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I have admin rights on my Windows desktop, and I want to install Ubuntu on it, as I use Ubuntu on my desktop. However, I don't want any menu asking to select Ubuntu or something else or that it boots into Ubuntu by default. I also don't want to run it in a VM, because want to run it natively, without any performance-hogging Windows in the way.

My system is UEFI enabled and I'm afraid that it won't let me install any other OS. So basically, I need a way to dual boot a Windows 8 machine with Ubuntu, get around UEFI, and still have it boot to Windows by default.

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    Note to CVers: This involves using UEFI to boot directly into Windows, not Ubuntu. Hiding the GRUB menu would be ineffective, as there would be no choice between whether the system boots to Windows or Ubuntu.
    – Kaz Wolfe
    Sep 25, 2014 at 7:07
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    @karel the main point of this question is not installing Ubuntu in an UEFI system, but doing so while keeping Windows as the default boot option. Neither of those question cover such topic.
    – Braiam
    Sep 25, 2014 at 7:23
  • Keep windows first and the time to show the choice as only 4 seconds. put up a sign that says "ignore question when u restart computer, it anyway goes away in like 2 seconds!"
    – tgkprog
    Jul 4, 2017 at 12:42

4 Answers 4

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You're lucky as you have UEFI. (I seriously never thought I'd ever say that lol). Ubuntu supports SecureBoot/UEFI.

Install Ubuntu as normal. It should detect the UEFI configuration.

Once it's done, boot into your BIOS configuration and change the boot order. Move Windows further up and move Ubuntu down. The UEFI system will automatically boot into Windows instead of using GRUB2.

For you to boot into Ubuntu, simply enter the BIOS settings again and use the Boot Override menu. It can also be called Select boot device... or similar.

This works because UEFI uses boot files instead of a MBR. There can be multiple bootloaders on a single drive.

A standard EFI boot partition has the following (simplified) file scheme:

EFI
|
|--> UBUNTU
|     |
|     |--> grub2.efi
|
|
|--> Windows
      |
      |--> win32.efi

The EFI bootloader is (by default) trying to do this:

 1. Check for the UBUNTU folder, and try to boot from the `grub2.efi` file.
 2. Check for the Windows folder, and try to boot from the `win32.efi` file.

You can change the order so it looks for Windows first. Once the boot succeeds, it will not continue trying to use bootable EFI files. If you set Windows first (and it works), Windows will boot without GRUB ever being seen. You can then manually override this by using the Select Boot File... option/key/decoder ring/sacrifice/UEFI setting.

Consult the documentation that came with your computer for the proper settings, keycombination, and/or the right mixture of blood. I do not know these off-hand.

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    I write good posts at 1 AM.
    – Kaz Wolfe
    Sep 25, 2014 at 15:40
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What you could do is have a thumb drive that you insert when you wish to boot into Ubuntu.

This is just a bit of a rough idea, so bear with me.

So, you would leave it with the Windows-installed MBR/EFI config on the hard drive, and set up your BIOS to prefer booting from USB when available.

  • Install Ubuntu to a partition on your hard drive as normal, and if you do it with the installer it'll probably install Grub etc.

  • Boot into Ubuntu. Use grub-install to install another Grub boot loader onto a USB stick. That Grub boot loader will still use the partitions on your hard drive as its data and to boot into.

  • Then you can remove the Grub boot loader from the hard drive, restoring back to Windows' own MBR (or EFI if using EFI) using the Windows boot disc to do a boot recovery or whatever they call it.

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If you have 2 hard disks available, you could simply set it to boot to the Windows drive, and go into the BIOS to boot Ubuntu.

I don't know if it is possible to make grub "silent" and still boot to Ubuntu through it somehow.

Or you could just ask your sister and show her what to do if you install it. It isn't hard and takes less than 1 minute.

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Entering the UEFI BIOS and changeing order does not work, UEFI does not save the order, it let you change order but at reboot order is reset back to what it wants, not to what user has input.

So i need to press F12 on each to select what to boot.

Maybe next time, this helps others to understand a little deeper why people asks (not all people see that order is not saved).

i discovered by:

  1. Entering UEFI at boot
  2. Change order
  3. Use the option called "Save changes and reboot"
  4. Entering again in UEFI
  5. Ugly see order is not saved

Hope there is some way (externally)... i kown it is (i do it on the past), but i do not remember now what i did... it was related to mounting EFI partition (maybe with a Linux LiveCD) and doing something with files, but not sure what i exactly i did.

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