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I went to American Megatrends BIOS settings, there was an option to choose between windows 8.1 and Android. I have a Windows 10 PC. Should I select Android and boot or is it unsafe?!

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    Looks like you are talking about an notebook with ARM CPU if Android is installed by default and selectable in BIOS. What you want to use is your choice. If it is "unsafe" who knows, you have not included any details on the PC model you are using thus we can not know if it is safe or not.
    – Robert
    Commented Jul 20, 2021 at 11:40
  • @Robert The "Boot" is where the bootloader selection is made and you should find there Windows only unless (1) the user installed a dual-boot (or standalone) Linux -or- (2) you have one of the very rare Intel-based tablets or laptops that came with a factory installed Windows/Android dual-boot. In either case the OP would know it and wouldn't be asking this question, either because they installed it themselves or due to a different bootloader being used necessarily (Windows only boots other Windows). Please refer to the images here: android-x86.org/installhowto.html .
    – ChanganAuto
    Commented Jul 20, 2021 at 14:35
  • Model- 32 GB hard disk, 2 GB ram, with 2 * 32 GB ntfs pendrives
    – Frightened
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 0:22
  • @changanauto I only have windows in my PC,
    – Frightened
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 1:41
  • @Frightened Yes, as expected. If you want to install a dual-boot with a Linux distro later make sure to select "Android" instead, Windows will work the same as always.
    – ChanganAuto
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 1:43

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This upvoted comment seems to be a tentative answer or clarification about the situation in question:

Looks like you are talking about an notebook with ARM CPU if Android is installed by default and selectable in BIOS. What you want to use is your choice. (...)

I disagree with the above statement on both counts:

  1. It shows an "UEFI" settings interface typical of a x86_64 hardware architecture, not ARM and
  2. that selection/option doesn't mean "Android is installed by default", it doesn't mean it is installed at all, let alone "selectable"

What you're seeing is actually an arguably "weird" UEFI implementation where "OS IMAGE ID" is intended as the Secure Boot toggle:

  • "Windows 8.1" => Secure Boot ON -> Should be selected for any Windows 8.x or newer with Secure Boot (it can be used for dual-booting with or standalone desktop Linux if you don't mind using mokutil to define trust but generally not recommended)
  • "Android" => Secure Boot OFF -> Should be selected for any circumstance other than the above, i.e., if dual-booting with or standalone desktop Linux distro (without Secure Boot) and/or "Android for x86" or derivatives (mandatory).

In many computers with similar APTIO firmware with said toggle switch selecting "Android" instead of the default is strongly recommended because even if users don't mind the Secure Boot nuisance, the "Windows" option often results in (Linux) not being able to shutdown properly, hanging/freezing in the slash screen.

Other UEFI implementations may show "OS selection" (same thing, slightly different name) and other options like "Linux", "Windows 7" (typical in early implementations) or "Other". They all do the same, toggle Secure Boot ON or OFF.

That's all. Weird indeed but not such a mystery once we understand the above and certainly doesn't mean it came with Android preinstalled.

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    UEFI is not bound to a platform or CPU type, [U]EFI is available on ARM as well. Even Microsoft describes UEFI for ARM as a requirement for Windows 10 binding on SoC docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/bringup/…
    – Robert
    Commented Jul 20, 2021 at 14:29
  • @Robert Thanks, corrected. FYI, "SoC" is not necessarily ARM. Example: intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000056236/…
    – ChanganAuto
    Commented Jul 20, 2021 at 14:44
  • "SoC" in this case includes ARM platform see UEFI ARM binding in the linked page.
    – Robert
    Commented Jul 20, 2021 at 14:50
  • @Robert And that is a moot point. This is x86_64, the reason for the option in question is explained in the answer and your initial assumptions are incorrect. Everything I posted above comes from real world experience with many different laptops. Again, that's all. Further discussions can only lead to unnecessary confusion to the OP and future readers.
    – ChanganAuto
    Commented Jul 20, 2021 at 14:56
  • x86_64 right....
    – Frightened
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 0:20

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