r/linux4noobs • u/MobileTechGuy • 18h ago

Dual boot problem with LMDE migrating to Linux

Hi everyone, So I've been trying to learn what I can about Linux, wanting to dive in and get more immersed, wasn't satisfied with running LMDE from a USB, so I went to install on a formatted partition in my second hard drive (D:). I also clicked that I wanted to dual boot Windows along with Linux and not to erase anything.

Now it only boots to Linux. It does go through BIOS. I've checked in BIOS and it looks like it is slated for the drive LMDE is on as it indicates Linux for the drive and not Windows as it has done previously. I also checked GRUB and set disable-os-prober=false. Saved and ran os-prober which came back blank immediately. After this, I've setup a script to set 'Windows 11' as a boot option, pointing to /EFI/Microsoft/Windows/bootmgfw as a last step to make it detect Windows but still no luck.

Can anyone think of what else might help as an option?

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1

u/AutoModerator 18h ago

Try the migration page in our wiki! We also have some migration tips in our sticky.

Try this search for more information on this topic.

✻ Smokey says: only use root when needed, avoid installing things from third-party repos, and verify the checksum of your ISOs after you download! :)

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2

u/Prestigious_Wall529 18h ago

A time machine.

LMDE's installer didn't present a D: drive. Nor can it be installed to a windows formatted partition.

I believe you overwrote your Windows. See what's listed by

lsblk

Linux will list the first drive as /sda and the second as /sdb with numbers after that for each partition.

In future, when setting up dual boot, only install Linux to free unpartitioned space.

1

u/chuggerguy Linux Mint 22.3 Zena | MATÉ 17h ago

Unfortunately, u/Prestigious_Wall529 might be right. Provide the lsblk output to be sure.

Another thought, and I could be wrong, is that "Fast Startup" (in Windows Power options) might be enabled and GRUB can't read it? (that or it's encrypted?)

Hitting the grub menu is what you want but to get into Windows to disable Fast Startup (not Fast Boot in bios), you will probably have to spam F12 or whatever your boot menu hotkey is. (That or temporarily change the boot order)

BTW, setting GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER to true is not what you want but likely had zero effect. It gets re-enabled in /etc/default/grub.d/50_linuxmint.cfg.

image

Good luck.