I used Framework’s excellent walk thru about how to install Windows 11 w/ a brand new license key. That went swimmingly. Next, I wanted to dual boot to Linux Fedora to experiment. So I created a 50gb partition in windows using the disk manager (found youtube videos) and installed Fedora 36. That set up well.
I found another video describing how to change the boot order using something called Grub, so I fixed that. However, whenever it would boot to windows it would ask for a bitlocker recovery code.
I logged into my MS account and found the code, put it in, and now everything is working back to normal.
I found I missed a step about something called secure boot and that may have factored into this? Not quite sure how to turn it off in the FW.
did I screw anything up?
can I install stuff to Linux now without getting more bitlocker requests? Why did I get the bitlocker screen?
should I have just installed Linux on an external SSD?
If I want to in the future, is it possible to do another clean 100% reformat install like I did originally with my unformatted Hynix P31 drive? Basically to start from step 1 all over again? Will that overwrite Fedora and the boot loader and make the drive completely clean like when it came in it’s original state?
I know these are basic questions but I’ve never done anything like this before. Most of my experience with computers is plug and play.
I have never much been one for dual booting on the same disk since I first discovered Kali in my younger years and thought “Wow, cool!” and freely dual booted with not a care in the world, until the Windows updates came, until, the dark times! In regards to the modern day, I dare not dual boot off the same physical drive and cannot answer 1 with a sufficent level of certainty. VM’s for dayz!
With number 2, it has been known that Fedora can interfere with Windows (Karma, since Windows will mess with your Linux install), in regards to booting etc and future updates to the OS make it an entire possibility that you could get the BitLocker screen again.
In regards to 3, your choice, friend, some people use a large USB Stick, others tiny, size doesn’t matter, it’s what’s on the inside that counts
Finally, with number 4, that depends if you choose to do an advanced set-up with your Windows USB install, it is possible to partition and format drives from there, however, if you feel brave enough you can determine which Partition is safe to install the Windows OS on, in regards to your Bootloader, it will probably get overwritten, knowing Windows
It’s questions like these that get you learning, if you’ve no particular data you need cling to like personal photos and documents etc, go wild! Practice makes perfect!
So installing on a USB stick will be OK? Usability wise (for playing around) it should be OK?
@amoun, it seemed there were numerous options for secure boot in bios and I wasn’t sure what I was doing so I didn’t mess with it. But for now it is on. Hopefully it won’t mess me up too much in the future.
To clarify, running Fedora from a bootable USB? If so, yeah, should be alright IMO. Not suitable for running demanding games, but regular software and whatnot is perfectly fine. If you’re looking to store data on there on a more permanant basis, please lookup persistence, I believe it is mentioned In this guide here from Fedora, about making a Fedora Bootable USB.
Without persistance, you will boot into a clean install each time, with your installs, modifications and files gone to the lands of timbuktu!
I wish you the best of luck in your endevours! It was booting Linux Distributions from USB’s that got me into the OS in the first place (Along with the interests of ‘Hacking’ and whatnot), I found it a load of fun, now I have a stack of bootable CD’s of many different flavours of Linux!
