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[GUIDE] Dual boot for pre-installed Windows 8 and Ubuntu 13.04 on Asus G75VW

mzuniga
Level 7
I have checked several pages to get my laptop Asus G75VW properly working with dual boot for pre-installed Windows 8 and Ubuntu 13.04. As you might have noticed, Asus G75VW laptops come with Windows 8 pre-installed in UEFI mode with GPT partitioning, and an awful distribution of partitions.

Here i write the simplest way i've found, assuming some of you are not really used to properly manage partitioning:

1. Disable Secure Boot on Bios (access with ESC key on boot).

2. This laptop has two big partitions per hd (it has two 750G hd). Boot Windows 8, use a program like partition magic, identify a big partition different from C: on the same drive and eliminate it. Now you can extend Windows C: partition to the double. Doing this you will be able to use the simplest option of installing Ubuntu alongside Windows 8, on the installation CD. Those who prefer to manage partitions themselves, can skip this step.

3. Download Ubuntu 13.04 64 bits, from http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/questions?distro=desktop&bits=64&release=latest
It will allow you to install in UEFI mode.

4. Burn a DVD with image (.iso) you download.

5. Reboot and press ESC to boot from DVD. You must choose UEFI mode option.

6. You will see a keyboard symbol appearing. Press any key and a menu will appear.

7. If you just press install option, installation will hang. You need to edit the installation command:
* Press 'e' to enter on edit mode.
* Replace where it says 'quiet splash' with 'nomodeset'
* Press Ctrl-X to boot and install.

8. On install, follow common procedure (http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/install-desktop-latest). You shall care to have an internet connection available, choose options “Download updates while installing” and “Install this third-party software”.
Eventually you will arrive to the “Installation type” window. Here, if you are not willing to edit partitions, you can choose option 'Install Ubuntu alongside Windows 8' (if you did step 2). Then, you just need to choose how much of windows partition will be used for Ubuntu install.
If you want to edit partitions, choose “Something else” (in this case you need to set a little boot partition (10M is enough), an ext4 installation partition, and proper swap partition (ref: http://apcmag.com/how-to-dual-boot-windows-8-and-linux.htm)).

9. Continue normal install process and reboot when it ends.

10. Here you still be able to just boot Windows 8. Do it. You need to repair boot manager using grub2 (supports GPT and UEFI). For this, the easiest way is to download Boot Repair Disk 64 bit: http://sourceforge.net/projects/boot-repair-cd/files/
Burn a DVD with the proper .iso file and reboot.

11. Reboot and press ESC to boot from DVD. You must choose UEFI mode option.

12. You will arrive to a menu. Press F6 and choose “acpi=off” to prevent repair for hanging. Then choose repair boot. You will arrive to a little options window (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair) and you just press “Recommended Repair” option.

13. Now you will be able to boot both OS, but Ubuntu will still hang on display for Asus G75VW. You need to install nvidia drivers to get the display fixed. Then choose from grub2 “Advanced options for Ubuntu” and then “recovery mode”.

14. On next menu get network running choosing “network” and then “root” for shell prompt. There, execute:
apt-add-repository ppa:ubuntu-x-swat/x-updates
apt-get update
apt-get install nvidia-current
(ref: http://www.linlap.com/asus_g75vw)
This way, you will have display fixed.

Just reboot, choose “Ubuntu” and enjoy.

I hope it helps some one.

Regards! :cool:

Marcos.
Marcos Zúñiga B.
Academic - Electronics Department
UTFSM - Valparaiso - Chile
PhD Computer Science - INRIA Sophia Antipolis - France
http://profesores.elo.utfsm.cl/~mzuniga/
73,435 Views
4 REPLIES 4

Zygomorphic
Level 17
Thanks! Make sure to join my LINUX users group (see sig for link). Good point about the updates for the nVidia driver, since the most recent versions of that are able to dim the screen backlight.

I would definitely recommend against the separate /boot partition, because kernel updates can easily fill it. Calling out a separate /home partition is a better choice. The major reason for separate /boot partitions was due to limitations in the earlier versions of GRUB not being able to load ext3/ext4 partitions, as well as security (for servers, which mount /boot readonly). For the home user, keeping the boot directory inside the / partition is a better choice for convenience.

Welcome to the forums!
I am disturbed because I cannot break my system...found out there were others trying to cope! We have a support group on here, if your system will not break, please join!
http://rog.asus.com/forum/group.php?groupid=16
We now have 178 people whose systems will not break! Yippee! 🙂
LINUX Users, we have a group!
http://rog.asus.com/forum/group.php?groupid=23

THX for the welcome Zygomorphic!!

Zygomorphic wrote:

I would definitely recommend against the separate /boot partition, because kernel updates can easily fill it.


About the boot partition, maybe you misunderstood my explaination (or maybe it is too short :D). I was referring to a new little partition added for booting alongside windows 8, of type "boot" (and not to mount a little partition in /boot). You can check this in the comments section on http://apcmag.com/how-to-dual-boot-w...-and-linux.htm.

In the terms you interpreted it, i fully agree with you. I just tried to keep it as simple as possible, assuming that it could normally be used as home user laptop.

Regards!

Marcos.
Marcos Zúñiga B.
Academic - Electronics Department
UTFSM - Valparaiso - Chile
PhD Computer Science - INRIA Sophia Antipolis - France
http://profesores.elo.utfsm.cl/~mzuniga/

Thanks for the pointer! I guess that must be the partitions for the EFI loader? I have a BIOS based system, I boot in that mode, hence not those problems (just a different set of them).
I am disturbed because I cannot break my system...found out there were others trying to cope! We have a support group on here, if your system will not break, please join!
http://rog.asus.com/forum/group.php?groupid=16
We now have 178 people whose systems will not break! Yippee! 🙂
LINUX Users, we have a group!
http://rog.asus.com/forum/group.php?groupid=23

That's right. In fact, Ubuntu install, in manual partitioning mode, force you to create a swap partition, a boot type partition, and at least one ext3/ext4 partition for the filesystem. So, in fact what i point is not a suggestion, but the minimal partition distribution.
Marcos Zúñiga B.
Academic - Electronics Department
UTFSM - Valparaiso - Chile
PhD Computer Science - INRIA Sophia Antipolis - France
http://profesores.elo.utfsm.cl/~mzuniga/