Why did I lose Windows from Grub?

[huwie]

I just performed the weekly update, around 110 items. Everything seemed to go well until I tried to boot into Windows; the Windows menu entry was gone. Why did that happen?

[joeoden]

Need more info Gnome. Kde or one of the other desktops, what version grub, how many drives in system
Have you

Code: Select all

fdisk -l

as root in a terminal to make sure the windows drive/partition is there
If it is
Try mounting the windows drive/partition (as root in a terminal)
Try to access the windows drive/partition with a file manager
Have a look to see if windows is still in grub.cfg (check to make sure it has not changed)
If all the above is OK then if using grub 2, as root in a terminal run

Code: Select all

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

and watch the output for any errors and to see if windows is detected during the probe

[huwie]

joeoden, many thanks for taking the time to post. However I have not made myself clear. Sabayon is gone; I had an urgent need to use Windows and after trying a few quick solutions, the only way I could guarantee that at the time was to just install another distro. The only reason I posted was curiosity really. I suspect there was an error in Sabayon's implementation of some update to GRUB or related package.

[ReemZ]

joeoden, many thanks for taking the time to post. However I have not made myself clear. Sabayon is gone; I had an urgent need to use Windows and after trying a few quick solutions, the only way I could guarantee that at the time was to just install another distro. The only reason I posted was curiosity really. I suspect there was an error in Sabayon's implementation of some update to GRUB or related package.

I suspect your suspicion is incorrect.
I've not nuked winblows yet, and it still shows up in GRUB.
However, I don't update weekly, I do so daily.
Next time you encounter a problem, collect more info and try to be a little more patient so it can get solved...

[huwie]

I suspect your suspicion is incorrect.

OK. Why?

I've not nuked winblows yet, and it still shows up in GRUB.

Ah, the classic "well it works for me!" That does not mean anything.

Next time you encounter a problem, collect more info and try to be a little more patient so it can get solved...

Did you even read my post? Time was an issue. I had an urgent need to use Windows and did what I had to do. Besides, I've lost patience with Sabayon. This is the second time in as many years that it has rendered my system unusable. I no longer have the time nor the inclination to work through ridiculous problems like these that no end-user should ever have to encounter.

[ReemZ]

I suspect your suspicion is incorrect.

OK. Why?

Because, indeed:

I've not nuked winblows yet, and it still shows up in GRUB.

Ah, the classic "well it works for me!" That does not mean anything.

What it does mean is that it's not the Sabayon team's fault.

Next time you encounter a problem, collect more info and try to be a little more patient so it can get solved...

Did you even read my post? Time was an issue. I had an urgent need to use Windows and did what I had to do. Besides, I've lost patience with Sabayon. This is the second time in as many years that it has rendered my system unusable. I no longer have the time nor the inclination to work through ridiculous problems like these that no end-user should ever have to encounter.

No, I always respond to posts without reading them
This ridiculous problem could lie within Grub, or, as not everyone seems to have encountered it, might just be caused by something you did. Have you considered the possibility? Your rant suggests you haven't...
If you have such an urgent need to use that excuse for an OS and can't handle ONE hiccup per YEAR without going on one, then maybe Linux isn't for you.

[huwie]

OK I'll try this one more time, although you do seem to be getting a little defensive of your favourite OS.

What it does mean is that it's not the Sabayon team's fault.

Yes, I know. But it possibly is Sabayon's fault. That's what I wanted to know, and that's why I started the thread.

No, I always respond to posts without reading them

I can't think of a better explanation for the way you responded.

This ridiculous problem could lie within Grub, or, as not everyone seems to have encountered it, might just be caused by something you did. Have you considered the possibility? Your rant suggests you haven't...

What part of my "rant" suggests I haven't? For your information, I have, and this is what I have determined:

I am a simple OS end-user. I do absolutely nothing exotic with my PC at all. I use email, the Web, I listen to music, etc. Yesterday morning Sabayon informed me that updates were available, and like a good little user I downloaded and installed them. Then my system broke. If I did something wrong, I'd love to know what that was.

I use Windows for some things, I use Linux for others. That is because Windows can do some things better, while Linux does other things better. Unlike some people, I acknowledge that no OS is perfect. I prefer Linux, but that doesn't stop me using the right tool for the job. Yesterday morning, the right tool happened to be Windows, and Linux prevented me from using it.

If you have such an urgent need to use that excuse for an OS and can't handle ONE hiccup per YEAR without going on one, then maybe Linux isn't for you.

When my browser hangs and I have to restart it and lose where I was, that's a hiccup. When I have to reinstall a driver to get some piece of hardware working, that's a hiccup. My system being rendered unusable because I applied some updates is far beyond a hiccup; it's inexcusable and intolerable. I'd already given Sabayon the benefit of the doubt once. I won't make the same mistake again.

[wolfden]

Locking this discussion since it has gotten out of hand and doesn't need to continue.

Just for the record - no other reports of said events have been posted/reported. Flukes do happen tho.

Why you had an issue, nobody will know since you wiped out all evidence. Keep in mind that the live disk called SuperGrub is available to download and use to boot Windows or Linux and fix grub. I recommend everyone to have one on hand. Grub isn't the most stable thing on the planet. Boot loaders can and will go corrupt and SuperGrub disk is a great life saving tool for those times.

In the future if you use Sabayon, please provide as much information as possible to get help.