[[!meta title="Call for testing: UEFI"]]

[[!meta date="2014-04-16 19:40:00"]]

[[!tag announce]]

If you want to help Tails, UEFI support is ready for testing!

Even if you don't have access to UEFI hardware, and Tails already
works fine for you, it is useful that you make sure that these changes
do not break anything you care about.

UEFI support allows you to start Tails using a USB stick on recent
hardware, and especially on Mac. It enables you to use great
features such as [[doc/first_steps/persistence]] and [[automatic
upgrades|doc/first_steps/upgrade]].

Please see if it works for you:

 * If you have previously had problems starting Tails on your
   hardware, using a USB stick created with <span
   class="application">Tails Installer</span>: a new Tails with UEFI
   support may fix these problems.

 * If you are used to starting Tails using a USB stick created with <span
   class="application">Tails Installer</span>: make sure that UEFI support
   does not break things for you.

[[!toc levels=1]]

# How to try UEFI support?

These instructions allow you to try an **experimental version of
Tails** with UEFI support. Use it only for testing.

To follow these instructions, you will need two boot devices
compatible with Tails: either a DVD and a USB stick, or two
USB sticks.

Follow these steps exactly. Do not try to upgrade an existing Tails
USB stick.

1. Download the latest [test ISO](http://nightly.tails.boum.org/build_Tails_ISO_devel/).

1. Use any officially supported way to
   install the experimental ISO image
   to first device, that we will call *Alpha*, that can be a DVD or a USB stick. At this point,
   device *Alpha* does not support UEFI.

1. Start Tails from device *Alpha*, on a computer that starts fine
   with the latest official version of Tails.

1. Take detailed notes about how this boot goes.

1. *Clone & Install* device *Alpha* onto another USB stick with <span
   class="application">Tails
   Installer</span>. We
   will call this second device *Beta*, and it supports UEFI.

1. Get the computer you are really interested in using with Tails.
   It may start fine with the latest official version of Tails,
   or not.

1. Make sure this computer is configured to start with legacy BIOS and
   not only UEFI. Try any of the following options if available:

   - Enable Legacy mode
   - Disable Secure boot
   - Enable CSM boot
   - Disable UEFI

1. Start Tails from the USB stick *Beta* on this computer.

1. Take detailed notes about how this boot goes. If it fails, proceed
   to the next test:

1. Start Tails from the USB stick *Beta* in UEFI mode, again on the
   same computer:
   * On a Mac: plug the USB stick, press the power button, immediately
     press the Alt key until a boot menu appears, and then choose
     the entry that reads *Boot EFI* and looks like a USB stick.
   * On a PC: look first into the boot menu; if nothing reads *EFI* in
     there, look in the BIOS settings, and try any of the following
     options if available: `Disable Legacy mode`, `Disable CSM boot`,
     and `Enable UEFI`.

1. Take detailed notes about how this boot goes.

1. Report your results to us, as documented below.

Reporting success and failure
=============================

We are interested both in your success and failure reports. The exact
information we need in a report depends on whether you are reporting
success or failure.

## Reporting success

From Tails started in UEFI mode, please [[send us
a report|doc/first_steps/bug_reporting]] with <span
class="application">WhisperBack</span>. Include your testing notes,
and the answer to the following questions:

1. What is the number of the step you are reporting about?
1. What is the filename of the ISO you have been testing?
1. How exactly did you prepare the boot device?
1. What exact steps did you follow to start Tails from this device?

## Reporting failure

If you find a computer that cannot start with an experimental version
of Tails that supports UEFI, please first check if the problem you are
experiencing is [[already known|test_UEFI#known_issues]]. If it is,
then you do not need to send us a report. If not, read on.

Include the answer to the following questions:

1. What is the number of the step you are reporting about?
1. What is the filename of the ISO you have been testing?
1. How exactly did you prepare this boot device?
1. What exact steps did you follow to start Tails from this device?
1. What is the brand and model of the computer your have been
   testing on?
1. What is the type, brand, and model of this boot device?
1. What exactly happens when you tried to start Tails from
   this device?

Please also consider trying to reproduce the problem with the latest
official version of Tails, installed in the same way, on the same
hardware. Include the results in your report.

In any case, please email your report to <intrigeri@boum.org>. You may
encrypt it with OpenPGP to:

	pub   4096R/0xBACE15D2A57498FF 2009-09-13 [expires: 2014-09-12]
	      Key fingerprint = 1152 BF13 6B7A 1B1C 49FC  A659 BACE 15D2 A574 98FF
	uid                            intrigeri <intrigeri@boum.org>
	sub   4096R/0x4F5C654A93F976C9 2009-09-13 [expires: 2014-09-12]

<a id="known_issues">

# Known issues

Known issues of UEFI support are listed:

* as subtasks of [[!tails_ticket 5739]] in Redmine
* on [[the blueprint|blueprint/UEFI/syslinux#known_issues]]
