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Windows 10 Anniversary Update Borks Dual-Boot Partitions (omgubuntu.co.uk)
Windows 10 Anniversary Update may affect and even delete other partitions on the same disk, OMGUbuntu is reporting, citing several complaints by users. "Broken boot loaders on an update are one thing but losing data, even entire partitions?" asks the author. Microsoft-centric news blog WindowsReport is corroborating on the report, adding that in some cases, the new OS was not able to detect some partitions. It says (edited): Many users are reporting that some of their partitions disappeared after installing the Anniversary Update. Usually, it's the smallest partition that disappears, although we couldn't say for sure whether the partition is deleted or if Windows simply doesn't detect it. Some users are saying that the partition is not allocated, while others can detect it once they install third-party partition management applications.We have reached out to Microsoft for clarification, and will update the post when we hear back from them.
lost my primary Linux partition which was my main OS. could not recover partition intact, only 120,000 files recovered with photorec. will use VMs in future if I need windows for anything
No, it's more like "fuck", as in "Microsoft is fucking over anyone who puts another OS on their computer."
Good ol' Microsoft. Still evil after all these years.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
I cannot imagine a worse combination.
As in, installing Windows after installing Linux will mess with the boot loader.
Everyone running a dual boot system should already be aware of this since the recommendation is always to install Linux second.
New major updates to Windows 10 are basically entirely new operating systems. They just make the process more transparent these days.
My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
While I imagine I'll have to bite the bullet on my sole Win 10 machine eventually and download the anniversary edition, I intentionally set it to "Metered Connection" for exactly this reason. I like to let major updates hit and assess the impact for a few days before taking the plunge, and currently telling Windows you're on a metered connection is the only way to get it to not automatically download updates. Looks like I'll be waiting a bit longer than I thought - would not appreciate my Linux partition going up in smoke.
Windows isn't done until Lotus doesn't run.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
I wonder how long until some automatic Windows 10 update will disable altering any BIOS settings via some rootkit for "security" reasons. I mean, if they're not going to get hit with antitrust violations or charges of abusing their customers for all of the things they've done already (force Windows 10 updates on Win7/8. 1 users, telemetry that deceptively appears to be able to be turned off but really can't, no unsigned drivers allowed, uploading BitLocker keys to their servers, remove features during routine updates, uninstall programs during routine updates, ever-growing built-in advertisements, etc.), then they can pretty much just do anything they like, including preventing other operating systems from booting (which, I add, is now the case both on Windows RT tablets and Windows 10 phones).
No, it's more like "fuck", as in "Microsoft is fucking over anyone who puts another OS on their computer."
Exactly. So far as I'm concerned, it's not an accident on the part of Microsoft. They want to own your computer, and pwn you in the process. Any competing OS must be destroyed utterly. Wouldn't at all be surprised if it not only deletes the affected partition(s), but overwrites them first, rendering anything on them unrecoverable. What's next, Microsoft? Virus hidden in the reserved section of the drive, that thwarts any attempt to remove Windows? Render your hard drive unusable if you uninstall Windows? Reprogram all the VR's on your motherboard and smoke the processor core and PCH if you attempt to install a dual-boot? Assholes.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
I actually had the issue of Windows 10 deleting its OWN partitions. computer started running funny, then it BSODed and then would only boot to a flashing cursor. Booted into repair only to find that my system drive was reporting as 100% available. not even the Windows 10 system partitions were present. nothing could read any semblance of a partition table from the drive to recover any of my data.
Also - It installs Cortana and fully enables it, no surprise there, but if you go into all of the privacy settings it has changed the settings for items like writing monitor to "help Microsoft track how you type". Yeah they need to know that all right... as well as several other items I found had been reverted back to the non private settings. One, the diagnostic phone home, is again on and takes a registry hack to turn it back off again.
"Computers are a lot like Air Conditioners" "They both work great until you start opening Windows"
Microsoft Loves Linux*
*as long as Linux isn't running a GUI. From Microsoft's point of view you don't need a Linux partition any more. You can do your Linux script development under their Ubuntu on Windows thingy - and after all, Linux is only a server OS. No need for the GUI stuff. Of course no current Linux desktop users are going to be satisfied with that - but maybe some folks will find it useful as an addon to their current Windows-centric desktop worlds.
It seems like MS has accepted that they've lost the battle (if not the war) as far as Linux as a cloud-based app server is concerned. But it looks like they're still hoping that's the only place Linux will get traction. Of course, it's already got traction in mobile too, and MS seems resigned to that. But they're still in panic mode where the traditional is concerned. It's bad enough that they can't do anything about this ChromeOS thing. But on desktop PC's that also run Windows, they're still in control...
Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
More games than I can handle, really. All full Linux ports. I do have Windows, but haven't booted it to play games in at least a couple months now.
PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
Back in the late 1990's I was dual booting Windows and Linux. A PC magazine had included a CD with an early version Red Hat Linux and ran a series of articles on the strange OS. Linux had no problems dealing with the Windows partitions.
Move forward a bit to Windows XP and more dual booting.Commercial and free partition managers support Linux partitions. Windows would still screw with Linux partition, particularly when installing Windows, so having keeping each OS on a separate physical HDD became critical. That way you could unplug the Linux drive to protect it from MS incompetence. Amusingly, Linux could mount Windows partitions to transfer files over and I was able to install a driver on Windows that allowed Windows to mount Linux partitions, however, Windows XP had no native support for non-windows partitions. Linux proves to be more capable in key area than Windows but I'm still using WInXP as my main OS.
Jump forward to Windows 7 and Linux dual booting. The situation has improved a bit because you could technically let Win7 manage booting mulitple OS but it still screws with Linux partitions and has no native support for Linux partition types. Linux still does a better job and I can go months without booting into Windows anyway. More commercial software supports Linux, including games, and the open source applications available have greatly improved to the point of being better than MS products. I really hated the ribbon interface nonsense in MS Office because it reduced my productivity, it was nearly a stupid as having some animated paperclip jumping around on your screen while you're trying to work...
Windows 8 appears and I decided than if I'm ever forced to replace Win7 I'll just give up on dual booting and just stick with Linux full time. Windows 10 brings spyware and adware built into the OS, setting a new low for MS and having some very surprising side effects; friends, family and people barely know are wanting to know about Linux and how they can get away from Windows 10. There has never been a version of Windows that happily coexists with another OS, why would anyone be surprised that Win10 is breaking Linux dual boots? It is either intentionally evil or supreme incompetence; MS has a history of both.
Microsoft has altered the deal. Pray they do not alter it further.
Unless you absolutely have to, do _not_ install Linux and Windows on the same physical hard drive. For many purposes (e.g. basic coding and web stuff) a lightweight Linux distro will run just fine off a USB memory stick (I use Ultra Fit's in either the 32GB or 64GB size). Then, if you are buying a laptop and you're a techie, get something where it is trivially easy to swap out either the hard drive (i.e. not Asus crap where you have to remove the keyboard to get at the hard drive), or the optical drive. For example, boot Windows of one hard drive, and stick another in the optical drive bay. If you have a desktop, you have room for more than one physical drive. This also means that, during critical stuff like OS installs, you can physically disconnect your Linux drive so that Windows cannot get at it. My favourite example of Redmond silliness involved Windows 2000 appearing to enumerate partitions one way in the partitioning part of setup, and another way for the formatting part. Basically, on my dual boot drive, Windows 2000 setup ended up formatting the wrong partition. I say it had cocked up when I noticed the size of the partition it was formatting: my shared data drive. By the time I had stopped the process, of course, the FATs were already overwritten.
John_Chalisque