Windows 8 installed Ubuntu 12.10 boots straight to Windows 8

I installed Ubuntu 12.10 on my new Windows 8 Dell Inspirin and would like to set up a Dual Boot. However, when I restarted, it just went straight to Windows 8 without giving me a Grub screen with options to start Ubuntu. I haven't had luck with EasyBCD or the BootRepair utility.

Any idea how I can get a Dual Boot working?


Solution 1:

New computers which come with Windows 8 use UEFI, a try to replace the old BIOS firmware. You can read about this on Ubuntu wiki, but I'll paste you some things you can try to do.

  1. Create a LiveDVD or LiveUSB of Ubuntu-Secure-Remix 64bit or of Ubuntu (>=12.10) 64bit. The former is more convenient, as it already includes Boot-Repair, which is used in step 4.

  2. Boot your PC using the LiveDVD or LiveUSB and choose "Try Ubuntu". Remark: if you get a Secure boot or signature error, disable SecureBoot as described here, then retry to boot the disk. You may also need to disable QuickBoot in the same menu. Install Ubuntu from the Live CD/DVD or Live USB in the usual manner, then reboot the PC.

  3. If the PC does not load Ubuntu (but instead loads Windows, for example, as in Bug #1050940), or if the Windows entry in the GRUB 2 menu does not boot Windows (see Bug #1024383), boot your PC using the Live CD/DVD or Live USB and choose "Try Ubuntu" once again. When the live session has loaded, run Boot-Repair (see link for details). When Boot-Repair loads, click on the "Recommended repair" button, and write on a paper the URL (paste.ubuntu.com/XXXXXX/) that will appear.

  4. This should fix most boot problems. If this does not fix your boot problems, please follow this procedure. If still not good, please create a new thread in this forum, describing your problem and indicating the URL you wrote in the previous step.

Solution 2:

I had pretty much the same problem and the solution was to

  • disable the secure boot option in the UEFI; then
  • Open Ubuntu by interruptiong the boot up (hopefully for the last time)
  • run Boot-Repair (which you've already got) using the "Recommended Repair" option as already explained above.

See more details here

I found that if you don't disable the secure boot option GRUB does not run on boot up and the machine loads Win8 by default.

Good luck :-)

Solution 3:

I hope you have followed this procedure to install Ubuntu.

If yes..You can do a Grub rescue by following this link.