BIOS UEFI vs. Legacy boot issues

☕ I have a Lenovo IdeaPad Z585 with Windows 8.1 pre-installed. The issue is that the BIOS refuses to stay in Legacy mode; even when I select it, it defaults right back to the Windows Boot Manager. I was trying to set up a Linux dual boot, but now it won't even recognize my bootable disc.
Anyone have any thoughts? Lenovo’s support pages are completely useless on this one.
Cheers, everyone.

Since those BIOS settings are adjusted before you even touch the Windows installation, you can't just swap the controller mode after the OS is already on there... You'd basically need to switch it over to Legacy, wipe the drive, and start the Windows install from scratch.

Besides, I don't think this has anything to do with Linux—it’s more likely you have a "quick boot" option available. Just pop in your Linux disc, tap that quick boot key (usually F12 or maybe F10), and select your optical drive from the menu to kick off the Linux installation.

I can't believe I actually have to wipe Windows just to tweak some BIOS settings.

George Ortiz82 said:I can't believe I actually have to wipe Windows just to tweak some BIOS settings.

It's because depending on the controller mode, the master boot record looks different... you can't just swap that out on the fly. ☕

It was bound to happen once the upgrade from 8 to Windows 8.1 handled itself. It wasn't acting up before; I really regret not setting up a dual boot back then.😵

But why wouldn't it boot if you made it with Rufus or whatever...
What did you actually burn onto that disc?

Then try getting into the installer... but if you haven't got an empty partition ready, you're gonna have a bad time with the installation.

The CD is running MemTest8.0, and it spins up once Windows has already loaded. However, when I jump into the BIOS, switch the settings to Legacy, and set the ATAPI drive as the first boot priority, followed by the network and then the HDD, everything resets. Upon restarting, the system just boots straight back into Windows, and the CD doesn't start spinning until after the OS is basically finished loading.������������

The same thing is happening with Fedora 21 🙂

Just grab the Linux ISO you're looking for, and then use Rufus to burn it onto a USB stick. One thing though—before you actually go through with the installation, make sure you head into Disk Management and carve out some unallocated space for a new partition. Like William Richardson12 mentioned, you're definitely going to run into headaches if you don't set up that partition before you start installing Linux.