Learn how to preserve the Grub bootloader effectively.
Learn how to preserve the Grub bootloader effectively.
Hey everyone, last year I tried Ubuntu and I really liked it. I installed it on a 100GB partition inside my laptop's 1TB SSD and enjoyed learning Linux and using the terminal. One day Windows updated and it messed up my ability to boot into Ubuntu. It felt like a tantrum—I had to delete and reset the partition, but I miss experimenting. Can anyone explain simply how to protect my setup so Windows updates don’t ruin my fun or my Duel Boot into Linux? I want to keep using Ubuntu on a smaller 50-100GB partition and am open to any tips. Thanks a lot!
Avoid putting Linux and Windows 10/11 on the same storage device. That’s all you need to know. Linux works fine on USB drives or SD cards—just install it there and set your BIOS to boot from that before Windows loads. This way, you’ll run Linux if it exists, otherwise Windows. There’s been a discussion about this before; I’ll check the thread and see if useful links are available.
My drive uses a specific layout: Linux has its own EFI partition, stopping Windows from replacing it during updates. Both Windows and Linux have worked well together on this storage space. The "EFI system partition" (0n1p1) is the one Windows installs at startup, while the one with mount point /boot/efi (0n1p5) belongs to Manjaro. This setup lets me toggle between them using Grub.
I understand you're considering using Linux on this drive. It's not too hard to run an OS directly from a USB stick, and having it on a local drive shouldn't pose much of a problem. I saw a forum discussion suggesting it's better to fix issues when they arise rather than trying to prevent them. Right now, I'm checking out Grub repair tools.
It seems this will assist you. You can start Ubuntu by instructing it to boot from the specific partition. If needed, a live USB might also work.
Not familiar with Rescatux. To follow the same setup, you'll need to choose manual partitioning at installation and build the partition and mount point yourself. It seems there may be a method for doing this on an existing system, though I'm not sure how. A possible reference is here: https://askubuntu.com/a/1296430
Fixing it should be straightforward—just run a grub-install command from your Ubuntu install media. The only issue Windows introduces is with the boot loader in the boot sector. You can mount your /boot directory above the live OS’s /boot and execute grub-install with the specified options. Replace /dev/sda with your actual drives device file (such as /dev/nvme0n1 or /dev/sdc). It’s also helpful to check grub’s GRUB_ SAVEDEFAULT and GRUB_DEFAULT settings for this process.