Recently booted Windows to install a BIOS update with a Windows only installer and realised it had been about a year since last boot. Think it may be time to reclaim that space.
Most mobos usually have a bios flash utility in the bios setup itself, so you don’t need to rely on the windows installer. You just need to stick the update on a USB stick (extract the binary file from the zip).
Hmm I wonder if you could boot into a recovery version of windows to run the bios updater in that case. Like a recovery partition that isn’t even on the main disk.
Until you update your EFI and have forgotten all about the fact that non-Windows EFI boot images need to be registered with the Secure Boot key store even if Secure Boot is off. And that the key store is wiped when updating the EFI.
And then you spend an entire afternoon trying to find out why your Linux boot every isn’t even recognized by the EFI anymore. Fun.
I’m in school. I 100% need windows for proctored tests. Institutions that offer online schooling are slowly building infrastructure around Microsoft 365 and underlying tech that depends on windows.
I get it. I main Linux too but you 100% need windows in remote learning. So it’s dual boot.
the cat in the image is windows update taking over the linux boot partition: the box, instead of leaving it alone for the much more comfortable windows boot partition: the cat tree.
There are two or three work functions that can only be done on Windows when working from home. So it gets its own Windows 10 VM with just enough resources to perform those functions, installed with a local account and ShutUp10 to remove all the automated “feature” updates. If something goes wrong, I can nuke it and lose nothing.
Might be able to starve it further with Windows 10 Ameliorated. It’s got a fancy UI now, but under the hood it’s a bunch of Powershell scripts to disable a lot of the bullshit (or at least it used to be).
Using IoT LTSC install media is good too, doesn’t include a lot of the BS to begin with.
This is why I no longer dual boot and removed windows all together.
Realized I hadn’t booted Windows on my personal PC in 6 months and said yup time to nuke it all together
Recently booted Windows to install a BIOS update with a Windows only installer and realised it had been about a year since last boot. Think it may be time to reclaim that space.
Most mobos usually have a bios flash utility in the bios setup itself, so you don’t need to rely on the windows installer. You just need to stick the update on a USB stick (extract the binary file from the zip).
Sadly that’s only common for desktop PCs, with laptops it’s a lot less common. But many can be updated from within Linux nowadays
Hmm I wonder if you could boot into a recovery version of windows to run the bios updater in that case. Like a recovery partition that isn’t even on the main disk.
I honestly never had isses as long as both are kept on separate drives
Until you update your EFI and have forgotten all about the fact that non-Windows EFI boot images need to be registered with the Secure Boot key store even if Secure Boot is off. And that the key store is wiped when updating the EFI.
And then you spend an entire afternoon trying to find out why your Linux boot every isn’t even recognized by the EFI anymore. Fun.
The correct fix
I’m in school. I 100% need windows for proctored tests. Institutions that offer online schooling are slowly building infrastructure around Microsoft 365 and underlying tech that depends on windows.
I get it. I main Linux too but you 100% need windows in remote learning. So it’s dual boot.
why not just use a VM?
Because a lot of software will refuse to run in a VM for security reasons. Testing software is very likely to be one of those.
idk what this meme means because i’ve never considered dual booting
the cat in the image is windows update taking over the linux boot partition: the box, instead of leaving it alone for the much more comfortable windows boot partition: the cat tree.
There are two or three work functions that can only be done on Windows when working from home. So it gets its own Windows 10 VM with just enough resources to perform those functions, installed with a local account and ShutUp10 to remove all the automated “feature” updates. If something goes wrong, I can nuke it and lose nothing.
Put it in a tiny box and starve that fucker.
I like it.
Don’t use your phone computer for work. Even if you’re an independent consultant, S Corp or whatever. Just don’t.
For privacy and legal reasons, and your own sanity, just get a separate computer and only ever use that for work.
Most of the time you can write that off anyway.
Might be able to starve it further with Windows 10 Ameliorated. It’s got a fancy UI now, but under the hood it’s a bunch of Powershell scripts to disable a lot of the bullshit (or at least it used to be).
Using IoT LTSC install media is good too, doesn’t include a lot of the BS to begin with.
Whenever I see “ameliorate” I think of The Simpsons.