Proactive setup instructions for dual boot with Windows & Ubuntu via Grub using legacy keyboards

[Arlen Holder]

Proactive setup instructions for dual boot with Windows & Ubuntu via Grub
using legacy keyboards.

NOTE: This information does not seem to be in the dual-boot tutorials!

I just set up a dual boot with 4 different Windows OS's plus Ubuntu 18.04
where the keyboard didn't respond in the Grub OS-selection screen.
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.os.linux/yQmtemiHcVk>
Have you ever seen a Grub that wouldn't respond to the keyboard?

Hence, there was no way to select four of the five operating systems.

The problem is that I followed standard dual-boot tutorals, where none of
the tutorials I followed even hinted at this grub-related keyboard issue.

For example, they cover EFI vs BIOS mode, but not "legacy" mode:
Windows XP & Linux dual-boot tutorials:
<https://linuxconfig.org/how-to-dual-boot-windows-xp-and-ubuntu-linux>
Windows 10 & Linux dual-boot tutorials:
<https://www.linuxtechi.com/dual-boot-ubuntu-18-04-lts-with-windows-10/>
<https://linoxide.com/distros/install-ubuntu-18-04-dual-boot-windows-10/>
etc.

The fact is after following the tutorials, grub was stuck at the 1st OS:
<http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=18_grub01.jpg>

The keyboard keys didn't work with Grub, but the keyboard
worked fine with all five operating systems, once booted:
<http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=18_grub02.jpg>

As most people do, I had modified Grub to boot to the previous OS:
a. Edit the grub configuration file:
$ sudo vi /etc/default/grub
b. Change the default from the first OS to the last saved OS:
# GRUB_DEFAULT=0
GRUB_DEFAULT=saved
GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true
c. Then update the configuration for Grub & reboot:
$ sudo update-grub
$ sudo shutdown -h now (or "sudo reboot")

But Grub was still stuck not responding to the keyboard (even though the
keyboard has been working fine for a decade on plenty of other OSs).

I had already backed up Grub - so I restored it - but nothing changed:
<http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=18_grub03.jpg>

The motherboard has PS2-style ports, so it's not a recent MB:
<http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=18_grub04.jpg>

The keyboard is a Lenovo model SK-8815 L, made in 2007:
<http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=18_grub10.jpg>

That keyboard worked fine with all 5 operating systems:
<https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/pd010250>

Apparently there is no easy way to tell it's a "legacy" keyboard.
The only way to know is that Grub will fail, after the fact.

The key is that everything else will work fine - but not Grub.

If Grub fails, then that means the BIOS has to be changed.
Specifically, the BIOS has to be manually set to "legacy" mode.

The BIOS had "USB Keyboard Function" set to "Disabled":
<http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=18_grub06.jpg>

I "Enabled" "Legacy support of USB Keyboard" in the BIOS:
<http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=18_grub07.jpg>

Just in case, I also "Enabled" "Legacy support of USB Mouse":
<http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=18_grub08.jpg>

Upon rebooting, the keyboard worked fine with Grub:
<http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=18_grub09.jpg>

Many thanks to the folks on a.o.l for figuring out the solution!

[Arlen Holder]

On 2 Jul 2018 20:28:20 GMT, Arlen Holder wrote:

> Apparently there is no easy way to tell it's a "legacy" keyboard.
> The only way to know is that Grub will fail, after the fact.
>
> The key is that everything else will work fine - but not Grub.
>
> If Grub fails, then that means the BIOS has to be changed.
> Specifically, the BIOS has to be manually set to "legacy" mode.
>
> The BIOS had "USB Keyboard Function" set to "Disabled":
> <http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=18_grub06.jpg>
>
> I "Enabled" "Legacy support of USB Keyboard" in the BIOS:
> <http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=18_grub07.jpg>

Bear in mind that the folks on a.o.l have clarified that the "legacy"
setting is that of the BIOS, and not of the keyboard.

That is, there is no "legacy" USB keyboard.

There is just the "Legacy USB Keyboard Function" setting in the BIOS.

If you're interested in the gory details, see any post by Aragorn in: