Pre-sales question

User discussion and information resource forum for BootIt Bare Metal and BootIt UEFI
Yottabytes
Posts: 112
Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2013 2:50 pm

Pre-sales question

Post by Yottabytes »

Using BootIt, and dual booting Windows and Linux, can you create three boot menu selections with: 1 Windows 10, 2. Linux distro and 3. a menu entry that would boot directly into a windows recovery environment or Image for Linux/DOS app? I currently have a multi-boot USB with IFL, WinRE, Parted Magic and some Linux tools. But they're all MBR formatted so it's a pain to have to go into the bios enable CSM, reboot then enter the bios again to choose the boot medium and repeat after I finish to reverse the process. All these tools I've tried to create a multiboot UEFI USB (Yumi, etc.) aren't reliable.
Brian K
Posts: 2213
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:11 am
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Pre-sales question

Post by Brian K »

Yottabytes,

Sure, you can have as many Boot Items as you desire with BootIt UEFI.

eg... Win10, Linux distros (multiple), IFL, TBWinRE, TBWinPE, GParted, WinPEs, etc.
nemesis
Posts: 76
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:25 pm

Re: Pre-sales question

Post by nemesis »

I have a system I'm working on with two Win10 entries and a TBWinPE in BootIT UEFI.

I can confirm that works.
Yottabytes
Posts: 112
Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2013 2:50 pm

Re: Pre-sales question

Post by Yottabytes »

How does one go about installing TBWinPE or RE to the hard drive? Also, I'm trial using BootIt, and can no lontger boot to Linux after the install. I recall years ago when I used BootIt's MBR predecessor, I had to install Windows first, then BootIt then Linux so that Grub didn't get hosed. Is that still the case?
Brian K
Posts: 2213
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:11 am
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Pre-sales question

Post by Brian K »

Yottabytes wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 8:15 pm I recall years ago when I used BootIt's MBR predecessor, I had to install Windows first, then BootIt then Linux so that Grub didn't get hosed. Is that still the case?
No, you can install the OS in any order.

To use IFL, TBWinRE or PE, make a UFD, image it with IFW and restore the partition image to free space on your HD. Make the restored partition 700 MiB. Or 150 MiB for IFL. Then create a Boot Item.

There are other methods too.
TeraByte Support
Posts: 3596
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: Pre-sales question

Post by TeraByte Support »

>>Grub didn't get hosed

Actually you mean so that GRUB didn't mess things up. The key is to install GRUB to the boot partition and not the MBR. If you install BIBM afterwards in grub is in the MBR it will move it to the boot partition but if there is also what they call the 1.5 stage (additional code in the first track), that won't be copied over. If you install after and put in the MBR it can cause partition information to be lost which is what https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=231 is all about.
Yottabytes
Posts: 112
Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2013 2:50 pm

Re: Pre-sales question

Post by Yottabytes »

@Brian K. Thanks for that info. @TeraByte Support. Ok so after istalling BootIt UEFI over my dual Linux Windows OS installations, there are three menu entries: Windows 10, Ubuntu and a blank entry. Windows boots fine. If I choose Ubuntu or the blank entry I get a Linux command prompt and an error message about Grub (not at my PC right now so I don't remember what the error message was) Both the LINUX and Windows 10 installs are UEFI, if that makes a difference. Is there anyway to fix that? Can uninstalling BootIt resore my original boot menu?
TeraByte Support
Posts: 3596
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: Pre-sales question

Post by TeraByte Support »

UEFI is completely different. Not sure why you would get a error, linux does require partition locations stay the same but the program handles that for you by default. Make sure you're using a newer linux and grub version designed for uefi and gpt.
Brian K
Posts: 2213
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:11 am
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Pre-sales question

Post by Brian K »

A few questions...

In your BIU Boot Item for Linux, what is in the Boot File field?
Is Secure Boot enabled in the UEFI firmware?
Which Linux OS are you using?
nemesis
Posts: 76
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:25 pm

Re: Pre-sales question

Post by nemesis »

one thing I would recommend is having a separate partition for the windows boot manager and setting it to data partition. I tried having the wbm on the s
esp partition but if you do that it'll keep setting the wbm as the uefi boot item
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