On Apr 8, 2014 3:19 AM, "Fred New" <fred.new2911@gmail.com> wrote:

snip

>>
>> > And since Windows on my system places itself first in the EFI boot list
>> > every time it
>> > is booted,
>>
>> That's likely an issue in your system's firmware or Windows install
>> (somehow). It shouldn't be doing that.
>
>
> Yes, it seems that any time I touch my firmware configuration ("BIOS
> settings") or interrupt the boot sequence to boot Windows (after I've
> managed to put Fedora first), the boot order resets to Windows first.
> It may not be Windows doing it. I cannot move Fedora to the top of
> the list using the "BIOS settings", I need to use efibootmgr for that.
> (HP Envy 17-j007eo)

It may indeed be your firmware in your case, but Windows 8 does force similar annoying behaviour if you have its "fastboot" option enabled. Turn it off and you get to control your boot order again.

http://winaero.com/blog/how-to-disable-or-enable-fast-startup-in-windows-8-1/ is roughly what I recall doing.