Help! First OS slot is empty. Can't get past Boot Menu! Tablet with no keyboard!

[Mugsy]

I am so screwed.

I have a touch-screen tablet with disabled USB ports (no keyboard, no USB drives/devices.) I was trying to install Ubuntu using WubiUefi with rEFInd but it didn't work.

The touch screen does not work in the rEFInd boot menu and I can't select the Windows icon to get back into Windows. Every time I restart the tablet, the menu comes back up.

The same problem is preventing me from resetting my bios (no, there is no reset button on the tablet.)

Am I SoL? Did I just turn my tablet into an expensive doorstop? :(

[mfvianna]

Ugh!

Sounds like real trouble. rEFInd does support touch screen (depending on hardware, of course) but this is not enabled by default in the config file. Having had it enabled and setting a timeout while defaulting to booting Windows could have helped.

Reading your post that USB ports are disabled makes this a difficult challenge. Check the manual or with the manufacturer (or forums about your model) how to reset it to factory settings (or something analogous to putting an iOS device in recoverying mode), this is the most I can think of on how to help.

There must be a way to reset the unit to factory settings or so. (usually turning on and pressing the button (or a combuination of some buttons) continuously for that many seconds...

Wish you good luck

[Roderick W. Smith]

Unfortunately, the solutions that spring to mind require functionality that might be difficult or impossible to obtain on a tablet -- namely, using a plug-in keyboard or disassembling the computer to remove its disk so you can work on it on another computer. The manufacturer may have some special procedure to bypass the boot loader in some way, though. Certainly this is common with Android tablets and cell phones. You might also ask about this on a forum dedicated to the device; people there may know of hacks or workarounds for such problems, even if the manufacturer is unhelpful.