Can the system settings allow bios to launch directly to the boot manager?
Can the system settings allow bios to launch directly to the boot manager?
To overcome the issue with accessing Linux Mint, there might be a way to bypass the F9 key and go straight to the boot manager.
Obtain the free/community edition of easybcd and modify the boot menu to include Linux.
Adding Entries
All changes related to adding new entries to the EasyBCD menu and the BCD store can be made from the “Add New Entry” page of EasyBCD (selected from the “EasyBCD…”).
Next, review the site for the default boot entry setting and ensure the countdown is enabled; otherwise, it will immediately start with the main operating system.
These adjustments can be performed using bcd commands by booting from a Windows installation media, or you can also accomplish them from the Linux side, though this method is the simplest I know.
When reviewing the bios, I noticed it wasn't listed there. However, there is a Post Hotkey Delay setting. I adjusted it from the default of 0 to 5 seconds. This should give me more time to press the F9 key when turning on the laptop, making it much easier now.
Sadly, I can't alter the sequence of boot choices in the boot manager interface... I have to rely on the arrow keys to reach Linux... it's not too bad, but bothers me a lot since I'm increasingly using Linux.
Legacy or UEFI boot choice depends on whether the laptop was pre-installed with Windows. If so, it should use UEFI boot. Linux offers efibootmgr commands to configure boot entries in Firmware settings. When both Windows and Linux are installed together, a third-party solution like the rEFInd Boot Manager can be used.
I've verified that my windows is a UEFI boot... I'm not sure about Mint.
My grasp on side by side installation is unclear at best. I don't think it's a true side by side setup—it's on the same disk but in a different partition. I used the "something else" option during installation, but that didn't work. I expected to boot to a screen where I could pick the OS afterward, but that didn't happen. Now I can only boot to Mint using the boot manager.
Perhaps I wasn't clear enough about the setup. Windows is on one partition while Linux runs on another, but both are on the same disk. They share the EFI partition for booting loaders. It's likely you didn't set the correct partition in the 'Something else' option to install the bootloader. If you manage to boot into Windows, try EasyUEFI at https://www.easyuefi.com/index-us.html – the free trial should help create an EFI boot entry for Linux in Firmware and push it to the top.
It seems you were confused about having both OS installed on the same partition. You're wondering if side by side was actually with both operating systems on the same drive, which is something you're still learning about in Linux.