this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2024
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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[–] [email protected] 149 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It is a time for a single linux boot.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I never did dual boot. The first time moving from windows 2000 to Linux, my hard drive was only 2 GB and I couldn't fit both of the OS:es on it, so I nuked the windows one.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 months ago

At one point my 1GB disk was the "big one" in the dorm. It was the windows share of some random media. I had room for the whole 40MB videos "Jesus vs Frosty" (The Spirit of Christmas) and "Jesus vs Santa Claus". It was before South Park became an actual show, but people watched those 100's of times off my hard drive.

When I bought a 3GB from Fry's it was an open question how we'd fill it. Of course, that was just as the mp3 codec started to gain traction... Problem solved.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago

That is freedom.

[–] NiPfi 106 points 3 months ago (23 children)

So they were trying to patch systems that use GRUB for Windows-only installs? What a load of BS. Why would anybody install GRUB to boot only Windows with that? Or am I overlooking something?

Furthermore, if GRUB has a security issue, they should've contributed a patch at the source instead of patching it themselves somehow. I'm a bit stunned at the audacity of touching unmounted filesystems in an OS patch. Good thing Windows still doesn't include EXT4 and BTRFS drivers because they might start messing with unencrypted Linux system drives at this rate

[–] z00s 14 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

lol they fuck with my BIOS boot settings to the point i had to password it. they are that bad.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

In the mind of Microsoft, Windows is the only OS and all things on computers exist to facilitate Windows.

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[–] [email protected] 79 points 3 months ago (1 children)

No surprises there, just the usual shit

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[–] [email protected] 61 points 3 months ago (1 children)

That's what happens when you don't keep windows locked inside a virtual machine.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago

Microsoft breaks bootloader and nixes Linux partition

Microsoft: "patch seems to be working as intended"

[–] merthyr1831 57 points 3 months ago (8 children)

This is a regular occurrence and honestly we need to stop recommending dual boot. Use separate drives if you need to, but sharing the same drive is destined to brick something

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I literally got this error using a bootable SSD with Ubuntu Mate on it. Separate drives aren't immune to the issue.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I think I've managed to avoid this by making the Linux drive my boot drive and by leaving the Windows drive untouched. (i.e. grub bootloader on the Linux drive, with option to boot to Windows as the second choice)

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 months ago (4 children)

But having 2 drives does not solve the boot loading issue, I mean, even if you have two drives, you still have only one bootloader, not?

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

No. You can have more than one EFI system partition with separate bootloaders on each drive and set their boot order in the BIOS, just like booting from USB or anything else.

This is also possible with just one drive. The efi boot entries for each OS are stored separately in the efi system partition.

[–] non_burglar 8 points 3 months ago (3 children)

EFI can also live in firmware memory.

You can pull the linux drive, boot from the windows drive, and if one of the firmware updates was for efi, windows will trash the entry for your Linux disk.

This has happened for me many times, I had to use a grub rescue disk to rebuild the efi table.

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[–] CeeBee_Eh 10 points 3 months ago (6 children)

even if you have two drives, you still have only one bootloader, not?

The idea is to have completely separate boot and OS drives. You select which one you want to boot through the BIOS boot selection (ie. pressing F10 or F11 at the BIOS screen).

This functionally makes each OS "unaware" of the other one.

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 3 months ago (5 children)

Doesn't Windows break dual booting semi-regularly? I've always avoided it as I've had friends get burned by this in the past. I guess I just keep different OSes on different drives, but that obviously isn't feasible for everyone.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

I know that used to be the case. It's why I stopped trying to use a dual-booting system and instead just installed windows in Virtualbox.

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Remove your Microsoft installation, done.

Yes but...

But what? This is Microsoft, they fucked it up so many times that it's either incompetence or sabotage, and knowing Microsoft, it's probably both.

This is the same company that invented millions to sabotage Linux through the legal system (hello sco), and the same company that in purpose left gaping security holes open as to not lose any money, causing China to hack the US government through said holes.

Then we decide that just that money isn't enough so we'll spy on you at every step of the way, we will force feed you ads, and we'll use you to train our shitty AI

Frack Microsoft, frack any and all of their software.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 3 months ago (3 children)

If you need to dual boot, be sure to use separate EFI partitions for windows and Linux, separate drives if possible. Windows has done this far too many times.

[–] Treczoks 14 points 3 months ago

Just remove Windows. One problem less on the list.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 months ago

Not the first time. I thought a Windows 10 update wiped grub, but Microsoft actually deleted my entire Linux partition. Others have experienced the same thing.

Windows is required for a couple of apps I need with no alternatives, but the only way it runs on any of my computers is in a VM.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 months ago (2 children)

They don’t want you to have dual boot. They want you to choose.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 months ago

Glad I chose linux then.

[–] QuestionMark 9 points 3 months ago (6 children)
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[–] uebquauntbez 20 points 3 months ago

Microsoft! You missed your last chance to stay on my computers with your os. Take care, so long and thanks for all the cons.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 months ago

as they like to do every once in a while

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 months ago (4 children)

I put windows in the shame box (VM).

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 months ago (2 children)
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[–] datelmd5sum 16 points 3 months ago

I had the intention of reinstalling my windows because it was like from back when win10 was new and the winsxs folder was so big that a 100GB partition was not enough for just windows with all the 3rd party programs installed on another partition... but I noticed that all my games run on Linux so I ended up wiping the 100GB nvme windows partition and moving my dual boot Linux there. I've been without windows for a couple of months now and I haven't really missed it.

[–] olafurp 13 points 3 months ago

The only way to fix your computer is to uninstall all spyware like Windows

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago

This reminds me I still have a win 10 partition on my drive. Ye! Extra space to reclaim!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (2 children)

So, excusing my ignorance as a fairly recent Linux convert, what does this mean for my dual boot system?

I haven’t booted windows for weeks and am pretty sure there have been no updates since it was freshly reinstalled (maybe 6 months ago) as a dual boot with Debian.

Is this only a problem if I allow Windows to update?

Are Microsoft likely to fix the issue in a subsequent release?

[–] Kuma 11 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Yes, you don't have to worry as long as you don't boot up windows and let it install the update.

This is not the first time they break dual boots by touching the partitions, but this is the first time they deliberately break it (that I know of). I always had windows on its own drive because of that. If you don't use windows a lot then I would suggest to do the same. You have to change to windows through bios but it isn't that much more work.

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[–] just_another_person 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Well, you can just fix the bootloader, but that's not super exciting I guess.

[–] Ensign_Crab 36 points 3 months ago (6 children)

People who dual boot are likely to be linux newbies just trying it out. They're more likely to blame linux when microsoft does what it does to competitors.

[–] MagnumDovetails 11 points 3 months ago (3 children)

I dual boot and am maybe considered a newbie. But I’ve had this set up for about a year slowly preparing to stop using Microsoft crap. It’s part of a longer path to digital privacy that was kicked into gear when the win 11 update made my Wi-Fi card disappear, like gone- like it was never installed. Fuck HP and Microsoft

Ironically I had disabled secure boot to try another distro. Was going to drop Ubuntu for something else, still might but no rush, plenty to learn.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It's not just about privacy. Linux and open source communities are a safespace for a novel way of doing things.

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