EDIT: So after all that, I was able to reinstall windows and download Macrium reflect + my backup. First time I tried to recover it, it failed for some reason, but the second time around I was able to restore it successfully. I’m now back where I started, thank you everyone!
I’m not done with Linux yet, but I think I’m going to try and run it in a good VM for the time being. When I’m done with classes, or when I get a separate device, I will give it another go.
Post 1: https://lemmy.ca/post/3709382
Post 2: https://lemmy.ca/post/3863438
Yesterday I could at least change the order in the BIOS to boot windows. Now I can’t even do that.
I think when reinstalling, I must have overwritten something (the EFI?). I saw some other people that had a very similar experience, and the advice was to reinstall Windows. I’m currently downloading Windows installation media on another computer and I’m going to try and reinstall windows now.
This just keeps getting worse and worse, and thank you for the help while I struggle through this.
If anyone has other tips, I’d appreciate it :)
From windows?
Heh, yeah 😂
By the way you might wanna consider an alternative such as rEFInd if you’re using an UEFI (BIOS but newer and shittier thanks to “improved security”, full of limits) or “systemd-bootloader”
thank you! I’ll note that down for next time
It’s objectively better. Rather than having to manipulate raw bytes to change my bootloader, I can just add it to my ESP, which is a partition that the UEFI reads to find what to start on your hard disk. Also, no more 640x480 resolution at boot.
All computers since the late-Windows 7 era use UEFI.
Secure Boot is shit, I agree.
That’s why I hated the extra step that I had to do to not corrupt the UEFI while installing a Linux distro years ago… All this new stuff that just locks you and limits you.
Things are better sometimes but in this case they’re not.