this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2025
38 points (93.2% liked)

Linux

53453 readers
779 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

Rules

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
nooter692@lemmy.ml
AgreeableLandscape@lemmy.ml
MarcellusDrum@lemmy.ml
cypherpunks@lemmy.ml
cyclohexane@lemmy.ml
d3Xt3r@lemmy.nz
38
[SOLVED] Installing Linux distro without breaking Windows install (lemm.ee)
submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) by Parptarf@lemm.ee to c/linux@lemmy.ml
33 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Solution: When I formatted all my drives to install Linux on one and Windows on the other, I kept both connected and they share EFI boot partition as a result. Every time I reinstall Linux it formats the drive and therefore deletes the Windows's EFI Boot as well. One way is to fix this is to reinstall Windows while disconnecting the drive you have Linux on. Or you can move the boot files if you don't want to do that.

I used this guide: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/changing-windows-boot-manager-drive.3571420/post-21561626

Also remember to delete the Microsoft folder in the boot folder on Linux after you’ve checked that the new boot loader is working.

OP:

Currently dual booting as I need Windows for a few tasks and ganes Linux just won’t do. Since setting everything up I’ve reinstalled Linux twice, both times I’ve lost the ability to boot into windows and have needed to reinstall it.

Disk doesn’t show at all in Grub, tried all kinds of things but it just doesn’t show as a bootable OS. It doesn’t show in the boot options in the BIOS or the boot menu for my motherboard. Drive shows up and all the files are still on it. So my guess is the Windows bootloader somehow installs on the same disk that I have Linux on.

I run Linux(Fedora) and Windows on two separate drives.

Windows take forever to install. Anything I can do now to prevent this from happening if I need to reinstall Linux or if I wanna to some distro hopping?

Just to be clear, everything is working right now. But I want to prevent having to reinstall Windows every time I change distro or reinstall my Linux OS

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] PragmaticOne@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Fucking hell that’s a real pain in the arse solution you have there.

If you have two drives then one will be sda and the other will be sdb. Install Windows first on sda (which will mean the boot sector is on sda) then install linux to sdb.

When you get to the part in the Linux installation process where it asks where you want the boot partition tell it to install on sda.

Then anytime you want to install and try a different distro just install to sdb with the boot sector on sda and grub will always detect and add Windows to the boot menu.

Ran that configuration for 10yrs zero issues.

[–] Parptarf@lemm.ee 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

This solution took all about 2 minutes. Now it won’t matter what I do when I reinstall Linux. My Windows boot is not on that same drive any more.

If I would have known my Windows boot was on the M.2 drive I install Linux on, I would not tell the Linux installer to format that drive, obviously.

It’s an Issue I created myself by not thinking about Windows’ limitations. But this solution is pretty quick if you already reinstalled Windows again.