Ubuntu – How to fix dual-booting Windows 8 and Ubuntu 14.04 on a Sony Vaio

Sony VAIOs are pretty notorious for having flaky firmware. I recommend you first check Sony's site for an update and, if one is available, install it.

If that doesn't help, start investigating your firmware boot order options using efibootmgr in Ubuntu. You'll see something roughly like this:

$ sudo efibootmgr
BootCurrent: 0000
Timeout: 0 seconds
BootOrder: 0000,0003,0007,2003,0001,2001,2002
Boot0000* rEFInd (direct)
Boot0001* Lenovo Recovery System
Boot0003* ubuntu
Boot0007* Windows Boot Manager
Boot2001* EFI USB Device
Boot2002* EFI DVD/CDROM
Boot2003* EFI Network

The details will differ, of course. Look at the BootCurrent and BootOrder lines; the numbers refer to the various Boot#### entries. In this example, the BootOrder is set to rEFInd (direct) first, followed by ubuntu, and so on; and the system actually booted (BootCurrent) via rEFInd. Note that the numbers are actually hexadecimal, although this example doesn't show any over-9 digits.

Compare the output of this command when you reboot from Windows vs. when you reboot from Ubuntu. Does the BootOrder change depending on how you boot? Also, does rebooting from Windows automatically change the BootOrder back (and fix the boot-time behavior)?

If the BootOrder is changing, you might try setting it back to the way it should be in Ubuntu. Use the -o option to efibootmgr, as in:

sudo efibootmgr -o 0,3,7

Change the numbers to match your Boot#### options, of course. If this works on a one-time basis, you can create a shutdown script to do it automatically every time you shut down, as described here:

Execute a script upon logout/reboot/shutdown in Ubuntu

If that doesn't help, then there are possible solutions that involve renaming and moving boot loader files. Boot Repair can do this semi-automatically via an option on its Advanced menu (I don't recall the exact name, though; it's something to do with backing up and renaming files). I'd use this option only as a last resort, though; it's an ugly hack that doesn't always work and that can create confusion down the road if/when you need to re-install an OS or otherwise manipulate the boot loaders.

I do not recommend re-installing Ubuntu as a solution. It didn't work the first time and it's unlikely to do any better the second time. The presence or absence of a /boot partition is almost certainly irrelevant to your problem.

Many Sonys have cruddy firmware (EFIs) that refuse to launch anything but the Windows boot manager -- that is, EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi. The only workaround I know of is to replace that file with GRUB (or, if Secure Boot is active, with Shim, with GRUB stored in its normal filename in the EFI/Microsoft/Boot directory). The Boot Repair program can do this automatically, but you must enter the Advanced menu and select the appropriate option, which is called something like "back up and replace boot files" (I don't recall the precise wording).

Another thing you might try is replacing the stock Windows installation with a fresh install from retail (not OEM) disks. See here for information on how to obtain various Windows installation media legally. The point of this procedure is to remove the manufacturer-specific cruft that infests most computers and that can add an extra layer of complexity to the boot process.

The most radical solution is to re-install everything in BIOS/CSM/legacy mode, bypassing EFI-mode booting. The limitations in the Sony apply to EFI mode only, so a BIOS-mode boot should bypass these problems; however, such a conversion would be tricky to carry out without a full re-install, and even with a re-install, there will be problems. See my page on CSM issues for details.

I know you say you've tried much of this and it hasn't worked. Unfortunately, your problem is that you've got a defective computer. If you hadn't had it for so long, I'd suggest you return it to the store for a refund, but I doubt if they'd take it back after two years.