Latest W11 boot manager shows Linux OS´s too in menu

Hi folks
It seems that if you have Linux systems on your machine whether on the same or a different disk the Windows bootmanager will now show these in the graphical Windows boot menu -- just go to Use a Device in the boot menu.

This seems to work now as well -- not sure whether recent changes in Linux kernels to boot mechanism or Windows boot manager (or both) but booting into Linux this way from Windows always seemed to throw up the odd problem. I've 4 Linux systems on 2 internal disks - and they all booted via this method.



Note -- you can capture the screen at boot (any page -- but you can only store 1 page though) is at the page you want hit prt-scr button and then ctrl-c. After then booting into Windows open any application that can show images -- e.g Word and paste into it. You can scroll backwards (top arrow) to previous screen say for a different option - but the saved image remains in the clipboard.

Saves messing about with mobile phone photos and sending to PC.

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

Note -- you can capture the screen at boot (any page -- but you can only store 1 page though) is at the page you want hit prt-scr button and then ctrl-c. After then booting into Windows open any application that can show images -- e.g Word and paste into it.

Click to expand...

Interesting. Thanks!

Hopachi said:

Interesting. Thanks!

Click to expand...

The Windows boot manager shown on that screen too is because I also had an external nvme device (attached via sata->usbc caddy -- about 2X the size of a thumb drive) which had a Windows2Go system on it. That also booted OK too.

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

Hi folks
It seems that if you have Linux systems on your machine whether on the same or a different disk the Windows bootmanager will now show these in the graphical Windows boot menu -- just go to Use a Device in the boot menu.

This seems to work now as well -- not sure whether recent changes in Linux kernels to boot mechanism or Windows boot manager (or both) but booting into Linux this way from Windows always seemed to throw up the odd problem. I've 4 Linux systems on 2 internal disks - and they all booted via this method.

View attachment 114612

Note -- you can capture the screen at boot (any page -- but you can only store 1 page though) is at the page you want hit prt-scr button and then ctrl-c. After then booting into Windows open any application that can show images -- e.g Word and paste into it. You can scroll backwards (top arrow) to previous screen say for a different option - but the saved image remains in the clipboard.

Saves messing about with mobile phone photos and sending to PC.

Cheers
jimbo

Click to expand...

I presume each Linux installation has its own EFI partition?

cereberus said:

I presume each Linux installation has its own EFI partition? but remember depending on the distro there's no compulsion to use EFI or secure boot.

Click to expand...

I agree on the secure boot -- however secure boot (on my machine) is enabled in the BIOS so it makes sense to use that for the Linux systems as well.

Not actually in this case as with Linux you can manage with just one EFI partition even if the disk is shared with Windows. However in the example I've a 2 disk machine (it's one of those minipc's) where you can add an extra internal 2.5 inch SSD -- just flip the top off and insert the SSD -- a tool less operation which even the most hesitant engineer can do -- so the machine has internal nvme (ssd type M2) 1 TB which has the Linux hosts and VM's and a 512GB 2.5 inch ssd for the windows physical system(s). If you do it this way make the Windows EFI partition big enough -- anything from 100Mib (minimum) to 499Mib formatted fat32 and the Linux disk also with a 499Mib EFI partition formatted either fat32 or vfat.

With 3X USB3-C slots, 1X USB2 slot, 2X 4K UHD video,blue tooth, built in HDMI audio, latest wifi and 2X Wired Lan 1Gbps slots this machine is perfectly good enough for decent testing -- no problems running Hyper-V on the Windows system. I've via 2X 3.5/2.5 inch SATA->USB caddies and a powered 4 port USB3 hub enough space to connect up to 6 HDD's without any issue. You do need to have own monitor and mouse of course.

I've now got 4 of these boxes -- replaced 2 large creaking old servers -wish I'd got these ages ago. The blue tooth is good too as it eliminates need for HDMI cables since the video is done with HDMI Tx and Rx pair -- no video lag using these even when watching video content or streamed movies / TV.

(external caddies -- RSHTECH 2 bay, the MiniPC's are NIPOGI boxes).

I'm not a gamer so these machines ability for gaming -- I don't know about but as cheap powerful domestic servers and test beds they can't IMHO be beaten. There's bound to be some "Black Friday" deals on these things too.

I haven't touched a laptop now for ages !!. I only need it now if going to a place that doesn't have a spare monitor available.

Cheers
jimbo