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I got an Acer Aspire E15 and came with Windows 8.1 pre-installed, and UEFI / Secure boot, would like to install Ubuntu on dual boot, but I have no experience with laptops that have the system UEFI / Secure boot, this is new to me.

So I would like, if possible, that you explain me how to install step by step, and would like to know which procedures and care must be taken to not lose the Windows installation because according to me Acer responded via Twitter "The exchange software is not recommended because some functions may be damaged and may decrease its performance beyond the warranty loss. "

I believe that dual boot is not an exchange of software, for I will keep Windows on the machine, moreover it seems somewhat authoritative by the manufacturer make me use Windows only (installed without my consent). If someone went through it too, could explain how proceeded with these issues, the installation has caused loss of warranty to you?

Rinzwind
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For information on installing Ubuntu in dual-boot with Windows 8 or 8.1 on an EFI-based system, see:

Note that there's a lot of bad information out there relating to EFI-mode installations, so following random instructions you find on the net can easily lead you astray.

In theory, disabling Secure Boot should not be required. In practice, it's usually not required, although in some cases it is. There are, however, other firmware and/or Windows options that must be changed -- in particular, the Windows Fast Startup feature, and occasionally a firmware feature with a similar name. See my page for details.

As to warranties, I'm sure that varies by country. In many cases, though, manufacturers or vendors make flat-out false claims about how installing an "unauthorized" OS will void the machine's warranty. They're certainly under no obligation to provide Ubuntu support to you, but if (say) the disk dies, chances are they'll replace it no matter what OS you've installed. That said, I'm not a lawyer, and unless I've overlooked it, you haven't provided the critical detail of what country you're in. That detail will determine what laws apply.

Rod Smith
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