Hey everyone, I have a quick question about Windows updates. My Windows installation got interrupted while it was showing the "working on updates, please don't turn off your computer" message. After that, I switched to Linux Mint. Now, I'm curious if a Windows update can actually break my GRUB menu. I've heard that it can make GRUB unbootable, but I wanted to check with the community because I'm feeling pretty confused about it. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
The term "break" here is important. Sometimes, Windows reverts to being the default boot entry, and folks jump to conclusions, blaming it for breaking GRUB. But it’s usually a quick fix—just takes about 30 seconds. So while Windows can create some issues, the actual dangers can be overstated. I suggest backing up your EFI partitions and getting familiar with EFI booting!
Yes, this is a thing with Windows updates. Previously, it was a bigger problem, but now Microsoft has improved things a bit. Still, there are times when a Windows update can overwrite the boot manager, which can mess up GRUB's paths. Just be aware that it might happen, but it’s not usually catastrophic.
It's wise to keep a backup of your GRUB data just in case. You could also have a USB drive with Super Grub ready to boot into your distro if things go south. Some users have mentioned that rEFInd is a more robust option, though I haven’t tested it myself.
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