Ubuntu – Remove win 8, install Ubuntu 16.04 64 bit on a laptop with UEFI

system-installationuefiwindows 8

I want to remove win 8 and install Ubuntu 16.04 64bit on a Samsung laptop with UEFI. I'm not interested in a dual boot setup.

With the intention of changing the boot order so that I can boot from a USB drive, I swiped the top right screen corner (charm bar) in the win 8 start page, going to Settings>Power (shift clicking on Restart) >Troubleshoot>Advanced Options. However, there are no UEFI settings options on this page.

I would be most appreciative if anyone can offer any suggestions as to where to go from here.

Best Answer

If you have your bootable USB ready, you can set the boot order in your BIOS.

The difficulty could be accessing the BIOS. In theory, you should just have to shut down the laptop, press the power button and immediately start tapping the F2 key or maybe F12 or F10 to bring up the BIOS. However, you may run into problems. According to this site

By default, a Windows 8/8.1 shutdown is not a real shutdown. Instead, it is hybrid shutdown where contents of memory are saved to disk. This allows for a faster startup. However, turning on the PC after a hybrid shutdown does not allow for pressing F1 or F12 during startup.

There are several ways to enter Setup Utility (F1) or the Boot Menu (F12) on a Microsoft Windows 8/8.1 PC as explained below:

  • Press and hold the Shift key while selecting the Shutdown option in Windows 8. This will make the PC perform a full shutdown instead of a hybrid shutdown. Then F1 or F12 can be pressed successfully during startup.
  • Select Restart instead of Shutdown. Then F1 or F12 can be pressed successfully during startup.
  • Disable the fast startup option in Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Power Options -> Choose what the power buttons do.

BIOS versions vary, but you should be able to find the boot order menu and figure out how to change it by looking around. Put USB at the top of the list, and with the USB inserted, save configuration and exit. Now the computer should try to boot again, and if the stars are in your favour if you got everything right and the USB you made is compatible then it will boot. Things to consider:

Try using Legacy Mode instead of UEFI if it is available; this seems to avoid problems for many devices.

You might have to disable secure boot, which has to be done in BIOS too. If Windows boots after the boot order has been set to boot USB first, try disabling secure boot.

If your laptop boots with 32-bit UEFI only (even for running a 64-bit OS) you will probably need to edit your USB

If these tips don't help, visit this well-maintained forum post for more troubleshooting