I messed up a dual boot of Linux Mint 20 and Windows 10 quite badly in my opinion, and I think I need help cleaning the mess and doing a new dual boot

[JuQu]

So, the laptop I use is an HP Pavilion (something), cannot remember the exact type, and I'm sorry. But I think it is one or two years old, and because it is so new, it definitely has UEFI and an EFI partition on the hard drive.

While I was doing the dual boot, I followed the instructions of this video because I don't remember the exact commands I have to execute in the terminal when installing GRUB and mounting stuff, and I think I did something else that was mentioned in the video that might have messed up the whole thing:

I did not have legacy support on in the BIOS, I had the normal UEFI mode on. I think I should have mounted the grub in the EFI partition, but I mounted it in the /dev/sda2 partition where I had my Linux installed like instructed on the video. Of course I had Windows installed (or the Windows Boot Manager) on /dev/sda3, but it then booted directly onto Linux after restart. So, out of frustration I deleted both partitions with GParted from the live USB I created and repeated pretty much the same stuff but with varying methods and steps, I panicked and I can't remember exactly what I did and how my times but I definitely spent at least five hours on the computer. Now it seems like I have the Windows Boot Manager installed on /dev/sda1, which is the EFI partition and GRUB on /dev/sda2 where I only now have Linux. It does work, and I have tried repairing the boot with the Boot Repair tool found on the live USB. Well, Linux now works and it loads GRUB when I boot, and it gives me a bunch of options, but by selecting 'Linux Mint 20', it loads up and works. There's also an option for the Windows Boot Manager, but I haven't dared to try it yet. My understanding of GRUB and Linux ends here and I need help from you guys.

Here's a picture of how my GParted looks like now:

And yes, I will provide a pastebin of my boot info: https://paste.ubuntu.com/p/Ym64wf9rHd/

I can also provide a video or something on how the GRUB looks and works right now with my phone.

How do I or how can I proceed with my problem(s)? How do I clean up this mess and successfully do a new, working dual boot? Thanks in advance! I'll keep you updated and I'll provide answers to your questions as best as I can. But be aware, I might not be able to be active here during the week, I have more time during the weekends and I can try your solutions during weekends, I have school to worry about.

 

[JuQu]

Hey! I found some pictures that I actually took during the installation progress that might be helpful, I'm not sure if they are, but hopefully they are.

Here I made the partitions.

And here I started goofing up.

 

[captain-sensible]

mmm i just got back from a 10 hr return journey to London to do a protein psr 10 Covid test, so i'm a bit more frazzled than usual so some allowance for me there ..?. Looking at some of the commands , with the chroot. i'm guessing that nothing boots , so you went down the root (no pun intended) of mounting with chroot to try and invoke the grub install ? What it probably boils down to is you are basically at the same point of having a virgin hard drive/ssd onto which you are now going to install Linux. The video has a "somewhat" incongruous title "install Windows after Linux" since that's the opposite of whats i would do .

The way forward , i think , is to first confirm what you can do or can't. Is the HP now unbootable ?Next one way forward is to get a linux OS onto a usb stick and see if you can boot that on basis of "try" , then the next step would be install. It should recognise or re-create the EFI partition and anything else it needs; or you can do that manually.

From a birds eye view this is not the end of the world scenario ; you got rid of Windows "horay" and are free to install the OS you always wanted ?

 

[JuQu]

mmm i just got back from a 10 hr return journey to London to do a protein psr 10 Covid test, so i'm a bit more frazzled than usual so some allowance for me there ..?. Looking at some of the commands , with the chroot. i'm guessing that nothing boots , so you went down the root (no pun intended) of mounting with chroot to try and invoke the grub install ? What it probably boils down to is you are basically at the same point of having a virgin hard drive/ssd onto which you are now going to install Linux. The video has a "somewhat" incongruous title "install Windows after Linux" since that's the opposite of whats i would do .

The way forward , i think , is to first confirm what you can do or can't. Is the HP now unbootable ?Next one way forward is to get a linux OS onto a usb stick and see if you can boot that on basis of "try" , then the next step would be install. It should recognise or re-create the EFI partition and anything else it needs; or you can do that manually.

From a birds eye view this is not the end of the world scenario ; you got rid of Windows "horay" and are free to install the OS you always wanted ?

I managed to fix it in a way, I can boot into Linux Mint as I told. It's hard to explain, but I'll get back on it on Friday. I'm on campus now and I don't have my home laptop with me. If there's something you want to ask, I can answer. I'll try to think of a more detailed or otherwise better explanation of what's happened. I'll definitely provide a video of how the PC boots, it's what it is right now. I tried repairing stuff with Boot Repair and it works somehow right now, but I'm confused of the whole situation. I'm just sure the GRUB is messed up and I'm wondering, how can I fix it properly and see how can I fix the EFI partition.

 

[captain-sensible]

if you can boot into Linux Mint thats a big +ve

from Mint try to lauch gparted from menu and do screen shot , so we can see what things look like now.

Also output of some commands such as :

sudo fdisk -l

to have a quick look at grub run this:

bash-5.0# grub-install -V

on mine i get :

grub-install (GRUB) 2.04
bash-5.0#

 

[JuQu]

if you can boot into Linux Mint thats a big +ve

from Mint try to lauch gparted from menu and do screen shot , so we can see what things look like now.

Also output of some commands such as :

sudo fdisk -l

to have a quick look at grub run this:

bash-5.0# grub-install -V

on mine i get :

grub-install (GRUB) 2.04
bash-5.0#

I'll do as instructed, although I showed a picture of how my GParted looks like right now in the initiating post, but oh well, just to be safe and sound I will provide a new one just to be safe. I can get back on the matter on Friday when I get to go home.

 

[JuQu]

And one thing to I want to say, I did a dual boot with Ubuntu and Windows 10 with the exact same instructions on an older laptop I had laying around, did it using Legacy mode on BIOS. Was it successful because of that? I have no idea, but I screwed this one up. But it's not really necessary information regarding what's happened right now. Unfortunately, the hard drive of the older laptop died about 3 or 4 weeks ago.

 

[captain-sensible]

I'll do as instructed, although I showed a picture of how my GParted looks like right now in the initiating post, but oh well, just to be safe and sound I will provide a new one just to be safe. I can get back on the matter on Friday when I get to go home.

ok so the question is whats on /dev/sda3 ? Windows 10 around 30 gig so thats

I'll do as instructed, although I showed a picture of how my GParted looks like right now in the initiating post, but oh well, just to be safe and sound I will provide a new one just to be safe. I can get back on the matter on Friday when I get to go home.

ok got you, no need to replicate then. msftdata - its too small to be Windows root install so its probably reserve or recovery partition of windows on /dev/sda3 . Somebody i'm sure will correct me on this

 

[captain-sensible]

And one thing to I want to say, I did a dual boot with Ubuntu and Windows 10 with the exact same instructions on an older laptop I had laying around, did it using Legacy mode on BIOS. Was it successful because of that? I have no idea, but I screwed this one up. But it's not really necessary information regarding what's happened right now. Unfortunately, the hard drive of the older laptop died about 3 or 4 weeks ago.

i don't see it as a problem ; i have a uefi fireware motherboard that had Windows 10 and an EFI partition , in my haste to install slackware i wiped everything including the EFi partition.

i just created a new EFI partition using cgdisk , its only a file system of around 100Mb file type EF00 nothing special . if you wiped everything and booted say Mint and started install i'm pretty sure it would install a new EFI if necessary. Unless Chris or others probably tomorrow suggest something different, the worst case scenario is to wipe everthing start fresh with a new install of Mint or Ubuntu

 

[captain-sensible]

or if you have access to student edition of Windows 10 ( you mentioned campus , that would mean uni or equivalent) in total you have 200 gig . Windows 10; 30 gig for install , then add say 30 gig for updates etc still leaves plenty for Linux. On my laptop i only have 60 gig in total and still have 15 gig free after slackware and software required

 

[wizardfromoz]

Unless Chris or others

That would be me

Welcome to linux.org @JuQu

Somebody i'm sure will correct me on this

Nope, looks good. Pastebin shows no sign of /dev/sda3 or sda3 so the Windows main software has been wiped.

There's also an option for the Windows Boot Manager, but I haven't dared to try it yet.

You can choose that option with no harm but it likely will not work. The Windows Boot software is still in the EFI partition along with Mint's, and that will be what Grub is detecting and relecting in its boot menu.

I can also provide a video or something on how the GRUB looks and works right now with my phone.

That would be cool when you get a chance.

Did you have a lot of personal data with the Windows, or a backup of same you can use?

If so, you might be able to recover it with something like Christophe Grenier's TestDisk, via a search or deep search, but if other data is written to where the old stuff was, that will make for more difficulty.

https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download

( you mentioned campus , that would mean uni or equivalent

Mousing over the OP's avatar shows 15 years, so school or college.

Helpers - I would suggest that we wait until @JuQu says to us "I'm back for the weekend" and then proceed further.

@JuQu if you find no alternative than wiping the drive and reinstalling, it's Windows first, and then Linux.

On the Linux side, you could do worse than follow Abishek Prakash's tutorial here, once Windows is back in place.

https://itsfoss.com/guide-install-linux-mint-16-dual-boot-windows/

It's actually updated for Linux Mint 20.

Cheers

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz

 

[JuQu]

Thank you so much, both of you, @wizardfromoz and @captain-sensible. I luckily keep all my important data on cloud services and several external data storage devices, just in case things go haywire one way or another. I still haven't moved or downloaded anything to my laptop from the backups, it would be useless since I figured I really do have to zero out the hard drive totally, it'd be too much work for me to try working with what I have now, I'm still a beginner with Linux, started using it in June this year, for the first time on another PC, unfortunately the mechanical hard drive died, it was old already though, I'd say just "natural causes". I'll propably use DBAN to totally wipe out the drive, just to make sure I won't leave behind any "gunk or residue" that might potentially disrupt things later. I'll provide the video before though, I think you'd enjoy taking a look at it too. .

For the next installation, a proper guide and Windows first. Thanks!

 

[captain-sensible]

@JuQu your welcome , i have a flight booked tomorrow heathrow to Accra, Ghana so i may not get back to you for few days. Chris , Wiz of course and others on here will be more than happy to help you in anyway they can :^)

 

[JuQu]

@JuQu your welcome , i have a flight booked tomorrow heathrow to Accra, Ghana so i may not get back to you for few days. Chris , Wiz of course and others on here will be more than happy to help you in anyway they can :^)

This is something I love about Linux, propably the most. It's what makes Linux Linux today, it's the community and the helpful users who love sharing their advice to others.

 

[wizardfromoz]

i have a flight booked tomorrow heathrow to Accra

Safe trip, Andy, to you and your family. Let us know when you are settled.

Chris

 

[JuQu]

@wizardfromoz @captain-sensible
I cannot upload a video of the booting process, but I'm home and I'll start the new dual boot installation right now. I'll let you know if it was successful. Very excited!