Windows replacing a Linux backup drive?
Windows replacing a Linux backup drive?
You're dealing with a tricky situation involving your dual-boot setup and Windows licensing. It sounds like the system tried to boot into Windows due to hardware modifications, even though you confirmed no changes were made to the disks or hardware. The recent BIOS update and system patches might have triggered this behavior. Since the drive format is ext4 and TimeShift is set up for it, ensure the backup software is configured correctly for your specific partition type. You may also want to check the Windows licensing status through the Device Manager or System Properties to verify if reactivation is required.
someone likely clicked something unintentionally, or the hard drive failed and erased the partition. it’s unlikely windows would simply remove an ext4 partition and leave the disk blank. i’m not sure about the activation process—do you start windows via the standard bootloader included with the OS, or are you using a different method like grub? additionally, is your system running on a platform that supports fTPM updates, which could be reset by a BIOS change? those are my main initial thoughts.
Lately I haven’t used partitioning tools much. The disk appears as "Unallocated" in Windows but shows a small reserved partition on Linux, which is unusual. It’s not a major issue since my system still functions with files intact, though it might help to investigate logs for clues. I only run Windows for one game and still encounter problems. I’ve always used GRUB and never had dual-boot issues before, so maybe an update affected TPM or something similar. Are there other BIOS settings that influence Windows boot? I recently disabled Safe Boot but the problem persists. Also, the clock is consistently off by about an hour in Windows—could this be a hint about the cause?
It appears to be using UTC time, which is unusual since it seems to have started recently alongside Windows deactivation. Maybe it’s best to remove Windows completely.