Do you dual-boot Windows and Linux? Well, a recent Windows update seems to have been a bit messy and may have broken the ability to boot into Linux. Causing an alarming message to display of "Something has gone seriously wrong".
The update in question is in relation to CVE-2022-2601, and as the numbers there suggests, it's an issue from way back in 2022 that Microsoft decided just last week to go and patch up themselves. From the CVE:
A buffer overflow was found in grub_font_construct_glyph(). A malicious crafted pf2 font can lead to an overflow when calculating the max_glyph_size value, allocating a smaller than needed buffer for the glyph, this further leads to a buffer overflow and a heap based out-of-bounds write. An attacker may use this vulnerability to circumvent the secure boot mechanism.
It wasn't supposed to affect you if you do have Linux installed, as per Microsoft's own info they said:
To address this security issue, Windows will apply a Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) update to block vulnerable Linux boot loaders that could have an impact on Windows security. The SBAT value is not applied to dual-boot systems that boot both Windows and Linux and should not affect these systems. You might find that older Linux distribution ISOs will not boot. If this occurs, work with your Linux vendor to get an update.
However, that seems to have still caused problems for those that do dual-boot. Oops. There's been quite a few reports of people unable to boot into their Linux distributions as a result of this update. A potential solution can be found in an Ubuntu Discourse post from 2023 for a previous issue.
Microsoft haven't yet said anything about it that I can find, and their update page notes "Microsoft is not currently aware of any issues with this update", so clearly that needs an update.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Mountain Man Aug 21
As far as Microsoft is concerned, this isn't a bug, it's a feature.
6 Likes, Who?
Quoting: Mountain ManAs far as Microsoft is concerned, this isn't a bug, it's a feature.
Correction... As far as Microsoft is concerned, this is Linux's fault.
1 Likes, Who?
I'm sure this "bug fix" is just a lead up to a AzureLinux expanding to Desktop as well. Soon it will be an Office365 option and eventually a Windows userland on top of the Linux kernel. People think MSFT's endgame is to have WSL steal developers back to Windows. If MSFT can put a WinLinux userland in the cloud, it will save them billions on compute time.
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redneckdrow 
Aug 22
The best thing an experienced Linux user can do to save their sanity is to bite the bullet and go Linux-only. Unless you're required to work with Windows-only tools, of which there are very few that won't work in WINE these days, for a job.
Back when I dual-booted with Windows, the more I used Linux, the less often I switched between them.
I realized that single-booting keeps you from tearing your hair out after booting that unused partition once every six months; realizing that you have to spend hours updating programs by hand that you could have updated with a single command in most Linux distros. Then undoing half the forced updates that destroy any reasonable expectation of privacy and install snake-oil "security" tools from "trusted partners"...
Windows used to have a form of Unix-like protections available, but none of them were ever without flaws. See EMET et al.
It's a vicious cycle that I got sick of entirely around 2016!
Back when I dual-booted with Windows, the more I used Linux, the less often I switched between them.
I realized that single-booting keeps you from tearing your hair out after booting that unused partition once every six months; realizing that you have to spend hours updating programs by hand that you could have updated with a single command in most Linux distros. Then undoing half the forced updates that destroy any reasonable expectation of privacy and install snake-oil "security" tools from "trusted partners"...
Windows used to have a form of Unix-like protections available, but none of them were ever without flaws. See EMET et al.
It's a vicious cycle that I got sick of entirely around 2016!
5 Likes, Who?
Quick question: what system has a copy of grub installed (not by windows, because it's never used by windows) but doesn't have linux so it's ok to replace/block grub?
2 Likes, Who?
Quoting: MarlockQuick question: what system has a copy of grub installed (not by windows, because it's never used by windows) but doesn't have linux so it's ok to replace/block grub?
Any system.
0 Likes
Quoting: HighballPlease elaborateQuoting: MarlockQuick question: what system has a copy of grub installed (not by windows, because it's never used by windows) but doesn't have linux so it's ok to replace/block grub?
Any system.
1 Likes, Who?
pleasereadthemanual Aug 22
Quoting: redneckdrowThe best thing an experienced Linux user can do to save their sanity is to bite the bullet and go Linux-only. Unless you're required to work with Windows-only tools, of which there are very few that won't work in WINE these days, for a job.99% of the time I'm in Linux. The 1% of the time is every Saturday to play Rainbow Six: Siege, and I doubt that's going to change any time soon.
For my job, I use my Mac for Adobe. Once its time is up, I'll either use Adobe on Windows through my dual-boot (it'll be Windows 11 by then...) or in a VM as the performance is passable and I only need it on occasion. Or maybe by 2027, the web versions of Adobe software will be a real option. Or maybe graphite.rs will be a real option.
There are also visual novels that only work in Windows mainly because of DRM, so my VM gets occasional use for that.
I mean, unpopular opinion and all, but I don't mind Windows; I just like Linux more. Probably because I only need to use Windows occasionally. The more experienced I get with Linux, the more useless I feel on Windows.
2 Likes, Who?
Quoting: MarlockQuoting: HighballPlease elaborateQuoting: MarlockQuick question: what system has a copy of grub installed (not by windows, because it's never used by windows) but doesn't have linux so it's ok to replace/block grub?
Any system.
You can point Grub at any kernel to load. Haiku, Redox, whatever. LILO was popular back in the day. Nothing is stopping anybody from getting rid of Grub and switching boot loaders. You can even point one boot loader at another boot loader. That's how most people dual boot Windows. Grub loads, then start WinLoader, then WinLoader starts onekernel.
0 Likes
Quoting: Linux_RocksQuoting: Claude_LibI have Windows on a separate drive for rare occasions when I need it. The only clue two systems have about each other's existence is that Windows messes up the clock because I keep forgetting to set the RealTimeIsUniversal registry key.I always just set Linux to use local time. One quick line in terminal is easier than a registry edit in Windows.
Local time is the wrong choice of course, like your files having mtime in the future when DST hits or if you take the train to the next city which happens to be in a different timezone.
1 Likes, Who?
ElectricPrism Aug 22
You know how some people backup the header of encrypted disks:
If somebody wants a project make a interface equivalent to Etcher that optionally backs up the MBR + Linux / Windows boot partitions.
Then next time Windows fucks this up. ( Which they have been for decades and we haven't done anything about it. ) A person can load a Live USB, create a new backup in the broken state and run the Restore tool to revert the changes to before Microsoft screwed the pooch.
Who knows maybe what I'm imagining already exists, there's a lot of fine people out there who do amazing work all the time on our apps.
sudo cryptsetup luksHeaderBackup /dev/<your-disk-luks> --header-backup-file luks2-header-backup-$(date -I)If somebody wants a project make a interface equivalent to Etcher that optionally backs up the MBR + Linux / Windows boot partitions.
Then next time Windows fucks this up. ( Which they have been for decades and we haven't done anything about it. ) A person can load a Live USB, create a new backup in the broken state and run the Restore tool to revert the changes to before Microsoft screwed the pooch.
Who knows maybe what I'm imagining already exists, there's a lot of fine people out there who do amazing work all the time on our apps.
1 Likes, Who?
I have not dual booted in a while but Windows 10 would kill my Linux partition all the time during updates and I am not convinced it was an "accident".
4 Likes, Who?
williamjcm Aug 22
Quoting: redneckdrowThe best thing an experienced Linux user can do to save their sanity is to bite the bullet and go Linux-only. Unless you're required to work with Windows-only tools, of which there are very few that won't work in WINE these days, for a job.
I'll be honest, I switched to Linux around 1.5 years ago, and I have to keep a Windows installation around because good luck debugging the Windows build of a project on Linux because Wine's debugging support is not good.
It's also useful for games that either require components that simply aren't available on Wine (speech recognition, for example) or have issues that only happen in Wine and/or with DXVK (like the Modern Warfare remaster consistently hanging at specific points in two missions, or LEGO Ninjago consistently crashing at a specific point during a specific cutscene, or Homefront Revolution consistently crashing when entering a specific area).
1 Likes, Who?
Linux_Rocks Aug 22
Quoting: ShabbyXI've never thought about that before. Though to be honest, that's not really an issue for me.Quoting: Linux_RocksQuoting: Claude_LibI have Windows on a separate drive for rare occasions when I need it. The only clue two systems have about each other's existence is that Windows messes up the clock because I keep forgetting to set the RealTimeIsUniversal registry key.I always just set Linux to use local time. One quick line in terminal is easier than a registry edit in Windows.
Local time is the wrong choice of course, like your files having mtime in the future when DST hits or if you take the train to the next city which happens to be in a different timezone.
0 Likes
Quoting: RamenJunkieI have not dual booted in a while but Windows 10 would kill my Linux partition all the time during updates and I am not convinced it was an "accident".
I had pretty much the same experience. At this point, I no longer give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt.
4 Likes, Who?
Mountain Man Aug 22
Quoting: redneckdrowThe best thing an experienced Linux user can do to save their sanity is to bite the bullet and go Linux-only.What finally drove me to Linux only was when a Windows 7 update caused an unrecoverable boot loop, and then the repair tool on the Windows 7 DVD had a bug preventing it from recognizing an existing Windows installation, meaning a complete reinstall was the only option, so I said, "Screw it," booted into Linux, reformatted the Windows drive to ext4, and have never looked back.
6 Likes, Who?
Mountain Man Aug 22
Quoting: RamenJunkieI have not dual booted in a while but Windows 10 would kill my Linux partition all the time during updates and I am not convinced it was an "accident".I recall hearing about a Windows 10 update that randomly wrote junk data across any non-Windows file system, which very effectively bricked Linux installs. Of course Microsoft insisted it was unintentional.
1 Likes, Who?
Mountain Man Aug 22
Quoting: HighballQuoting: MarlockQuoting: HighballPlease elaborateQuoting: MarlockQuick question: what system has a copy of grub installed (not by windows, because it's never used by windows) but doesn't have linux so it's ok to replace/block grub?
Any system.
You can point Grub at any kernel to load. Haiku, Redox, whatever. LILO was popular back in the day. Nothing is stopping anybody from getting rid of Grub and switching boot loaders. You can even point one boot loader at another boot loader. That's how most people dual boot Windows. Grub loads, then start WinLoader, then WinLoader starts onekernel.
I had the most success keeping Windows on a separate drive where it could do whatever it wanted with the boot sector, and then grub on the primary drive would simply hand off to WinLoader on the secondary drive. Installing Linux and Windows on the same drive was a bit like playing Russian roulette. You never knew when Windows would break things.
2 Likes, Who?
Yup I've had this on two different occasions in the past, sadly I just opted not to dual boot and use W11 on main PC and Linux on random office PCs I pick up off ebay
It's a shame as I'd love to dual boot, but I'm not willing to get rid of windows entirely (at present time anyway) when it comes to my main gaming rig
Another thing that use to annoy me in the past with dual booting, I'd hardly boot into windows and then when I do the OS freaks out because it wants to download and install hundreds of updates I've missed out on.. oh but they're forced updates, what a shame *facepalm*
It's a shame as I'd love to dual boot, but I'm not willing to get rid of windows entirely (at present time anyway) when it comes to my main gaming rig
Another thing that use to annoy me in the past with dual booting, I'd hardly boot into windows and then when I do the OS freaks out because it wants to download and install hundreds of updates I've missed out on.. oh but they're forced updates, what a shame *facepalm*
0 Likes
Quoting: ElectricPrismYou know how some people backup the header of encrypted disks:
sudo cryptsetup luksHeaderBackup /dev/<your-disk-luks> --header-backup-file luks2-header-backup-$(date -I)
If somebody wants a project make a interface equivalent to Etcher that optionally backs up the MBR + Linux / Windows boot partitions.
Then next time Windows fucks this up. ( Which they have been for decades and we haven't done anything about it. ) A person can load a Live USB, create a new backup in the broken state and run the Restore tool to revert the changes to before Microsoft screwed the pooch.
Who knows maybe what I'm imagining already exists, there's a lot of fine people out there who do amazing work all the time on our apps.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair
Honestly I don't know how well it works. I haven't dual booted for close to twenty years and this tool didn't exist then as far as I know. At that time, all you had to do was live boot off a CD and chroot to your Linux partition, then rerun your boot loader install command, and it was all back to normal. It's a minor inconvenience for seasoned Linux users, but newbies immediately think Linux sucks and doesn't work. Obviously MSFT's intention. I don't remember a time that updating Windows didn't rewrite the MBR.
2 Likes, Who?
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