UEFI feature, or microsoft secure boot.

Hi all, first time poster.

I have just bought a new asus N56DP laptop. I am coming from a ibm t410 and a ibm t61 before that. I have also owned a few dells and others. I am actually pretty computer savy and have been using both Linux and windows at home and work for about 20 years now.

I like this laptop. for several reasons. I do have several questions. I am hoping that people here that may not have this particular model but may know the latest N-series laptops can answer some things for me.

1 why is the disk drive partitioned out of the box? I have a c drive with all kinds of stuff. and I have a d drive that is named data. why?

2 I have decided that I really don't care for windows8. but there are some new "features" with the bios on these machines. how do I boot from usb? and from CD? I believe I have disabled secure boot in the bios but I don't understand the boot order menu. that may be a thread by itself. maybe this would be an easier way to ask the question, can I install a different OS? if so how?

3 what's with the door or bendy door or piece of plastic in front of the NIC slot. how do you get the NIC cable out? I nearly broke something. is there a right way to unplug this? is there special cable or something?


things I like about this machine, just fyi
I love the screen. its sharp and clear
I like the processor. snappy. I can see any issues with the OS causing delays.
I like the touchpad. the buttons are a little harder to push than I would like.

things I don't like
I don't like widows 8
I don't like the lack of documentation about UEFI and secure boot
I don't like that asus does not have a downgrade path from windows8


thanks for your help

 

Congrats on the new machine, 1. Asus has been doing this for a while. I assume this part. scheme easily allows you to restore your OS to the C partition without touching your personal data on D.
(Do you also have a 3rd partiton for recovery ? just curious)
2. If you want to boot from USB or CD try pressing ESC shortly after power on and you should see an alternate boot menu (that way you do not have to enter the BIOS to change Boot order.
Do you plan to eventually do a dual boot with Win 7 and Linux?

 

1. Usually the reason for two partitions from factory settings is that one is for your OS and personal data (usually "C: OS"), while the other partition is reserved for the Recovery (usually "D: RECOVERY"). Are either of your partitions labeled as OS or RECOVERY? Or do you see recovery tools in either partition (don't attempt to launch any apps when checking for them, though)?

2. You can either access the quick boot menu during POST to change what device (USB or CD/DVD) to boot to, Or, to make a more permanent change, you can open up the BIOS/CMOS setup (aka UEFI) and place your preference at the top of the list, so that your selection takes priority. It's best to have your boot media already inserted when you make the change/selection.

3. Can you provide a picture of the slot you're referring to? I believe the NIC is attached to the underside of the motherboard, as is the case in most units.

I hope this helps!

 

so...

I could not live with windows 8.. I tried to merge some of the partitions but in the end I ended up with one big drive.. I add some partitions later. I then installed win 7 pro 64. if you go this route make sure you down load the nic driver and the wireless driver before you install W7. because windows 7 does not have a driver that will work.

now im much happier with this machine. its doing what I want and I feel like a have some messure of control. I installed the latest AMD drivers for the A10 chip set. all is running smooth.

thanks for the input
Ron

 

Good to hear! If you ever resort to a format + reload again, you can use driver backup utilities to make your life easier; SmartDriver backup works well, and DriverGrabber does a good job of grabbing the driver + utility (handy for those video drivers).