Well my last post got locked claiming it was a windows issue… So it doesnt seem like i will be getting much help. But i dont know what else to do.
I am on an old laptop and thought getting linux instead of windows would be better. I was running dual boot fine until the windows boot option stopped showing up. Trying to use windows recovery but when I choose to boot with that the laptop just restarts.
I will try posting on a windows forum but im pretty sure they are just gunna say “sounds like a linux problem messing up your boot”. My fault i guess, im not technical enough to diagnose the issue myself but I dont understand why it wont just boot the windows recovery USB. Thats all i can do… Can anyone point me in the right direction at least? Can i remove manjaro completely then install from scratch?? If my windows is not booting, how can i have an OS to do a reinstall?
Booting from USB is a matter of the machine’s firmware. Now, what you can do is check whether that recovery USB boots in native UEFI mode or in legacy BIOS compatibility mode ─ Microsoft’s knowledge base should be able to tell you that ─ and then check which boot methods your computer’s firmware allows for, because there are several possibilities…:
The machine has a legacy BIOS. In that case, both Manjaro and Windows would have booted in the same mode, because a legacy BIOS doesn’t support anything else.
The machine has a UEFI, and it is configured (by you) to boot in one of the two modes only, i.e. native UEFI mode or legacy BIOS (CSM) mode. If the stick is for a different boot method, then it won’t boot.
The machine has a UEFI, and it is set to allow both boot methods.
In the event of #3 here-above, you should check whether booting from USB is still allowed in the UEFI firmware settings.
Either way, the main issue still stands that this is not a Manjaro problem, and that for help regarding Microsoft Windows, you should address Microsoft’s support infrastructure.
What I can tell you with certainty however is that Manjaro will not mess up your boot. The only operating system that does such a thing is ─ you guessed it ─ Microsoft Windows, because Microsoft always wants to claim the entire computer to itself, and there’s enough historic evidence on the Web to corroborate this.
Now, that all said, I’m afraid I must agree with my colleague and close this thread. The information I’ve given you in this post should help you on your way to solving your problem.
