r/linuxmint • u/shoot_alt • 1d ago
SOLVED after switching back to windows from linux mint dual boot linux mint not showing on win boot manager
can someone help i have been using linux mint for 3 weeks (with dual boot) and when i went to windows for some work and tried to go back to linux mint it didnt appear in windows boot manager i have the installation medium and i used boot repair app but came back with an error. p.s when i checked install linux mint it showed that linux mint is already installed (zena or smth) secure boot disabled, UEFI, not legacy. im messaging from windows 😢
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u/Bookkeeper-Empty 1d ago
Install refind within Linux using terminal command, I just googled the command and step by step guide, best thing I did for dual boot setup
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u/Such_Maybe6470 15h ago edited 15h ago
I'm having the same issues, countless re-intalls, different Hd's, even an empty external , bios, boot order, grub etc...but rather than " I'm done with linux " I'll take it as a challenge, eventually I'll get it done; almost certain it's something t o do with windows always grabbing top priority on the motherboard nvram, or so I've read. Using older lenovo H430 As I'm retired, lots of time 🤣 bring it on MicroSlop!
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u/candy49997 1d ago
Windows Boot Manager is for starting Windows only. Go to BIOS and change your boot order to Linux first.
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u/shoot_alt 1d ago
linux is nowhere to be found, i am using lenovo
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u/C0R4x 1d ago edited 1d ago
How did you previously start linux Mint? Did you install it on a separate hard drive? Or a separate partition on the same hard drive?
My info might be out of date, it's been a long time I toyed with this, but back then this issue would occur because windows boot manager does not know linux mint is installed. If you want to use the windows boot manager to manage your multiboot setup, you need to manually add the linux mint partition somehow.
Easier would be to go to your BIOS/UEFI and select the correct boot drive. Your PC currently seems to have the windows partition/drive selected, and so runs the windows boot manager. Instead you want it to boot the linux Mint partition which (i think) has the GRUB bootloader. This should give you the option to boot either into Mint, or into windows.
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u/shoot_alt 1d ago
seperate partition, same hard drive. linux mint doesnt show up on bios
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u/C0R4x 1d ago
OK, what does show up on bios?
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u/shoot_alt 19h ago
if you have any solution please reply
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u/C0R4x 17h ago
My experience with screwing up my dual boot situation was 20 years ago. I don't have the expertise/experience to fix your current issue.
I don't think there's enough information in your post and replies to fully reconstruct what the issue is and it seems to me that you don't have the experience or vocabulary necessary to explain what happened or do any basic troubleshooting by yourself. A linux mint installation does not simply disappear. I would assume this is because of user error, but it seems to me that you yourself don't know what happened.
There's loads of "how to fix a messed up linux dual boot" guides online, what have you tried by yourself? GRUB repair or refind should have fixed basic multiboot issues, i don't know what else could be the issue.
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u/shoot_alt 17h ago
i am quite new to linux and only switched for saving my computer. thanks for the help!
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u/C0R4x 17h ago
Did some googling for you (although I suggest you try this for yourself), do you have secure boot on?
Try switching that off, are you able to boot into refind then?
As I understand it, bootloaders nowadays are stored in a separate EFI partition. Installing a new bootloader should not delete a previously installed one. Your EFI partition should still contain the linux mint bootloader (GRUB, probably). Is that still present?
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u/shoot_alt 17h ago
it is off, but refind is still just resetting
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u/C0R4x 1h ago
Does refind give any more information? Are you sure that this "reset system" message comes from refind? If I google it, i can't find anything about that.
Did your installation process for refind look anything like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRZab8yrSOQ?
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u/shoot_alt 45m ago
i have finished getting linux mint back, but i dont know if it came from refind. it could also be a system error
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u/Aggravating-Day1545 17h ago
Since the BIOS only lists windows boot manager, your motherboard's NVRAM has likely dropped the linux boot entry, or a windows update deactivated the partition flag .Have you tried manually registering it again using live USB and then running terminal command inside it to see if any partition contains the EFI files ?
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u/shoot_alt 17h ago
i dont think so because i dont even know what EFI is but i do know that linux still exists
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u/Aggravating-Day1545 16h ago
No worries at all .EFI partition is just a small, hidden section on your hard drive where your computer stores the startup files. Windows updates love to overwrite the boot priority and hide the Linux files,this actually happens pretty much commonly after a dual boot attempt with windows(personally experienced). You can try to set up the live USB . Then restart the laptop and follow the same operations you carried to get to the boot menu .Select your Linux Mint USB drive and let it load until you are sitting on the Mint desktop screen.Then in that live environment,open the terminal and type sudo fdisk -l (To list out every partition ).If you spot lines mentioning 'EFI systems' or 'FAT 32' (it must look something like '/dev/sda1' or '/dev/nvme0n1p1' depending upon the disk you are using) ,let me know if I can help.
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u/shoot_alt 17h ago
do you know how to do that?
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u/Aggravating-Day1545 16h ago
I had faced similar problem while trying to dual boot fedora with windows a year ago . I can try help.Â
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u/ManuelRodriguez331 1d ago
Time to rescue your lost Mint partition. Pop into your BIOS/UEFI settings right now and slam that Linux Mint bootloader back to the top of the boot order. Grab your live USB and flash Refind or run os-prober via GRUB repair to force Windows Boot Manager to see your Linux installation again.
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