I have an old ( 2013) Microsoft Surface windows 8 Pro which I find I am now locked out of because I can’t remember the Password .
This therefore seems an appropriate time to replace Windows with one of the Linux distros and having read a bit about Mint 22 it seems like a good choice .
My question is : if I use another PC to download the Mint ISO file and then use say etcher to create a live USB flash drive will the Surface boot up from that once inserted into the USB3 port or do I have to first of all try and get into the Surface pro to clear the existing 128GB SSD ?
I’m guessing and hoping the former but would like clarification in that I don’t want to try and clear the existing Microsoft stuff before firing up from the Mint 22 USB stick ?
First of all, I appreciate that you want to try linux!
Yes, You can use another pc to create the live USB.
And yeah, for your clarification, your windows stuff won’t clear until and unless u confirm the creation of new partition table in the installer ( one of the last steps of installing mint ig )
Then, the recovering the files on ur surface pro depend on some cases:
Your files are not in Local Disk(C) or in the partition where windows is installed.
If so, then you can wipe off windows from that partition and install mint on it, keeping your personal files on the other partitions safe. ( I have tried this on my own computer before and this works )
If u have some files on the C drive, the acc to my knowledge, you can connect an external HDD to the surface pro while u connect the live USB. Now, after u boot in the live environment, copy files from the C drive to the external HDD and then install mint. Moreover, if u still hv files in other partitions than C drive, then install mint on the parition containing windows only. If not, then you can do a full disk install. ( have not tried this method but i think itll work.
If you don’t want to keep your windows stuff, just do a Full Disk install ( erase full disk and install option from the menu )
If im wrong. I request the senior members on the community to correct me!
Was hoping not to have to go into the Surface Pro Bios because I have already been there in my attempt to get back in to the tablet .
When I got to the Bios screen it was entirely different from what I had experienced before in that there were none of the usual options instead the screen only contained the following.
Trusted Platform Module - options were enable or disable
Secure Boot Control - as options enable or disable
Install Secure Default Boot Keys - options y/n
Delete All Secure Boot Keys - options y/n
Exit Setup
I had no idea how to proceed from there to change the boot order.
I know this is not strictly a Linux question but as I cannot it seems get Linux Mint in to this tablet without changing the boot order have you or others in the community any idea how I can get to the change boot reorder
Because I would like to see what files or data are on Windows I would prefer to do initially a dual boot and then once I had seen and hopefully saved anything of use delete Windows 8 and leave the tablet for the sole use of a newly installed Mint22
However as that is probably more complicated than simply installing Mint and at the same time asking it to delete anything on the disk that is what I might do because I don’t have a lot of time .
See also my reply to Neville below which might be a sticking point for everything,hopefully not
First disable secure boot before installing linux. This is very important.
And you can use the boot menu to boot into the live usb instead of BIOS.
I have never ever booted an usb by changing the boot order from BIOS, I always use boot menu, its simple and straightforward. (Have installed 10 or more distros by now). I have only used BIOS to turn of secure boot.
Edit: Attaching some links and pictures for your reference
For disabling secure boot, you can try:
For booting to live usb from boot menu, u can try:
@davg
You do know you can use another PC and sign into a MS account and recover your pass word or pass key for your Surface Pro.
You could also boot the Surface Pro with a recovery disc and recover the pass word or recovery W8.
There is usually a boot menu where you can shift one item (eg usb drive) to the top of the priority order.
If you cant find that, you are in trouble.
Try any bootable usb drive and just see if it looks to boot from there automatically… some bioses will always try a removable device first.
Failing that, I dont know what to suggest… I think you need to know what you are doing before you change some of those options.
The Surface Pro does not need any boot order, it is designed for one purpose only, and that is to boot W8!!! Restore W8 and then proceed with your plans for Linux, or upgrade to W10, and then proceed to Linux!!!
Yes. I wasn’t confident at all hence I changed nothing especially as it seemed the default settings were there primarily to stop malicious intrusions …Have never seen this page on any of my past or present devices
Yes I tried that and got a reply to the effect they had no note of my Surface Pro . Not sure how that’s happened but that’s where I be with that route.
Don’t have a Restore disk for the Surface Pro. That’s why faced with more time wasted I decided this would be an appropriate time to just take Windows off and replace with Mint if I could do that .
I presume from what you are saying in your other post there is then no way of changing boot settings in the Surface Pro .
Do you think it will boot via the USB stick once I get the ISO files etchered on to it . If the answer is yes then that seems the only route I can go down .
Thanks for your help so far much valued
I think you will find that disabling some of that secure boot stuff will allow you to boot from USB drive, and maybe even bring up an editable boot menu.
but
I am not sure, I have no experience with secure boot.
There must be someone who can guide us here?
See I have a HP machine.
When I first installed Ubuntu , it worked with secure boot.
Then, when I installed Mint, it installed with the secure boot, BUT gave some problems after installation.
Now, when I use Kali, I have disabled secure boot.
Thus, disabling secure boot will let you boot from any device without any problem and you will also be able to run any linux distro without any problem.
Now @davg did you trying booting on the live usb?
Use the instructions I sent you
No not had time yet to download the Mint ISO and get it on to a USB. Likely to have more time for the remainder of today so will try next.
Thanks for your assistance ,I grateful
