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change boot from GRUB to the Windows bootloader

snydley100

Wed Jul 24, 2019 3:33:02 pm

Hi, I installed Zorin 15, dual boot, along side of Windows 10 in the conventional way. I have since found out that Zorin can be installed without installing GRUB in the MBR in the conventional way, by adding it to the Windows bootloader as outlined here: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=14667&p=65279#p65279
My question is, since I've installed it the "conventional way" having GRUB handle the dual boot menu in the MBR, is there a way I can change this and boot Zorin by adding it to the Windows boot loader using the EZBCD program and let Windows handle the dual boot menu, WITHOUT installing Windows 10 or Zorin 15 again, adding GRtB to sda3,(where Zorin 15 is), removing it from the MBR in sda, where it is now, without reinstalling everything again? What it seems like I need to do is remove GRUB from the MBR,on sda, reinstall GRUB to sda3 where Zorin 15 is, and then adding an entry in the Windows bootloader for Zorin 15 with EZBCD edit. Can this be done after Zorin has already been installed with GRUB in the MBR without reinstalling the OSs?
Thanks,
Snyde

Swarfendor437

Wed Jul 24, 2019 8:07:24 pm

Hi, We need to check if Windows 10 has mbr or GPT:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/848 ... ndows.html

mdiemer

Wed Jul 24, 2019 8:43:51 pm

I'm not an expert, and I have an old desktop with bios (not EFI), and I have Windows 7 not 10. but with all those caveats, I would assume you could simply add Zorin to EZBCD and be good. I have done this with no problem, though I think it's much easier to just boot from Grub. If that works, and you can boot both Zorin and windows, why mess with it? Also, I don't think removing grub from Zorin is a good idea. You will probably have to add it back at some point with a disk repair utility. Otherwise you won't be able to boot in to Zorin.

snydley100

Wed Jul 24, 2019 9:46:50 pm

Swarfendor437 wrote:Hi, We need to check if Windows 10 has mbr or GPT:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/848 ... ndows.html


Thank you for your help!
According to the info in Device Manager in Windows 10 it's a GPT system

Swarfendor437

Thu Jul 25, 2019 12:11:49 pm

Hi, Take a look here:

https://www.tenforums.com/installation- ... -disk.html

(replace ubuntu with zorin in the guide)

As for GRUB see if this helps:

https://forum.manjaro.org/t/solved-how- ... t/75906/10

You may also want to view the posts above the one I linked you too - if you have any critical data on your Zorin install, back that up first! Same goes for Windows - Fail to Plan = Plan to Fail. ;) :D

MBMz10

Fri Jul 26, 2019 5:28:26 am

Not an answer to your question but some points worth consideration as I went through a similar situation, with one major difference, being that Windows and Linux are on there own separate drives! Of course I have no idea what you wish to achieve but can only guess it is control which system is the default to boot and how long to choose (timeout) as was the case for myself

If my memory serves me correctly I installed Windows 10 and then Linux with the Windows drive removed. I used EZBCD from Windows to control the boot process, menu time out, boot order etc. This resulted in the machine booting half way into Windows before getting the EZBCD menu to choose Linux at which point it restarted and booted into Linux, a rather slow process.

I installed Grub Customizer in Linux and now use that with Grub to control boot process, which offers the boot menu at start up, much faster. You can set your Windows or Linux as default first boot choice, as well as a timeout if no choice is made, or as I do, "Boot last started system first" which is good for when Windows updates and restarts its self, it will automatically go back to Windows and finish updating rather than ending up half updated and booted into Linux if you happen to be away from the machine.

As I use Linux as my daily driver it always boots to it first due to the setting of 'last booted system' I just need to select Windows if I want to use it.

My systems are on separate drives so this might work differently in your case! That said Windows and Linux should still have there own boot loader intact on there respective drives should either drive fail, I should be able to boot the other system...
I installed Windows first on its own drive, then disconnected that drive while installing Linux on the other drive so I would guess each drive only has its own boot loader and removing either drive should still allow me to boot the other.
Being a UEFI system I don't mess with it beyond what I have done with Grub Customizer, the system is now 3 plus years old and never had any issues!

As my set up is on separate drives and yours appears to be on the same drive your mileage may vary and Grub likely over writes the Windows boot loader when you install Linux unless you chose not to install grub at all.

Anyway just some info for you to ponder

Swarfendor437

Fri Jul 26, 2019 12:40:00 pm

Hi MBMz10, snydley100 is using a Notebook so not possible (unless it has SSD for Win10 and Zorin on separate HDD). ;) :D

snydley100

Fri Jul 26, 2019 4:00:19 pm

Swarfendor437 wrote:Hi MBMz10, snydley100 is using a Notebook so not possible (unless it has SSD for Win10 and Zorin on separate HDD). ;) :D


Hello,
Nope, it's 1 hard drive, different partitions. I'm just gonna "bite the bullet" someday soon and delete and reinstall Zorin and add Zorin to the Windows bootloader using EZBCD Edit and dual boot that way. I've deleted GRUB and Zorin before and went back to the stock Windows 7 by deleting the Zorin 12 partition, restoring the stock single Windows 7 OS from the command line using fixmbr ,(I don't remember the exact command), and that worked fine. That got rid of GRUB from the MBR and brought things back to stock. That was with an MBR system, this new computer has a GPT system. I need to get rid of Grub from there and go back to just Windows 10. If I can get help on doing that I can reinstall Zorin 15, and GRUB to sda3, instead if sda, where it is now, and add Zorin to the Windows 10 boot manager using EZBCD Edit and dual boot using the Windows 10 bootloader, which is what I'd like to do.
This is my first computer with a GPT system and I don't know anything about GPT, and since everything works with GRUB handling the dual boot now, I'm leery of doing anything until I know the exact procedure of removing GRUB completely from the GPT. Once I know that the rest is "cake"
Thanks for any help offered,
Snyde

Swarfendor437

Fri Jul 26, 2019 10:15:26 pm

I duly stand corrected - as you had posted about your ethernet problems elsewhere I had interpreted that this post was about the same machine :oops: Sincere apologies to MBMz10 and snydley100.

Those commands are 'bootrec /FixMbr' and 'bootrec /fixboot'. ;) :D

snydley100

Fri Jul 26, 2019 11:09:20 pm

Swarfendor437 wrote:I duly stand corrected - as you had posted about your ethernet problems elsewhere I had interpreted that this post was about the same machine :oops: Sincere apologies to MBMz10 and snydley100.

Those commands are 'bootrec /FixMbr' and 'bootrec /fixboot'. ;) :D


Do bootrec /FixMbr and bootrec /FixBoot work to restore Windows 10's boot on a laptop with a GPT system? That's what I don't know. I know it works with Windows 7 on an MBR system, I've done that, but never on a GPT system. I don't want to try this unless I know for sure that it works for GPT. My idea is to try to restore this laptop back to "factory specs", reinstall Zorin and use EZBCD Edit to add it and use Windows for the dual boot.

You're correct, it is the same laptop, a Razer Blade Pro 17". Zorin 15 wouldn't work, initially, with the Wifi card in it, which the guys at Zorin support gave links to places on the Web for files I needed to get that working. I also have a problem with my Ethernet hardware on this laptop, a Realtek 2.5G Ethernet. That doesn't work, and is where I stand with that. It works with Windows 10 OK. I also have a problem, more like a situation, that I've created myself. I installed Zorin 15 "conventionally" and pointed Grub to install to sda, and that controls the dual boot. Which works fine. After I installed it this way, which I always have in the past, I read about a "non-conventional" installation, installing Grub to sda3, where Zorin 15 is, and using EZBCD Edit to edit Windows boot manager and add Zorin 15 and Grub to that. I like the idea of doing it that way, because it's my understanding that it I "break" Grub somehow, during an update or something, by installing it the conventional way with Grub handling the dual boot, which it is now, then I not only can't boot Zorin, but Windows 10 too. If I set it up the "non-conventional way" using Windows 10 to handle the dual boot and break Grub somehow, I lose being able to boot Zorin but I'll still be able to boot to Windows 10. That way I'll have an OS to use to restore Zorin, and not "break' both OSs and have a dead laptop.
Thanks for your help,
Snydley

Swarfendor437

Sat Jul 27, 2019 10:25:10 am

Hi, No bootrec.exe and fixmbr will not work on a GPT system.

See if the guide at the bottom of this thread that there is a link to helps:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/791119/ ... physically

snydley100

Sat Jul 27, 2019 2:19:34 pm

Swarfendor437 wrote:Hi, No bootrec.exe and fixmbr will not work on a GPT system.

See if the guide at the bottom of this thread that there is a link to helps:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/791119/ ... physically


Thanks once again for your help. Geez, the more I read about this, the more I think I'll leave well enough alone! That being said, I may just buy a 2nd SSD and once installed delve into this deeper, reinstall Zorin to the new SSD, and add Zorin to the Windows boot loader that way. I have Windows 7 set up that way on my Alienware 14, to a second SSD, but I'm using Grub for the dual boot, and there were times when I screwed up and broke Zorin, but I could press F12, boot device choice, and still boot to Windows 7 in order to
fix Zorin. People may ask "why do you want to do this"? My answer to that is "because it can be done"! I have no problems with Grub handling the dual-boot, I just want to know how to put everything back to "stock" in case I every need or want to. I've done this several times with an MBR system, I want to learn how to do it with a GPT system.
Thanks again,
Snyde