Re: Is it possible to dual-boot both MBR & GPT without changing BIOS settings on laptop
TJ <[email protected]>
| Newsgroups | alt.os.linux,uk.comp.os.linux,alt.comp.microsoft.windows,alt.comp.os.windows-11 |
|---|---|
| Organization | A noiseless patient Spider |
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
On 2025-11-10 19:27, Java Jive wrote: > You may recall the disk layout I was trying to achieve success with: > > Disk 1: 256GB (nominal) SSD - MBR partitioning > P1: Win 7 Pro, NTFS > P2: Win 10 Pro, NTFS > P3: Win 7 32-Bit Pro, NTFS > (for old scanner with only 32-bit drivers) > P4: Ubuntu 24, ext4 > > Disk 2: 2TB (nominal) HD - MBR partitioning > P1: Windows Data, NTFS > P2: Linux Data, ext4 > > Disk 3: 128GB (nominal) MiniSSD - GPT partitioning > P1: 128MB UEFI Boot, FAT32 > P2: Win 11 Pro, NTFS > FWIW, I multi-boot on my UEFI-capable machines using the rEFInd boot manager. https://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/ IIRC, I believe it can boot either an EFI or a BIOS OS, but you might want to read the website carefully to confirm that. Seems to me that I was able to boot a legacy usb stick once, but it's been a couple of years since I tried it. While it works for me, there are several differences between my machines and yours. I'm using Mageia 9 Linux, for one thing, and it will install rEFInd on your UEFI machine for you if requested. I do not have separate Windows partitions. For the very few things I need Windows to do I have a Windows 7 and Windows 10 guests in VirtualBox. At this time I have zero interest in Windows 11. I also have a relatively new scanner, part of an HP Envy Photo 7858 printer. My old scanner died a few years back, and while looking for a stand-alone model to replace it I discovered that the most economical way to get one was to buy one with a printer attached. The scanner, as well as my color Laserjet m254dw, can be connected via wifi or Ethernet and both work well with both Mageia and the Windows guests. TJ