Adding Q4OS to Windows 10 boot menu

Dai_trying · 2016-09-15 19:18

I just got myself a new laptop with windows 10, ok I know I should just wipe it and install Linux, but I want to give Microsoft a fair go so will be dual booting. I have installed Q4OS onto the hard drive (after disabling secure boot) and I am thinking I should add Q4OS to the windows boot menu (I'm sure it is possible somehow) I have read that I can create a boot menu option from this page, but am a little unsure as to what information I will need to put into this.
Has anybody done this already? and maybe got any tips?

Last edited by Dai_trying (2016-09-15 19:19)

Dai_trying · 2016-09-18 17:08

Ok I am getting a little further with this, and have managed to install a few different distributions with varying levels of success, the main issue with trying to install Q4OS is the lack of a bootx64.efi (or equivalent) I get a "linuxmint" directory in my boot directory but it is empty so I cannot add the option in the bios settings to the main boot sequence, this happened with a Scorpion install, and I think it also happened with my Orion install but was not looking for it at the time so would need to do another install to check.
Any advice or suggestions?

Dai_trying · 2016-09-18 20:54

I have got it working to a degree, but I have to rely on another distro to boot and then the grub picks up Q4OS so I can at least run it without any (major) issues so far. The way I have it working is my bios is set to load grub before the windows bootloader so I don't have to mess about with windows bootloader at all, and if I wipe the linux partition bios will automatically skip to windows which I think is far better that the previous bios boot way of doing things, I have to say so far I think EFI is pretty darn good (once you get used to it).

And the laptop I got was the Dell Inspiron 15 3000 series, I know it's not a particularly fast and all singing laptop but it covers everything I need it to do, and with Q4OS under the hood it will continue to do so for a good while too!

aboutblank · 2016-11-18 00:20

Hi, Dai_trying,

I assume you have sorted it out by now, but for what it is worth, I have had good luck with EasyBCD (free; latest version is 2.3). I modify the Windows boot menu, and relegate Grub to secondary status by installing it in each distro's partition to which I have installed the 'root'. (I have one Linux swap partition, and for each distro, I create a / [root] and /home partition. ) So, as long as Windows is installed in the first few partitions, I consider it a "Windows machine", and keep using its boot loader. (EasyBCD runs under Windows, and modifies the Windows boot files.)

I have had pretty good luck with EasyBCD so far. I just upgraded to 2.3, as version 2.2 was not able to automatically find Q4OS's boot code, whereas 2.3 was able to locate it correctly the first time! (The author is a really decent guy, too, he helped me out once by giving me a copy of his 'professional' recovery disk gratis! He's been working on this free utility [EasyBCD] for years, and it keeps getting better and easier to use.)

I've not yet made the leap to a "Linux machine" as every distro of Linux I have tried to date has had some major problem that leaves me reluctant to get rid of Windows. Even Q4OS, much as I like it, has problems. (See my latest post regarding failure to recover from hibernation, posted yesterday, for example; and I have not yet posted the strange problem with sound and power that occurs when I log out and log in again, that necessitates a reboot!) (Possibly, I may have caused the problem by installing Kwin and enabling 3D effects [wobbly windows, etc.], but it's a headache, none the less.)

Hope this has been of some help.

aboutblank
November 17, 2016

Last edited by aboutblank (2016-11-18 00:23)

Dai_trying · 2016-11-18 07:44

Thanks for the info @aboutblank, I did manage to get it all working properly since q4os is now UEFI capable (since 1.6.3) and I just press F12 to get the BIOS (UEFI) boot menu to select the required distro to work with, and since every OS has it's own grub there is no more fighting over which distro controls it, so I disable os-prober and each OS only shows it's own boot options and if I want to remove one I just re-format that partition and remove the boot option from the BIOS (UEFI) menu, and each other distro continues to work as before.
I gave up trying to configure the Windows boot menu as it was definately not the right way to do it (in my case at least), and the way it boots now I can modify the boot options easily using efibootmgr or the bios has options to add/remove/re-order entries too.

I will post my thoughts on your hibernation issue to your post shortly.

I have "made the leap" to Linux as my main distro for some time now, and although there are often times when it seems Linux is doing something wrong it is normally just something I have either done wrong or just different and need to adjust some other setting to make it better again, although I would say there are many like you who cannot fully part from MS/OSX as there is so much useful software out there that can do what linux does but easier (it usually just works). One of the biggest issues with Linux is the amount of configuration options there are, and one of the pitfalls that come with it is often different options clash with other packages, and so users are forced to do some bug-fixing/error tracing themselves. This alone (IMO) is responsible for preventing many users from switching. I don't think it is feasable for most users to have to spend time trying to figure out what the OS is doing and why, all they are interested in is where's my mail where's the web, and why isn't xyz program here?

I guess I'm lucky in as much as I have enough spare time to be able to tinker (sometimes too much spare time!) and have the inquisitive nature to try and find things out, often with the help of others I might add, Oh yeah and I don't like spending money on software, so Linux is a winner everyday for me.

aboutblank · 2016-11-19 10:06

Thanks, Dai_trying. I wasn't aware of the UEFI implications for controlling boot code, as my machines are so old that UEFI is a virtual unknown entity to me! I am glad to hear that using it has allowed simpler management of multi-boot systems!

Your "made the leap" paragraph is very well put, and I am coming to most of your conclusions, myself. I very much like the idea of 'open-source' software, and have an inquisitive nature myself, so have been trying out various Linux distros for several years, now. I have seen a lot of improvements to ease-of-use in general, and find it pretty amazing that so much open source software is available for any one who cares to try it, at no cost! It is really an embarrassment of riches! There is so much choice available in operating systems, desktop environments, and user software, that I suppose it is inevitable that, as you said, there will be conflicts. Microsoft has tried to solve this problem by keeping tight control over what will be added to the operating system, promoting programming standards, and keeping graphical 'eye candy' to an absolute minimum. (Witness Windows 10, last I noticed, they had done away with 'Aero' glass effects, which I personally like a lot, in Windows 7 - though a third-party tweak tool can add it back. 'Wobbly Windows'?! Just forget about it! [For Microsoft; but Stardock's WindowFX low-cost utility can do it, though!]) So, it is not a surprise to me that the use of Kwin or Compiz often leads to problems, though the problems differ with various distros, from very few problems to some annoyances to show stoppers. I hope that these problems can be gradually eliminated, as it is one area that Linux can attract Windows users who would like something more fun to use than Redmond's staid interfaces!

I think that for me, my reluctance to switch totally to Linux is due to a few factors. Two of the most important are the unavailability of Linux versions of the best chess software available, in particular, the ChessBase software that won't run reliably under Wine. There is just too much really good chess software available for Windows, and not nearly as much available for Linux. (Though there has been an explosion of good Chess software available for Android!) The second factor, for me, is the scores of great utilities that I have at my fingertips under Windows. (The best example is that of Total Commander, a truly amazing file utility by Christian Ghisler, that I use on a daily basis. I've looked at Midnight Commander and others under Linux, but they can't hold a candle to TC, in my opinion. (Mr. Ghisler has developed a similarly named utility for Android that is also quite good, but alas, not one for Linux!))

If I had to name a third factor, I'd probably call it "inertia". It's not that Linux doesn't have plenty of utilities, it's just having to find them and grow comfortable with them takes time. And they won't necessarily do a better job than their Windows counterparts. And inertia extends to other areas as well, in areas that I find Windows easier to use. Two quick examples: I use zip files all the time, and years ago, had to open Winzip or some other utility to work with them. Now, a file can be zipped (in Windows 7) by using the context menu, but to my knowledge, that feature, years old in the Windows world, has been requested in this forum, but is not yet available. I had to recently open Ark and navigate to a directory before I could zip a file in Q4OS, making me hark back to Windows 98 days! [Again, Linux appears to me to routinely offer more archiving choices than just 'zip', whereas Microsoft concentrates on only one, 'Zip', so perhaps more choices under Linux brings more complexity, slowing the addition of 'Zip' to the file context menus!]

The other example: I try to edit a menu in Windows, it's just a matter of creating heirarchacal folders and shortcuts, and I can do it very quickly. (Windows 10 eliminated this great feature btw, unless one installs 'Classic Shell', a free [not Microsoft] utility, and selects the old Windows 7 menu style!) Contrast this with nearly any Linux distro's menu editor, which is like pulling teeth to get the menu to look like I would want it to look - if it's even possible! (I tried to edit the Q4OS menu using the context menu's Edit function, and it opened up a window with three icons, one of which was the Start folder, which sort of made sense, though there were more items in that folder than actually appeared in the Autostart section of my Menu. The other two cryptically named icons made no sense to me, and I am still puzzled as to how, graphically, to move items around on the Q4OS main menu. [Is that even possible? Maybe Kwin is rearing its ugly head again?!])

Well, this reply is much longer than I intended it to be when I started out! Perhaps a measure of my occasional frustration?!

Thanks once again, I really appreciate your willingness to share your thoughts and experiences!

aboutblank
November 19, 2016

Dai_trying · 2016-11-19 11:28

UEFI vs MBR booting.
This is a godsend to me and I am soooo greatful to have UEFI for the boot options alone!
Compressing a file from konqueror.
I had an issue with this, read here to enable right click to compress files.
Editing Main menu
This is one area that I do find ALL linux distro's lack, the ability to simply move an item to a different location in the start menu, I would like to just be able to drag and drop an item to where I think it should be and create a new subgroup by right-click and "add" or something similar. I know Q4OS does have the ability to edit the menu, but I do not find it as simple to use as I would expect. Other distros have menu editing packages and they all have their merits too, but I prefer the simplest of solution of dragging it to where I want it.
I might actually have a look to see if I can fudge something together using python to act as my personal start-bar/button, I think I could get something woking. I will put this idea at the top of my "new ideas" pile and see what comes up.

Q4OS Forum

#1 2016-09-15 19:18

Adding Q4OS to Windows 10 boot menu

#2 2016-09-18 17:08

Re: Adding Q4OS to Windows 10 boot menu

#3 2016-09-18 20:54

Re: Adding Q4OS to Windows 10 boot menu

#4 2016-11-18 00:20

Re: Adding Q4OS to Windows 10 boot menu

#5 2016-11-18 07:44

Re: Adding Q4OS to Windows 10 boot menu

#6 2016-11-19 10:06

Re: Adding Q4OS to Windows 10 boot menu

#7 2016-11-19 11:28

Re: Adding Q4OS to Windows 10 boot menu

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