Replace Windows with Mxlinux installation  [Solved]

When you run into problems installing MX Linux XFCE
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Author
Yunoha
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2025 9:51 am

Re: Replace Windows with Mxlinux installation

#11 Post by Yunoha »

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System:
  Kernel: 6.1.0-29-amd64 [6.1.123-1] arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 12.2.0
    parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/antiX/vmlinuz quiet splasht nosplash checkmd5
  Desktop: Xfce v: 4.20.0 tk: Gtk v: 3.24.38 info: xfce4-panel wm: xfwm v: 4.20.0 vt: 7
    dm: LightDM v: 1.32.0 Distro: MX-23.5_x64 Libretto Jan 12  2025 base: Debian GNU/Linux 12
    (bookworm)
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: Acer product: Aspire A315-54 v: V1.00 serial: <superuser required>
  Mobo: WL model: Sleepy_WC v: V1.00 serial: <superuser required> UEFI: Insyde v: 1.00
    date: 04/30/2019
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT1 charge: 18.4 Wh (91.1%) condition: 20.2/36.7 Wh (55.1%) volts: 11.3 min: 11.3
    model: LG PABAS0241231 type: Li-ion serial: <filter> status: discharging
CPU:
  Info: model: Intel Core i5-8265U bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Comet/Whiskey Lake note: check
    gen: core 8 level: v3 note: check built: 2018 process: Intel 14nm family: 6 model-id: 0x8E (142)
    stepping: 0xC (12) microcode: 0xB2
  Topology: cpus: 1x cores: 4 tpc: 2 threads: 8 smt: enabled cache: L1: 256 KiB
    desc: d-4x32 KiB; i-4x32 KiB L2: 1024 KiB desc: 4x256 KiB L3: 6 MiB desc: 1x6 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 450 high: 800 min/max: 400/3900 scaling: driver: intel_pstate
    governor: powersave cores: 1: 400 2: 400 3: 400 4: 400 5: 400 6: 800 7: 400 8: 400
    bogomips: 28800
  Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
  Vulnerabilities:
  Type: gather_data_sampling status: Vulnerable: No microcode
  Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled
  Type: l1tf status: Not affected
  Type: mds status: Not affected
  Type: meltdown status: Not affected
  Type: mmio_stale_data status: Vulnerable: Clear CPU buffers attempted, no microcode; SMT
    vulnerable
  Type: reg_file_data_sampling status: Not affected
  Type: retbleed mitigation: Enhanced IBRS
  Type: spec_rstack_overflow status: Not affected
  Type: spec_store_bypass mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via prctl
  Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization
  Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Enhanced / Automatic IBRS; IBPB: conditional; RSB filling;
    PBRSB-eIBRS: SW sequence; BHI: SW loop, KVM: SW loop
  Type: srbds status: Vulnerable: No microcode
  Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel WhiskeyLake-U GT2 [UHD Graphics 620] vendor: Acer Incorporated ALI driver: i915
    v: kernel arch: Gen-9.5 process: Intel 14nm built: 2016-20 ports: active: eDP-1 empty: HDMI-A-1
    bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:3ea0 class-ID: 0300
  Device-2: Quanta VGA WebCam type: USB driver: uvcvideo bus-ID: 1-7:3 chip-ID: 0408:a031
    class-ID: 0e02 serial: <filter>
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.7 compositor: xfwm v: 4.20.0 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa dri: iris gpu: i915 display-ID: :0.0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 509x286mm (20.04x11.26") s-diag: 584mm (22.99")
  Monitor-1: eDP-1 model: ChiMei InnoLux 0x15f5 built: 2017 res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 142
    gamma: 1.2 size: 344x193mm (13.54x7.6") diag: 394mm (15.5") ratio: 16:9 modes: 1920x1080
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6 Mesa 22.3.6 renderer: Mesa Intel UHD Graphics 620 (WHL GT2)
    direct-render: Yes
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Cannon Point-LP High Definition Audio vendor: Acer Incorporated ALI
    driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel alternate: snd_soc_skl,snd_sof_pci_intel_cnl bus-ID: 00:1f.3
    chip-ID: 8086:9dc8 class-ID: 0403
  API: ALSA v: k6.1.0-29-amd64 status: kernel-api tools: alsamixer,amixer
  Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.0.0 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse status: active
    2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin 4: pw-jack type: plugin
    tools: pactl,pw-cat,pw-cli,wpctl
Network:
  Device-1: Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter vendor: Lite-On
    driver: ath10k_pci v: kernel modules: wl pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 01:00.0
    chip-ID: 168c:0042 class-ID: 0280
  IF: wlan0 state: up mac: <filter>
  Device-2: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet vendor: Acer Incorporated ALI
    driver: r8169 v: kernel pcie: speed: Unknown lanes: 63 link-max: gen: 6 speed: 64 GT/s port: 3000
    bus-ID: 02:00.0 chip-ID: 10ec:8168 class-ID: 0200
  IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter>
Bluetooth:
  Device-1: Lite-On Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Bluetooth type: USB driver: btusb v: 0.8
    bus-ID: 1-10:4 chip-ID: 04ca:3015 class-ID: e001
  Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 rfk-id: 3 state: down bt-service: N/A rfk-block: hardware: no
    software: yes address: <filter>
  Info: acl-mtu: 1024:8 sco-mtu: 50:8 link-policy: rswitch hold sniff
    link-mode: peripheral accept
RAID:
  Hardware-1: Intel 82801 Mobile SATA Controller [RAID mode] driver: ahci v: 3.0 port: 4060
    bus-ID: 00:17.0 chip-ID: 8086:282a rev: N/A class-ID: 0104
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 29.3 GiB used: 2.17 GiB (7.4%)
  ID-1: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 type: USB vendor: Generic model: Flash Disk size: 29.3 GiB
    block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B type: SSD serial: <filter> rev: 8.01 scheme: MBR
  SMART Message: Unknown USB bridge. Flash drive/Unsupported enclosure?
Partition:
  Message: No partition data found.
Swap:
  Alert: No swap data was found.
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 45.0 C pch: 49.0 C mobo: N/A
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Repos:
  Packages: pm: dpkg pkgs: 2136 libs: 1065 tools: apt,apt-get,aptitude,nala,synaptic pm: rpm
    pkgs: 0 pm: flatpak pkgs: 0
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian-stable-updates.list
    1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list
    1: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
    2: deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bookworm-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mx.list
    1: deb https://mxrepo.com/mx/repo/ bookworm main non-free
Info:
  Processes: 267 Uptime: 23m wakeups: 2 Memory: 7.61 GiB used: 4.57 GiB (60.0%) Init: SysVinit
  v: 3.06 runlevel: 5 default: graphical tool: systemctl Compilers: gcc: 12.2.0 alt: 12
  Client: shell wrapper v: 5.2.15-release inxi: 3.3.26
Boot Mode: UEFI

lsblk -f

Code: Select all

NAME   FSTYPE   FSVER LABEL   UUID                                 FSAVAIL FSUSE% MOUNTPOINTS
loop0  squashfs 4.0                                                      0   100% /live/linux
sda                                                                               
└─sda1 vfat     FAT32 MXLINUX FEBF-C297                              27.1G     7% /home/demo/Live-usb-storage
                                                                                  /root/Live-usb-storage
                                                                                  /live/boot-dev

I validated the checksum of the iso-file and the integritiy of the installation.

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j2mcgreg
Global Moderator
Posts: 6849
Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2007 12:04 pm

Re: Replace Windows with Mxlinux installation

#12 Post by j2mcgreg »

Question: Did you make any changes to your bios other than disabling Secure Boot?
HP 15; ryzen 3 5300U APU; 500 Gb SSD; 8GB ram
HP 17; ryzen 3 3200; 500 GB SSD; 12 GB ram
Idea Center 3; 12 gen i5; 256 GB ssd;

In Linux, newer isn't always better. The best solution is the one that works.

Yunoha
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2025 9:51 am

Re: Replace Windows with Mxlinux installation

#13 Post by Yunoha »

No. Of coure, I disabled secure boot.

Moreover, I allowed ''F12 Boot Menu'', so I can change the boot order with F12-Function Key.

To disable secure boot, I had to create a supervisor password, but I cleared that afterwards, so I can access the bios without the password

User avatar
FullScale4Me
Posts: 1089
Joined: Fri Jan 08, 2021 11:30 pm

Re: Replace Windows with Mxlinux installation  [Solved]

#14 Post by FullScale4Me »

Looking at this Laptop's list of drivers, I see IRST (Intel® Rapid Storage Technology) Driver aka RAID.

It's likely that changing the SATA Controller 'mode' to AHCI will return visibility of the SSD installed. User manual is a bit sparse (not unusual for offshore made devices) so I'm going to guess there *might* be a Control Panel applet for IRST aka RST aka Intel Optane to disable it.

As SATA Raid becomes more prevalent in PCs made available to Linux (4 or less than years old) this might be worthy of a FAQ List entry for MX Linux 25.

Right click on the Start Button and select Device Manager. Expand IDE/ATA/ATAPI controllers and highlight Standard SATA AHCI Controller. Right click and select properties. Select Driver tab. Click Driver details. If the SATA controller is in AHCI mode (what we need) the drive filename should have ahci in it. The controller driver file name below is storahci.sys BTW.

If it says RAID/RST/Optane see below.

Image

Guidance for changing the SATA Controller to AHCI mode in section 4.8 - https://fullscale4me.com/Dual-Boot-MX-Linux-and-Windows-Installation-Guide.pdf
Michael O'Toole
MX Linux facebook group moderator
Dell OptiPlex 7050 i7-7700, MX Linux 23 Xfce & Win 11 Pro
HP Pavilion P2-1394 i3-2120T, MX Linux 23 Xfce & Win 10 Home
Dell Inspiron N7010 Intel Core i5 M 460, MX Linux 23 Xfce & KDE, Win 10

User avatar
operadude
Posts: 935
Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2019 12:08 am

Re: Replace Windows with Mxlinux installation

#15 Post by operadude »

@FullScale4Me Thanks for that :number1:

And, love your guide :exclamation:

Yeah, looking forward to an updated guide for MX-25 :crossfingers:

Yunoha
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2025 9:51 am

Re: Replace Windows with Mxlinux installation

#16 Post by Yunoha »

Thank you very much for the guide.

Just one question to be on the safe side. Do I need to implement the steps in the paragraph "Disable the VMD Controller – ASUS" or only the steps in the paragraph "Using MSConfig to Change Windows SATA Controller to AHCI mode"? I am not completely sure whether the former paragraph only applies to ASUS laptops

Minnie the Moocher
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2025 2:22 pm

Re: Replace Windows with Mxlinux installation

#17 Post by Minnie the Moocher »

@Yunoha

You can simply enter Bios settings and change "sata mode" to Ahci there, save and exit, then install.

Yunoha
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2025 9:51 am

Re: Replace Windows with Mxlinux installation

#18 Post by Yunoha »

Yes, I just saw that I can just change it in the BIOS.

So I do not have to secure boot-mode, as outlined in the guide?

Minnie the Moocher
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2025 2:22 pm

Re: Replace Windows with Mxlinux installation

#19 Post by Minnie the Moocher »

Turn off secure boot but while you're at it (if you haven't already) first boot to Windows and make sure "Fast Startup" is disabled there.

Then in Bios:

Change sata mode to ahci,
Turn off Secure Boot,
and (if there is such an option) turn off Fast Boot,
save and exit.

Finally boot with your live usb, install (any way you like).

Minnie the Moocher
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2025 2:22 pm

Re: Replace Windows with Mxlinux installation

#20 Post by Minnie the Moocher »

If you were willing to keep Windows (dual boot) then you would first enter Regedit in Windows and do the changes for ahci, then change it in Bios after that (to not make Windows unbootable). But in your case you already want to wipe Windows, therefore you don't need such a step.

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