Dual-booting Linux Mint 17 and Windows 10 on an R400

[Sudevan]

Like many others, I have that infamous free Windows 10 offer sitting on my main desktop, a Win 7 Dell XPS 8700 with an i7 quad-core CPU. Since I did not want to install Win 10 on my "mainframe", but wanted to try it anyway, I picked up an inexpensive R400 in excellent shape and possessing a 160 GB SSD, with Windows 10 already installed on it. I have been learning a few things, and so far (apart from all the privacy issues) I have not found huge differences between Win 10 and Win 7, but I may yet be proved wrong as I play with Win 10 a bit more.

Since most of my Thinkpads have dual-boot systems with Linux and Windows, I thought I would try to do the same on this R400. So I tried to install Linux Mint 17.2 and the software loaded from my CD quite well, but when I tried to install it on the SSD, and the time for the various installation options came, Linux Mint 17.2 did not recognize Windows 10. It said that the machine has no OS installed on it. I was not comfortable with the options offered (erase then Linux only, encrypted Linux, something else) because I have had Windows erased during Linux installations when I had to select specific partitions and mount point or use partitioning tools like gparted. I might try this with a friend who is more experienced with Linux than I am.

My main discomfort is that if Linux does not see Win 10 which is clearly there, then whatever option I choose might end up annihilating Win 10 (Yes, I know, some might think that isn't a bad idea at all! ). I tried again with an older Linux Mint 17 disc I had burned a year and a half ago and used many, many times, and I got the same response -- no OS. Could it be that because Windows 10 just rolled out in late July, these disks I have burned ( my Mint 17.2 CD was made in August ) will somehow not be able to recognize Windows 10? It's possible, but I find that hard to believe. It also seems unlikely that the problem is specific to the R400. Could it be the SSD -- unlikely, I think. I can certainly try other flavours of Linux. But meanwhile, I would also welcome any observations you might have on this problem, especially from those who have managed to dual-boot with Windows 10 and Linux (Mint 17 or other).

Cordially,

Sudevan

[Sudevan]

Addendum:

The following post is a bit worrisome: The OP succeeded in creating a dual boot system with Linux Mint and Win 10, no idea what machine was used. Then, after a Win 10 update, grub disappeared and without a bootloader, neither OS could be accessed! He did get Windows accessed later, but not Mint. Surprising that a Win 10 update can wreck grub.

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... t#p1082048

Cheers,

Sudevan

[Temetka]

all the op in the 2nd post had to do was mount his existing linux install from a live distro that has internet access. something in this manner

lsblk
mount /dev/sda3 assuming sda3 is linux mint, sda2 is windows and sda1 is the boot partition
so it would be

mount /mnt/sda3 /mnt

then chroot into that mount point

chroot /mnt

the re-install grub

sudo apt-get install grub2

configure grub
# grub-install --recheck /dev/sdx
# grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

and reboot. It should rebuild grub and if it detects both OS's allow him to boot into both windows and linux.

This is a loose set of instructions from my tired brain, but that's roughly the process.

[Sudevan]

Temetka, thanks very much for the reply and the instructions on getting grub back in the situation described by that person in the link I added. Now, do you have any advice for my original problem, where, during the Mint 17 installation process, it does not see Windows 10 at all, and does not give me an option for a side-by-side install of Mint with Win 10? There is always the "try something else" option, but I am not sure if that will accidentally wipe out Win 10. I did it once with a machine that had Win 7 -- I installed Mint 17 using a manual process, and must have done something wrong because Win 7 was wiped out (not a big loss since I have several TPs with Win 7). I'd hate to lose this Win 10, though.

Thanks again,

Sudevan