Arch Dual boot Windows 10

Flameancer · 2015-08-13 14:52:07

So I have a somewhat fresh install of Windows 10. Its a Microsoft Signature edition laptop so there is no extra OEM added partitions, but I have 4 partitions already on my desk that were made with the install with one of them being a 100MB EFI system partition. Could I use that partition as the boot partition or would it be better to normally make 3 more partitions for root/home, swap, and boot?

Head_on_a_Stick · 2015-08-13 15:15:42

Flameancer wrote:

I have 4 partitions already on my desk that were made with the install with one of them being a 100MB EFI system partition. Could I use that partition as the boot partition

Yes, you should share the Windows-generated ESP and mount /boot to that partition (as described in the Beginner's Guide).

It is possible to mount /boot/efi to the ESP but this prevents the use of boot managers (ie, systemd-boot or native EFI_STUB booting) without further workarounds.

I recommend systemd-boot; this will automatically generate an entry for Windows 10 if the EFI system partition is shared and mounted to /boot
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Systemd-boot

jakebpg · 2015-08-14 21:56:23

I actually created a separate esp partition for arch and it works great. Just upgraded windows 8.1 to windows 10 with no problem and no effect on my grub2 installation which controls both arch and windows for booting. And yes I am running secure boot.
I was amazed that windows 10 did NOT blow away the grub boot partition which is listed in my UEFI manager.
Windows obviously saw window 8.1 EFI and ignored my EFI arch partition all together.

It's a GREAT day when windows plays nice with any Linux much less alone Arch Linux!

My machine is a Toshiba Satellite, model C55T-A5102.

Flameancer · 2015-08-15 16:40:01

jakebpg wrote:

I actually created a separate esp partition for arch and it works great. Just upgraded windows 8.1 to windows 10 with no problem and no effect on my grub2 installation which controls both arch and windows for booting. And yes I am running secure boot.
I was amazed that windows 10 did NOT blow away the grub boot partition which is listed in my UEFI manager.
Windows obviously saw window 8.1 EFI and ignored my EFI arch partition all together.
It's a GREAT day when windows plays nice with any Linux much less alone Arch Linux!
My machine is a Toshiba Satellite, model C55T-A5102.

Nice though I'm curious on how did you set up the secure boot. I did the instructions when I set up the ISO but it didn't hold when installed. Is there another set of instructions that I need to follow or what?

jakebpg · 2015-08-15 18:40:39

Flame, I just followed the instructions for the install of a new system. Worked like a champ. I did have problems when trying to use the OEM EFI boot partition and it wouldn't boot. So I made my own and loaded all the Linux files in there. Installed grub and the EFI extensions did the mkconfig thing, rebooted and everything was fine.
And as stated my machine was running windows 8.1 when I bought it and just upgraded to windows 10 yesterday with no problems and windows didn't touch my Arch installation at all.

Oh and grub is installed to my EFI partition, NOT the MBR. Sorry for leaving this out.

Last edited by jakebpg (2015-08-15 23:07:16)

gnumber9 · 2015-09-09 11:35:43

when i updated win 8.1 to 10, grub would boot the upgraded windows 10 with secure boot enabled. when i did my clean install of 10, grub no longer booted nor detected windows. so i installed arch with uefi-gpt and an ESP. the wiki alluded that systemd-boot would detect windows, but it didn't. my windows install is on another physical drive than arch. i think i am suppose to use one ESP for both disks and i looked at them both, but i am not sure how to populate the ESP with the other's boot files. i think i will copy the windows ESP files to the arch ESP. that way if i york it i can fix linux. windows! i'm so sick of it, it is driving me nuts. always have to cater to it, it makes me feel as if i work for it and it does not work for me.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2015-09-09 18:18:30

gnumber9 wrote:

i think i will copy the windows ESP files to the arch ESP.

Do it the other way around.

Remember to modify your fstab and re-configure your boot{loader,manager}.

gnumber9 · 2015-09-09 22:18:56

Head_on_a_Stick wrote:

Do it the other way around.
Remember to modify your fstab and re-configure your boot{loader,manager}.

copied the files from arch ESP to Win ESP except for the EFI/Boot folder which had the efi file. the Arch file is called BOOTX64.EFI, the windows file is bootx64.efi and was already there. they are named the same name but different cases. i didn't feel comfortable copying BOOTX64.EFI to a directory that contains bootx64.efi.
also
moved /boot in fstab to sdb2 (the windows EPS) and properly gave it the UUID
did mount -a and also rebooted but keep getting
# bootctl update
i get this ->
Copied "/usr/lib/systemd/boot/efi/systemd-bootx64.efi" to "/boot/EFI/systemd/systemd-bootx64.efi".
Skipping "/boot/EFI/Boot/BOOTX64.EFI", since it's owned by another boot loader.

also the contents of the directory /boot/EFI/ are now
Boot Microsoft systemd

using my uefi boot selection, if choose the windows EPS (sdb2) partition it boots me into windows. if i choose the old /boot (sda1) part i boot into arch.

[edit] i even tried copying the bootx64.efi file and ran mkinitcpio -p linux, but still same.[edit]

Last edited by gnumber9 (2015-09-09 22:47:02)

Head_on_a_Stick · 2015-09-10 21:06:12

gnumber9 wrote:

the windows file is bootx64.efi

No, it isn't.

The Windows bootmanager is at $ESP/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi

"bootx*.efi" is used by GNU/Linux

Arch Linux

#1 2015-08-13 14:52:07

Arch Dual boot Windows 10

#2 2015-08-13 15:15:42

Re: Arch Dual boot Windows 10

#3 2015-08-14 21:56:23

Re: Arch Dual boot Windows 10

#4 2015-08-15 16:40:01

Re: Arch Dual boot Windows 10

#5 2015-08-15 18:40:39

Re: Arch Dual boot Windows 10

#6 2015-09-09 11:35:43

Re: Arch Dual boot Windows 10

#7 2015-09-09 18:18:30

Re: Arch Dual boot Windows 10

#8 2015-09-09 22:18:56

Re: Arch Dual boot Windows 10

#9 2015-09-10 21:06:12

Re: Arch Dual boot Windows 10

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