On 06/08/2017 09:08 AM, David DLC wrote:
HP Spectre XT TouchSmart PC
The first task is to get a known good USB flash drive with the Debian
installer in it. Is there a local Linux Users Group, or do you have a
knowledgeable friend, who can help you with this?
The next task is booting the Debian installer USB flash drive. This is
a matter of adjusting BIOS/EFI/UEFI firmware settings until you find a
combination that works. Be sure to write down the factory settings
before you start, as you will likely break the ability of the computer
to boot Windows. Finding one configuration that boots either, selected
via a POST hot key, would be ideal.
The next task is installing Debian on the computer. Dual-boot sounds
appealing, but I found it to be a PITA to implement and maintain. It is
far easier to give each operating system its own system drive. For my
desktop and server machines, I put the HDD/SSD in mobile racks. I am
fortunate it that my older Dell Latitude E1505 laptop puts the HDD in an
externally-accessible bay.
Looking at the Maintenance and Service Guide for your computer:
http://www.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c03572829.pdf
Hard drive
Support for 6.35-cm (2.5-in) hard drives in 7.0-mm (.28-in) thickness
Serial ATA
Support for hard drive configuration as cache 32-GB mSATA
(installed with hard drive only)
Support for Accelerometer hard drive protection
Support for the following hard drives:
● 500-GB, 7200-rpm, 7.0-mm
● 500-GB, 5400-rpm, 7.0-mm
Solid-state drive
Support for mSATA solid-state drives
Serial ATA III
Support for the following single solid-state drive configurations:
● 256-GB mSATA
● 128-GB mSATA
Support for Intel Smart Response Technology 32-GB solid-state drive
I would suggest using a 2.5" HDD/SSD for Windows and using an mSATA SSD
for Debian. If your computer has both and the mSATA device is
configured as a cache, you will want to reconfigure the firmware and/or
Windows to stop using the cache before you install Debian.
David
