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March, 2013
Bios v 2.14.12.19
American Megatrends Inc.
Bios info 2104 x 64
Bios date 08/3/2012
EC Version MBEC-X79-0604
ME VERS. 7.1.21.1134
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Target Configuration
Set up the Asus boot options so I can choose to boot into
Kubuntu Grub, or into Windows7. The later being only a second choice
in order to run certain applications like Google Sketchup
that have been problematic under Kubuntu in the past.
Rather than having a dual-boot hard drive, the plan is to
completely separate the system drives. Win7, which is very slow to load
will be on an SSD drive.
Linux will use a traditional STA drive. The Linux drive will have the
grub2 loader and will be able to load different test versions.
I also wish to boot from USB in order to test certain images.
1. Summary
Booting from the Asus boot menu within the UEFI Bios screens
would give me quite different results, and the motherboard manual
was not helpful in determining what options one should pick to
produce the desired results.
This page will try to document my findings and test results
to better understand how one should set the boot options within
the Asus UEFI bios settings.
2. Configuration and Options for Testing Boot Process
ASUS EASY MODE
Here is the first boot screen that appears if you hold the Delete key pressed while booting the motherboard. ASUS calls this the EZ Mode menu.
Of interest for these tests, is the section near the bottom left called "Boot Priority." As the motherboard manual states, different icons will appear here depending on what devices you add to the motherboard.
I currently have two SATA drives connected, and powered up:
- The Linux boot drive is connected to SATA3G_6 closest to the motherboard. (The SATA3G_5 slot is physically above it) This HD has two different Linux images loaded on it, as well as the grub2 loader.
- Another data drive is connected to the SATA3G_5 slot. This drive does not have any boot images on it.
Also connected, but NOT powered up:
- The CD/DVD Reader connected to SATA3G_4 slot
- The win7 SSD connected to SATA3G_8 (which is labelled SSD caching.)
The devices that are not powered up do not appear in the Boot Priority Section below. (although this is not always true)
One can click on these icons and slide them from left to right, presumably setting the boot priority so that the device on the left boots first, but if not ready, the second device boots second, and if not ready, the third. I suspect that the menus in the Advanced settings do the same thing, but with different menus.
I do not know what the UEFI corner labels mean on the two last icons that show up. If you know, please let me know.
If you place the cursor over the Boot Priority icons, you get a description of the device underneath.
- P6 ST3500320AS (476940 MB) --no UEFI label
- ubuntu P5 ST3500320AS (no size) --UEFI Label over icon
- ubuntu P5 ST3500320AS (no size) --UEFI Label over icon
It seems that "P6" means that the device is connected to SATA3G_6. This picture below shows the details of the first icon on the left. (P6 ST3500320AS (476940 MB) --no UEFI label)
Unfortunately, if you connect the boot drive to SATA6G_1 the ASUS bios with identify the drive with a "P0 ST350032 ..." label, as if the numbering should begin with zero. (0) If you connect the boot drive to SATA3G_7 with SSD Caching, the ASUS bios identifies it without any label, (e.g. ubuntu ST350032...)
In spite of the lack of reason with this numbering, the motherboard will boot to either: grub2, or directly into the last booted image if you do not press "DEL" while booting. At other times if you do not select a menu it will boot into grub2.
Not sure why or how to control this. At least it boots into something!
It is not clear why the icon without UEFI label has a size indicated, and the next two do not. Here below shows the details of the second icon.
The third icon details are the same as the second one...
The Boot Menu
On the Easy Screen, click on the Boot Menu (F8) button as shown, and a Boot Menu screen
appears giving you four choices.
- P6: ST3500320AS (4766940 MB)
- P5: ST3500320AS (715484 MB)
- ubuntu (P5: ST3500320AS)
- ubuntu (P5: ST3500320AS)
Before we click each of these options to see what the motherboard will do, we will document the options we currently have in the advanced boot options.
To Enter Advanced Mode
Press the button "Advanced Mode" on the Eazy Mode screen as shown above. A popup
menu will ask you if you want to do this. Click "OK"
Advance Mode Menus
This is the first screen of the Advanced Mode menus. Click on the top tab called "Boot"
Bootup Numlock state: ON
Full Screen Logo: Enabled
Wait For "F1" If Error is "ENABLED"
Fast Boot is "ENABLED"
USB Support
- Disabled
- Full Initial
- Partially Initial<--- this item is highlighted on the menu
Network Stack Driver Support: "Disabled"
Option ROM Messages (Force bios)
- Force Bios <--- this item is highlighted on the menu
- (third party ROM messages will be forced to display during the boot process)
- Keep Current
- (third party ROM messages will be forced to display during the boot process only if the manufacturer has set the add-on device to do so)
Setup Mode: (System boots into Easy Screen, or Advanced Screen) Currently set to Easy Screen.
Next boot after AC Power Loss
>CSM parameters
From the ASUS Windows 8 Boot manual (DE114), "CSM allows you to configure the Compatipility Support Module items to fully support the various VGA, bootable devices and add-on devices for better compatibility."
- Auto <--- this item is highlighted on the menu (the system automatically detects the bootable devices and the add-on devices.
- Enabled (Enable the CSM to fully support the non-UEFI driver add-on devices or the Windows UEFI mode.)
- Disabled (Disable the CSM to fully support the Windows Security Update and Security Boot.)
>Security Boot parameters
- Windows 8 UEFI
- Other Legacy and UEFI<--- this item is highlighted on the menu
Boot Option Priorities
Boot Option 1
- P6: ST3500320AS (476940 MB) <--- this item is highlighted on the menu
- ubuntu (P5: ST3500320AS)
- ubuntu (P5: ST3500320AS)
- Disabled
Boot Option 2 (picture above)
- P6: ST3500320AS (476940 MB)
- ubuntu (P5: ST3500320AS)<--- this item is highlighted on the menu
- ubuntu (P5: ST3500320AS)
- Disabled
Boot Option 3
- P6: ST3500320AS (476940 MB)
- ubuntu (P5: ST3500320AS)
- ubuntu (P5: ST3500320AS)<--- this item is highlighted on the menu
- Disabled
Here are the Advances boot options, but they do not all show up here. Notice the scroll bar. It is possible to scroll further down, which reveals more options.
3. Boot-up TEST RESULTS
1. Boot and hold "DEL," press Item 1 in Boot Menu (P6: ST3500320AS (476940 MB) )
--> Boots directly to Kubuntu 13.10, bypasses grub2
2. Reboot with Power OFF/ON Button, and do not touch the "DEL" key
--> Boots directly to Kubuntu 13.10, bypasses grub2
3. Boot and hold "DEL," press Item 2 in Boot Menu (ubuntu (P5: ST3500320AS))
--> Boots directly to Kubuntu 13.10, bypasses grub2
4. Reboot with Power OFF/ON Button, and do not touch the "DEL" key
I had forgotten to not hold the DEL key, and began the reboot with my finger on it. Before the boot sequence was finished, I released it, but then I got this message:
Reboot and select proper Boot device or insert Boot Media in selected boot device and press a key
I pressed a key... But got same message:
Reboot and select proper Boot device or insert Boot Media in selected boot device and press a key
5. Reboot with Power OFF/ON Button, and do not touch the "DEL" key
got same message:
Reboot and select proper Boot device or insert Boot Media in selected boot device and press a key
This shows that if one simply boots the machine, the ASUS UEFI/bios will uses the last selection that you tried... even if it did not work.
I tried option 2 again and got back into Kubuntu 13.10
This brought me into Grub2, the Linux boot loader. Too bad ASUS does not provide a way to clearly edit the menu items.
7. Reboot and wait to see...
This brought me into Grub2, the Linux boot loader.
8. Boot and hold "DEL," press item 4 in Boot Menu (ubuntu (P5: ST3500320AS))
This brought me into Grub2, the Linux boot loader. (menu selection 4)
9. Reboot and wait to see...
This brought me into Grub2, the Linux boot loader. (no menu selected, last boot used)
10. Reboot and wait to see...
This brought me into Grub2, the Linux boot loader. (no menu selected, last boot used)
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The Advanced Menu, under Boot Priority has four options.
I had thought that "P6" and "P5" had to do with the SATA socket number used for the device, but it does not make sense here because the Archive drive was on "P5" and there is no linux bootable image on that drive. I unplugged the power cable on the drive to verify my understanding, yet the machine still boots fine into grub2 and Kubunbtu, and the four menu options are still visible in the Advanced Menu options.
(maybe UEFI counts from 1, and Bios counts from 0. If this may explain it, then the first menu item is created by UEFI, and the other two by legacy bios. To confuse matters more, ASUS has "UEFI labels on the las two items in the Easy Menu. Maybe they should be "legacy" labels.)
??
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General Questions:
1. is there a way to edit the menu items so they might say: Boot to Win7, or Boot to grub ?
2. explain the label numbering, or lack thereof
3. What does "UEFI" label over the icons mean in the Easy Menu?
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