Helping Me Decide Whether to Give Up Systems Where I Can't Figure Out How to Get Rid of Secure Boot Or Not
by des_a from LinuxQuestions.org on (#6GAXR)
I need some help deciding whether to give up using PCs with secure boot or not, when I can't figure out in UEFI/BIOS how to disable the secure boot, going forward. This decision will effect future purchasing decisions on my part. I'm essentailly trying to reduce windows use and replace it with Linux use. I have known a lot about Linux for some time, as shown by my encounters with it on this site. However, I'm now going mostly Linux for use. At least for home, and personal use. Besides possible servers, I'll still need a copy or two for hardware and software that doesn't work with Linux, that I must use.
If it's ever possible to use them with Linux, or perhaps reactos (but reactos must at least be at 1.0 by then), I will probably switch them to it. But for now, those things just don't work. I'm using a mini PC for my main copy of windows for now. I still have some dual boot systems too, which I almost don't need.
The question now, is a piece of software called Easy 2 boot. I have tested Ventoy, and found that I can easily create flash drives with multiple ISOs. What I have found though, is they do not seem to support booting with secure boot enabled. My previous Easy 2 boot, does. I have researched creating them in Linux, and while possible, it IS a bit more difficult. If I chose to continue supporting that as main way to install things, I could make it easier with my own stuff. Even if I need a little practive with "expect" to make it work, I should be advanced enough I'm capable of doing it. Perhaps expect was replaced, I don't know, but for those who know what I'm talking about, you get the idea. I remember messing with it vaguely before. It was a great open source tool for automating the command line on Linux. Probably, in fact, I believe it was FOSS.
However, I'm deciding now between just using ventoy, and declaring that for my Linux systems, i do not support secure boot, and only support machines for which I know how to disable it, or for which it doesn't even exist. That's choice number 1. Choice number 2, is that I could make installing it easier for easy 2 boot, and continue to support it. Yet another, choice number 3, is I could support creating it from my windows PC ONLY, and just use that to create it.
I'm leaning towards choice number 1, but I need some advice on it. I hate the general philosophy of windows licenses and a bunch of other sutff, but we live in a world where sometimes we don't have other options. Also when learning to license, I may not always be able to license under what I'd prefer, though I rarely need to get as strict and stuff as microsoft does. It's all about strategy vs beliefs on how to license stuff. Of course as a user, I gravitate towards FOSS, when possible and for something which is not FOSS, I really do want to see FOSS win most of the time.
But you also have to balance ease of use, where sometimes FOSS is not as easy to use. Also I will have to check easy 2 boot's license in the first place, because I would like whichever choice I make to be compatible with businesses I may run in the future too. By the way, I may also need windows and mac for creating software, as I go on.
As far as businesses or schools I may go to, or work at in the future, once the switch is made, I would really like to adopt a policy where I either make them provide me with a machine, just to use for that, or if really needed, buy another machine, just for that use. As far as my network goes, I will allow running those OSs, but there may be additional rules to follow when others do it.
Please help me decide which choice to make about the Easy 2 boot and secure boot. I'll keep it open a reasonable amount of time after all the helpful replies. But even when helpful, not forever.
If it's ever possible to use them with Linux, or perhaps reactos (but reactos must at least be at 1.0 by then), I will probably switch them to it. But for now, those things just don't work. I'm using a mini PC for my main copy of windows for now. I still have some dual boot systems too, which I almost don't need.
The question now, is a piece of software called Easy 2 boot. I have tested Ventoy, and found that I can easily create flash drives with multiple ISOs. What I have found though, is they do not seem to support booting with secure boot enabled. My previous Easy 2 boot, does. I have researched creating them in Linux, and while possible, it IS a bit more difficult. If I chose to continue supporting that as main way to install things, I could make it easier with my own stuff. Even if I need a little practive with "expect" to make it work, I should be advanced enough I'm capable of doing it. Perhaps expect was replaced, I don't know, but for those who know what I'm talking about, you get the idea. I remember messing with it vaguely before. It was a great open source tool for automating the command line on Linux. Probably, in fact, I believe it was FOSS.
However, I'm deciding now between just using ventoy, and declaring that for my Linux systems, i do not support secure boot, and only support machines for which I know how to disable it, or for which it doesn't even exist. That's choice number 1. Choice number 2, is that I could make installing it easier for easy 2 boot, and continue to support it. Yet another, choice number 3, is I could support creating it from my windows PC ONLY, and just use that to create it.
I'm leaning towards choice number 1, but I need some advice on it. I hate the general philosophy of windows licenses and a bunch of other sutff, but we live in a world where sometimes we don't have other options. Also when learning to license, I may not always be able to license under what I'd prefer, though I rarely need to get as strict and stuff as microsoft does. It's all about strategy vs beliefs on how to license stuff. Of course as a user, I gravitate towards FOSS, when possible and for something which is not FOSS, I really do want to see FOSS win most of the time.
But you also have to balance ease of use, where sometimes FOSS is not as easy to use. Also I will have to check easy 2 boot's license in the first place, because I would like whichever choice I make to be compatible with businesses I may run in the future too. By the way, I may also need windows and mac for creating software, as I go on.
As far as businesses or schools I may go to, or work at in the future, once the switch is made, I would really like to adopt a policy where I either make them provide me with a machine, just to use for that, or if really needed, buy another machine, just for that use. As far as my network goes, I will allow running those OSs, but there may be additional rules to follow when others do it.
Please help me decide which choice to make about the Easy 2 boot and secure boot. I'll keep it open a reasonable amount of time after all the helpful replies. But even when helpful, not forever.