A Graphical Option for Multiboot Systems
If you're thinking about installing more than one operating system on your computer, a classic recommendation is to start with Windows. Why? Because Windows has never been particularly brilliant at detecting alternative systems. The average Linux distribution can solve that problem with something like GRUB, but there's a more complete graphical alternative called rEFInd. While it's not a fire-and-forget solution, rEFInd offers great flexibility and extensive documentation to configure it properly.
The practice of dual-booting has lost some popularity with the advance of virtual environments, but its usefulness remains. Some users prefer to separate work from pleasure with two different operating systems, combining Windows and Linux on the same drive. In such cases, it's never a bad idea to have a robust boot manager. The main distributions usually use GRUB (which also allows us to select a different kernel), but it would be a serious mistake to ignore rEFInd, which incorporates a graphical environment.
Installing rEFInd to Manage Your Operating Systems
The first thing to mention about rEFInd is that it's designed for EFI/UEFI systems. If your computer is configured in CSM/Legacy mode or has a traditional BIOS, rEFInd won't work. At the same time, you have to get your hands dirty depending on the operating system you start from. For example, installation from a Debian-based Linux distribution reduces to a typical sudo apt-get install refind, followed by the refind-install command. Ubuntu flavors can add the PPA maintained by rEFInd's own developer, but if you intend to install it under Windows, its requirements multiply.
First, you have to mount the EFI partition using a system console with elevated privileges, and the command mountvol Z: /S (you can use another letter if you wish). Then you need to copy several files from the rEFInd zip into the EFI folder, remove unnecessary rEFInd drivers (optional, but recommended by the documentation), rename one of the files, and finally run a special command with bcdedit. All the details are available in the official tutorial, but there's something else: The last step is to enter the computer's UEFI and choose the rEFInd entry as the first boot option.
Installing rEFInd under Windows is not simple... but nor is it impossible
This is how rEFInd looks after installation
Details about the installed version. We can also add additional modules like MemTest.
In summary, the simplest approach is to install rEFInd once your computer already has all the operating systems, and do it from Linux, so you don't lose time modifying files or mounting hidden partitions. To finish, I want to mention that rEFInd supports additional modules like MemTest, and its official page contains specific instructions for those computers with Secure Boot versions that cannot be disabled.
For more information, visit the official rEFInd documentation.
Official site and downloads:Click here
