe`
* Select partition to remove protection from and click `Configure`
*`Disable system protection` -> `Apply`
* If none of the above help, there are tools specifically made to move files around, such as EaseUS. Ask Florian Moser for a license of the tool. If you don't know who that is, ask around.
For more help: [https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731894.aspx](https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731894.aspx)
\mysubsection*{Detecting 32bit EFI \& Dealing With It}
\label{subsec:boot-32bit}
- No provided install image will boot
- Windows is installed in 32bit mode
- Some older Macbooks also have this configuration
It is possible to install Linux on such devices, but requires some more handwork. Note that we only ever found this configuration on 64 bit processors, so it's usually possible to install 64 bit Linux.
* Ask the Patrol for a 32-bit-Grub-USB.
* Plug both the 32-bit-Grub-USB and the Linux Installer USB in the device
* Boot from the 32-bit-Grub-USB
* You should land in a grub shell. The command prompt should say `grub>`, not `grub-rescue>`. If you see `rescue`, something went wrong.
* Type `ls`, you should see a list of partitions in the form `(HD0,GPT1)`. Try to guess which disk (HD0, HD1, HD2...) is the USB Installer - they usually have two GPT partitions.
* Type `set root=(HDX,GPT1)`, X being the number of the disk you think is the installer.
* If you get some error, it was the wrong partition or disk. Reboot and try another.
* The Kernel files reside in `/casper/vmlinuz.efi` and `/casper/initrd.lz` for Ubuntu installers, `/boot/x86_64/loader/linux` and `/boot/x86_64/loader/initrd` for opensuse.
* Load the vmlinuz by typing: (change path as required)
`vmlinuz casper/vmlinuz.efi`
* Load the initial ramdisk by typing: (change path as required)
`initrd casper/initrd.lz`
* You can use tab completion in the above step. If there are multiple files starting with `vmlinuz` or `initrd`, you usually need the one with the shortest file name.
* If you can't find the kernel files, you probably loaded the wrong partition or disk. Reboot and try again.
* Type `boot`, hit enter and pray.
* If all goes well, the installer now boots. Install Linux as normal.
After the install, you might still need to install the 32 bit version of grub in order to boot anything at all. If Linux doesn't boot now, do the following:
* Plug in the 32-bit-Grub-USB, unplug all other USB keys.
* Boot the 32-bit-Grub-USB. Type 'ls'. Try to guess on which partition you installed Linux before (root partition)
*`set root=(HD0,GPTX)`, X being the partition number you installed Linux on.
* The kernel files usually reside in `/boot/grub` or `/boot/distroname`. Just like before, load the vmlinuz.efi and initrd files.
* Type `boot`, hit enter and PRAY.
* If you're lucky, the freshly installed Linux now comes up.
* once it is up, `sudo grub-install --target=i386-efi /dev/sda1` (if your boot partition is not `sda1`, change accordingly).
* regenerate the grub config (`grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg`). Change the path accordingly.
