ASUS X501A disable se ure boot

[ftball]

Hello,
I've tried several times and I was unable to dual-boot this laptop. Linux does not recognize drive with windows if windows are installed, and Windows fail to install if Linux are installed. I've read that secure boot has to be disabled, and instructions mentioned holding Shift while clicking Restart button, but that simply gets me to BIOS, which does not have anything related to secure boot. Bios maker(?) is American Megatrends.

 

[stillblue]

Secure boot is indeed in the BIOS. double check. Some BIOSes require you to set a BIOS admin password before allowing you to turn it off.
That said, let's go through this again. you install windows (8?) and when your reboot to the USB to install linux you say it doesn't see windows. where are you in the install that it doesn't see? Are you just getting an offer to erase everything and install Linux (Ubuntu? Mint?) ? If that is the case I'd suspect that your have 4 primary partitions and there are none left to install linux. while booted with the linux USB open a terminal ctl+alt+t and type fdisk -l and list what it says.

 

[ftball]

Secure boot is indeed in the BIOS. double check. Some BIOSes require you to set a BIOS admin password before allowing you to turn it off.
That said, let's go through this again. you install windows (8?) and when your reboot to the USB to install linux you say it doesn't see windows. where are you in the install that it doesn't see? Are you just getting an offer to erase everything and install Linux (Ubuntu? Mint?) ? If that is the case I'd suspect that your have 4 primary partitions and there are none left to install linux. while booted with the linux USB open a terminal ctl+alt+t and type fdisk -l and list what it says.

Ubuntu saw whole hard drive as unallocated space. The live session actually saw partititions, but was unable to mount them. Funny thing is, I've tried exactly same procedure several times, and one time it succeeded. No idea why, but one time I booted Ubuntu, it recognized the partitions.

 

[stillblue]

Ubuntu installer saw it as one big space, not Ubuntu, it sees your partitions.
I'll repeat myself

If that is the case I'd suspect that your have 4 primary partitions and there are none left to install linux. While booted with the linux USB open a terminal ctl+alt+t and type fdisk -l and list what it says.

If you do this I can tell you for sure how to proceed. That said. IF you have win8 or win7 then get a 16gb flash drive and in windows make a recovery disk following their instructions. Doing that may erase the recovery partition but if it didn't then remove it yourself (look under disk management) after you have the recovery USB made. If you have the original install disk that would save your making the recovery one. While still in windows shrink the big partition to make room for the Ubuntu partition. Leave it empty.

IF that was the case you should now be able to install Ubuntu side by side windows.