Linux Mint Dual boot with Windows not working after updates

This is common windows problem. Once you installed Linux Mint , it changes the grub information on MBR location. Post that any change on Windows OS, i.e. major upgrade, it changes back information. You loose your Linux OS installed. All efforts disappears. No need to re-install. Just follow below simple steps.

Linux Mint & Windows on Same Laptop

Solution Steps:

1. Disable fast reboot on Windows

Log into Windows and make sure fast startup is disabled by right clicking the start menu and select Command Prompt (Admin) option. Execute below command:

powercfg -h off

2. Set Linux Grub as default

Run below command in same Administrator command prompt.

bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.efi

3. Restart Windows

shutdown /r

Understand problem:

This is a fairly common problem that can occur for a number of reasons, but most commonly because most of the linux bootloaders installed for one firmware type cannot launch or chainload bootloaders of other firmware types. When Grub was installed to MBR (deprecated in EFI systems) instead of in EFI, it installs a boot loader there which loads grub from /boot/grub which is either in a special boot partition or a root filesystem partition. However, in EFI, Grub is a firmware file that’s on the EFI System Partition under the \EFI\ mount point in windows using GPT partitioning. So if you didn’t install Grub to EFI instead of MBR then GRUB is not in the list of bootable firmware.

Reference:

Common problems with Ubuntu and Windows Dual Boot Installations: The Official Muggle Studies Guide