I set up a Windows 11 and CachyOS dual-boot system. Windows uses one partition for the operating system and another for programs and games, while CachyOS was installed on a third partition. The installation worked normally, and after restarting I initially saw the Limine menu with both operating systems. Now the computer boots straight into Windows without showing Limine.
Windows Disk Management still shows the Linux partition, but it has no drive letter or recognizable filesystem label and is simply listed as a healthy partition. Secure Boot is disabled, Fast Startup is off, and the Windows boot manager only lists Windows 11. Has Windows damaged the CachyOS installation, or is the Linux system still intact? How can I boot it again and restore the Limine menu?
3 Answers
Check your UEFI boot entries and boot from the CachyOS or Limine entry if it is still listed. If it is missing, the live USB repair process can recreate it. You may also need to mount the EFI System Partition correctly before reinstalling the bootloader. Avoid formatting the Linux partition—Windows showing it as merely healthy does not mean the data is gone.
The Linux installation is probably still intact. Windows Disk Management cannot read most Linux filesystems, so seeing an unlabeled healthy partition is normal. Boot from a CachyOS installation USB, choose the live environment, mount your installed system, enter it with chroot, and reinstall or repair Limine. After that, make the Linux boot entry first in your UEFI/BIOS boot order.
It is usually safer to keep the operating systems' bootloaders separate and select the desired disk from the firmware boot menu. Also, what you called three drives may actually be three partitions on one physical disk; drive letters in Windows do not necessarily represent separate hardware. If you do have separate disks, placing the CachyOS disk first should load Limine, while the Windows disk can remain available as another boot choice.
I did not realize chroot could be used from the live USB. That clears up why I can repair the installation even though I cannot currently boot into it.