Guide: Multibooting UEFI on Separate Drives

[brucehvn]

Just installed Linux Mint 18.1 with Sierra on separate SSD drives and wanted to share my experience. Sierra was already installed and working before I attempted to install Mint.

First, the Mint install would never complete. It would give an error after copying all the files and setting up the system that would say "The grub-efi-amd64-signed package failed to install into /target/..." and my install would be horked at that point. I was following the directions and telling the install to install the bootloader to /dev/sda1 (EFI partition).

When inspecting the EFI partition after the failed install, it did in fact create an EFI/ubuntu folder and it copied a couple files into that folder.

After several attempts trying various solutions I found via Google, I finally had to run the mint installer with the no bootloader option (ubiquity --no-bootloader gtk_ui) and the install completed.

Then I installed and ran the boot-repair program while running on the mint live cd. Using the advanced options, I used boot-repair to successfully complete the grub installation. The side effect of this (and I think it would have been the same if grub had been installed by the installer), is that it puts Ubuntu/Mint as the primary bootloader so I wasn't getting Clover anymore, but only the grub menu.

Upon inspection of the EFI partition, I found that in the EFI/BOOT folder, it had backed up the BOOTX64.efi file and put the grub version it it's place. The backed up clover version was called bkbootx64.efi (or something like that). I restored the clover BOOTX64.efi and got clover booting again. I think I also had to change the boot order in the BIOS as it had put "ubuntu" as the first boot device.

After that, clover was coming up normally and then after making the changes described in this guide for adding linux to the clover config.plist OS scan variables, Linux was available in the clover boot menu.

As a side note, it appears the grub installation also creates a EFI/Microsoft folder and places it's EFI bootloader there as well. If you aren't installing Windows, then this folder is unnecessary and you can delete it post installation. It does no harm, but just clutters up the boot options in the BIOS and clover sees it as a Windows install it can boot.

I would definitely recommend zipping up at least your EFI/BOOT folder if not the entire EFI folder prior to installing the second OS in case you need to restore it.

 

[Habsfan67]

Boot the Windows installer with only the M.2 drive connected.
At the first screen when it asks you if you want to repair or install hit shift+F10 to open a command terminal
launch diskpart
list disk to determine your M.2 drive ID.
Select disk *your drive ID*
convert GPT
create an EFI partition 300MB in size and format it FAT32.
exit diskpart
exit command terminal
select to install Windows, select the free space on the drive and click the Install / Next button. Windows installer will take it from there.

I've read this thread and I don't have a "what to do" question but more a "why am I doing it?" question. I have a basic understanding of the EFI partition on the OSX drive but what is the purpose of the EFI partition on the Windows drive?

 

[Habsfan67]

I followed the TonyMac guide to install Sierra. I used this guide to install Windows 10 (using my Unibeast stick to format the drive I installed Windows on, then installing). I installed Windows in UEFI mode but Clover won't boot it. If I disconnect the OSX drive, Windows boots. If I choose OSX from Clover, that also boots. CSM is disabled. If I choose Windows from Clover, it will not boot.

It looks like I didn't install from the UEFI version of the Windows installer stick but I know I did select the version prefaced with "UEFI" from the boot menu.

The only other thing I can think of is, the two versions of Clover (on the OSX drive and Windows drive) are not the same. I updated Clover on the OSX drive after installing OSX. The Windows drive was formatted using the Unibeast stick which has an older version of Clover. Would this cause the issue or does it matter?

 

[Going Bald]

I followed the TonyMac guide to install Sierra. I used this guide to install Windows 10 (using my Unibeast stick to format the drive I installed Windows on, then installing). I installed Windows in UEFI mode but Clover won't boot it. If I disconnect the OSX drive, Windows boots. If I choose OSX from Clover, that also boots. CSM is disabled. If I choose Windows from Clover, it will not boot.

It looks like I didn't install from the UEFI version of the Windows installer stick but I know I did select the version prefaced with "UEFI" from the boot menu.

The only other thing I can think of is, the two versions of Clover (on the OSX drive and Windows drive) are not the same. I updated Clover on the OSX drive after installing OSX. The Windows drive was formatted using the Unibeast stick which has an older version of Clover. Would this cause the issue or does it matter?

It should not matter but compare the Clover config.plist settings between the two versions.

 

[ubermick]

Guys and gals, in a bit of a quandry -

I'm brand spanking new to Clover, having used Chameleon in the past. Used to dual boot between Yosemite and Win 7. Finally upgraded this weekend to El Cap and now am no longer able to boot into the Windows side of things. In addition, having updated the BIOS to F12j on my Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH mobo, it's no longer even showing the Windows drive as being attached when selecting boot options as P1 (either legacy or UEFI).

Still boots into El Cap without issue, but just not the Windows drive. Funnily enough though, if I hammer F12 on boot I can select P1 and boot into Windows from there. Just not Clover.

Any advice?

 

[Going Bald]

See the pinned guides at the beginning of this forum.

 

[Keepps]

Hi, I followed the instructions and Windows wouldn't install (it didn't like that the EFI partition that the OS installer created was NTFS). Instead, using the Windows UEFI installer (not bothering with the OS X installer), I just formatted the drive and now it works fine, shows up in the Clover boot launcher, etc.

Nevertheless, thanks for getting me started!

 

[Redax27]

Hi guys,
I'm trying to install seven on a second SSD. In the bios I switch other OS to Windows 8/10 to enable CSM. Like well discribed in the guide, I format my SSD with the OS X Unibeast stick and reboot with the windows 7 stick to begin the install, before I disconnect my other disks and USB devices. Until there no problem. I only let the stick, my mac keyboard and a simple wired mouse. At the first install screen impossible to choose options and to validate this step. No keyboard and no mouse. I imagine it's a simple stupid newbie question… but I'm completely stopped!
Has somebody an idea?

 

[Keepps]

Hi guys,
I'm trying to install seven on a second SSD. In the bios I switch other OS to Windows 8/10 to enable CSM. Like well discribed in the guide, I format my SSD with the OS X Unibeast stick and reboot with the windows 7 stick to begin the install, before I disconnect my other disks and USB devices. Until there no problem. I only let the stick, my mac keyboard and a simple wired mouse. At the first install screen impossible to choose options and to validate this step. No keyboard and no mouse. I imagine it's a simple stupid newbie question… but I'm completely stopped!
Has somebody an idea?

If your mouse is plugged into a USB 3 port, try a USB 2 port instead. Or check that your BIOS is set to initialize USB devices.

 

[Redax27]

Hello,
Sorry for my late answer and thank you for yours.
I was in my mountains …
I have everything tried and nothing runs.
In the BIOS, I've enabled fast boot to enable USB devices (partially activated by default). Impossible to find initialize USB devices. Maybe it's different on my motherboard?