In this guide, we will walk through the steps required to install 64-bit Ubuntu on a 32-bit UEFI Bay Trail Atom Tablet. This process can be a bit tricky due to the hardware limitations of these tablets, but with careful attention to the steps outlined below, you should be able to successfully install Ubuntu on your device.
Preparation
Before we begin, you’ll need to download the latest Ubuntu 14.10 (64-bit) ISO file. You can find this on the official Ubuntu website. Please note that Ubuntu 14.10 has reached its end of life and is no longer supported. If possible, consider using a more recent version of Ubuntu or alternative distributions like Xubuntu or Fedora 34, which have specific solutions for Bay Trail tablets.
Next, you’ll need to create a bootable Ubuntu 14.10 USB drive. For this, we recommend using the Universal USB Installer, which you can download from here.
Finally, you’ll need to download the bootia32.efi file from GitHub, which can be found here. This file is crucial as it allows the 64-bit Ubuntu to boot on a 32-bit UEFI system. Place this file in the EFI/BOOT/ folder of your USB drive.
Booting from USB
With your bootable USB drive ready, connect it to your tablet and power it on. When the boot menu appears, select “Try Ubuntu without installing”. This will allow you to test Ubuntu on your device without making any changes to your existing operating system.
Partitioning
Once Ubuntu has loaded, you’ll need to partition your tablet’s internal storage. This step is crucial if you want to dual-boot Ubuntu and Windows 8. We recommend using Windows disk management for this.
Installing Ubuntu
After partitioning your storage, you can proceed with the installation of Ubuntu. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.
Booting into Ubuntu
After the installation is complete, leave the USB drive connected to your tablet and restart it. When the GRUB screen appears, press the “C” key to enter the command line interface.
Here, you’ll need to enter the following lines of code:
linux (hd0,gpt5)/boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-23-generic root=/dev/mmcblk0p3
initrd (hd0,gpt5)/boot/initrd-3.16.0-23-genericIn this code, (hd0,gpt5) refers to the partition on which Ubuntu is installed, and /dev/mmcblk0p3 is the root directory of the Ubuntu installation. These values may vary depending on your specific setup, so adjust them as necessary.
After entering these lines, type the boot command and press enter. If successful, you should boot into your freshly installed Ubuntu 14.10.
Finalizing the Installation
Once in Ubuntu, open a terminal and run the command sudo apt-get remove grub-efi-amd64. This will remove the 64-bit version of GRUB, which is incompatible with your 32-bit UEFI system.
Next, install the two .deb packages (grub-efi-ia32-bin_2.02~beta2-15_amd64.deb and grub-efi-ia32_2.02~beta2-15_amd64.deb) from the USB drive. These packages contain the 32-bit version of GRUB, which is compatible with your system.
Finally, run the command sudo update-grub in the terminal. This will update GRUB with the new configuration.
Conclusion
After following these steps, you should now have a working installation of 64-bit Ubuntu on your 32-bit UEFI Bay Trail Atom Tablet. Please note that this guide is specific to the Winbook Tw100 tablet and may not work exactly the same on other devices. Additionally, there are some known issues with certain functionalities like sound, touchscreen, battery, and accelerometer on the Tw100 tablet.
Remember to always back up your data before making any major changes to your system, and happy computing!
This guide is specifically tailored for the Winbook Tw100 tablet, and while it may work on other similar tablets, there is no guarantee. It is recommended to research and find specific guides for your tablet model.
Yes, you can use a different version of Ubuntu. However, please note that this guide is specifically written for Ubuntu 14.10, and the steps may vary slightly for different versions. It is recommended to consult the documentation or community resources for the specific version you are using.
Yes, you can dual-boot Ubuntu and Windows 8 on your tablet. The guide recommends using Windows disk management to partition your tablet’s internal storage before installing Ubuntu. This will allow you to have both operating systems on your device.
Yes, it is recommended to remove the 64-bit version of GRUB after installing Ubuntu. This can be done by running the command sudo apt-get remove grub-efi-amd64 in the terminal. Removing the 64-bit version and installing the 32-bit version of GRUB ensures compatibility with your 32-bit UEFI system.
Yes, there are some known issues with certain functionalities on the Winbook Tw100 tablet, such as sound, touchscreen, battery, and accelerometer. These issues may vary depending on the specific tablet, and it is recommended to research and find solutions or workarounds for these problems if you encounter them.
