F5F Stay Refreshed Software Operating Systems During the startup, you encounter a GRUB interface.

During the startup, you encounter a GRUB interface.

During the startup, you encounter a GRUB interface.

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Inezze009
Senior Member
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716
03-25-2025, 10:23 AM
#1
You have dual-booted Linux and Windows on your main SSD, with partitions set up as OS SSD (Windows) and a 100 GB partition for Linux. When you boot into Linux, you see an error message. You're wondering what options are available to resolve this issue.
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Inezze009
03-25-2025, 10:23 AM #1

You have dual-booted Linux and Windows on your main SSD, with partitions set up as OS SSD (Windows) and a 100 GB partition for Linux. When you boot into Linux, you see an error message. You're wondering what options are available to resolve this issue.

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SnopesRez
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12
03-25-2025, 11:09 AM
#2
You might consider using a chroot to adjust your grub setup, but it would be easier to reinstall Linux. Likely the issue is that a Windows update replaced your boot partition, which often occurs when dual booting on the same drive.
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SnopesRez
03-25-2025, 11:09 AM #2

You might consider using a chroot to adjust your grub setup, but it would be easier to reinstall Linux. Likely the issue is that a Windows update replaced your boot partition, which often occurs when dual booting on the same drive.

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pest2012
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4
03-25-2025, 05:50 PM
#3
You haven't used Windows recently, so you might have saved your partitions files. To copy your home folder, you'll need to access the Linux partition files through the command line or a file manager.
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pest2012
03-25-2025, 05:50 PM #3

You haven't used Windows recently, so you might have saved your partitions files. To copy your home folder, you'll need to access the Linux partition files through the command line or a file manager.

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ThatOneGuy14
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157
03-31-2025, 05:27 PM
#4
Mount the partition on a live USB and transfer files to another location
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ThatOneGuy14
03-31-2025, 05:27 PM #4

Mount the partition on a live USB and transfer files to another location

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Kimerkull
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16
04-01-2025, 04:25 PM
#5
It depends on how the installation is set up. Copying your home folder might not be enough if the system needs to reinstall packages or configurations. You may need to reinstall everything again for a full setup.
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Kimerkull
04-01-2025, 04:25 PM #5

It depends on how the installation is set up. Copying your home folder might not be enough if the system needs to reinstall packages or configurations. You may need to reinstall everything again for a full setup.

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Vitor_King
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57
04-09-2025, 04:37 AM
#6
Ensure functionality is active. Hidden folders like .sample, .log, and .config are ready.
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Vitor_King
04-09-2025, 04:37 AM #6

Ensure functionality is active. Hidden folders like .sample, .log, and .config are ready.

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Yoshi_445
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105
04-14-2025, 11:45 PM
#7
Consider reinstalling on a different drive for easier handling. The boot loader won’t attempt any fixes.
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Yoshi_445
04-14-2025, 11:45 PM #7

Consider reinstalling on a different drive for easier handling. The boot loader won’t attempt any fixes.

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Thomas52699
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67
04-25-2025, 06:00 PM
#8
Just going to reinstall it then.
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Thomas52699
04-25-2025, 06:00 PM #8

Just going to reinstall it then.

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Zackdakiller
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04-25-2025, 06:42 PM
#9
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Zackdakiller
04-25-2025, 06:42 PM #9

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Asweetliar
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54
04-27-2025, 02:51 AM
#10
(sigh) this is still an issue with current Windowses? I though people haven't needed to deal with this kind of S**** since the UEFI booting came along. I only thought windowses overwrote MBRs (and in the very early days of UEFI though they were the only OS in the EFI, but that could have also been buggy/half-***ed UEFI implementations). Anyways, in this kind of situation grub has booted properly but it can not find it's configuration file. There are (at least) two places where it can reside in: in grub's dedicated folder "grub" in the root of EFI (I believe this is a bit non-standard but tolerated by UEFIs), or in the Linux installations dedicated boot partition or (more often these days) the root partition (and no dedicated boot part) So Windowses are (just deleting) the grub folder from the EFI partition?!?? Unacceptable! People should file antitrust lawsuits against Microsoft, and also lawsuits for damaging their H/W (installations) / deleting data without users consent. No OS has anything to do within the EFI partition save their own entries (unless the user specifically uses an application to make changes). TBH there are other reasons grub may not find the config file (for example: many grub installations in EFI, one of them from a previous installation, and their priorities got shuffled for some reason, and the old one is now looking in the wrong place for the configuration). In case it still has found it's file system modules, you may be able to load the configuration file manually. The command line has a kind of tab-completion, so you may be able to figure it out. Try 'ls' and 'configfile (hdX,X)/grub/grub.cfg' (obviously fill in in the X's and the path appropriately for your system with the help of tab-completion and this page ). That way you may once boot into your Linux OS, and if successful, it is then only a matter of manually re-installing grub. EDIT: You can even manually load in a Kernel and boot it, but that is a bit more involved but not hugely difficult process, either. EDIT: You could also check from your BIOS menus if there are many Linux/grub entries in there, and boot a non-default one. This can happen if you have had installed previously some other Linux, or updated a distributions major version but the installation/upgrade failed halfway. If the configuration file for grub exists (and it is a matter of wrong grub instance being set as default), re-adjusting the EFI entries priorities from Linux is quite simple with efibootmgr - or you can also do it from BIOS (actually, this is probably easier). YMMV, re-installation may be easier for you. Edited February 4, 2021 by Wild Penquin minor clarifications, TYPOs... and then some more
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A
Asweetliar
04-27-2025, 02:51 AM #10

(sigh) this is still an issue with current Windowses? I though people haven't needed to deal with this kind of S**** since the UEFI booting came along. I only thought windowses overwrote MBRs (and in the very early days of UEFI though they were the only OS in the EFI, but that could have also been buggy/half-***ed UEFI implementations). Anyways, in this kind of situation grub has booted properly but it can not find it's configuration file. There are (at least) two places where it can reside in: in grub's dedicated folder "grub" in the root of EFI (I believe this is a bit non-standard but tolerated by UEFIs), or in the Linux installations dedicated boot partition or (more often these days) the root partition (and no dedicated boot part) So Windowses are (just deleting) the grub folder from the EFI partition?!?? Unacceptable! People should file antitrust lawsuits against Microsoft, and also lawsuits for damaging their H/W (installations) / deleting data without users consent. No OS has anything to do within the EFI partition save their own entries (unless the user specifically uses an application to make changes). TBH there are other reasons grub may not find the config file (for example: many grub installations in EFI, one of them from a previous installation, and their priorities got shuffled for some reason, and the old one is now looking in the wrong place for the configuration). In case it still has found it's file system modules, you may be able to load the configuration file manually. The command line has a kind of tab-completion, so you may be able to figure it out. Try 'ls' and 'configfile (hdX,X)/grub/grub.cfg' (obviously fill in in the X's and the path appropriately for your system with the help of tab-completion and this page ). That way you may once boot into your Linux OS, and if successful, it is then only a matter of manually re-installing grub. EDIT: You can even manually load in a Kernel and boot it, but that is a bit more involved but not hugely difficult process, either. EDIT: You could also check from your BIOS menus if there are many Linux/grub entries in there, and boot a non-default one. This can happen if you have had installed previously some other Linux, or updated a distributions major version but the installation/upgrade failed halfway. If the configuration file for grub exists (and it is a matter of wrong grub instance being set as default), re-adjusting the EFI entries priorities from Linux is quite simple with efibootmgr - or you can also do it from BIOS (actually, this is probably easier). YMMV, re-installation may be easier for you. Edited February 4, 2021 by Wild Penquin minor clarifications, TYPOs... and then some more

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