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Earlier this week, news emerged about a Windows update breaking dual-boot systems with Windows and Linux installed side-by-side. Now, Microsoft has officially acknowledged the problem and promised to investigate and fix it. A notification posted in the official Windows documentation confirmed that installing the August 2024 Patch Tuesday updates results in the following error message when attempting to launch Linux on a dual-boot system: The source of this problem is a Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) setting for blocking old and vulnerable boot managers. It was not intended to land on dual-boot systems, but as it sometimes happens in the world of Microsoft, it somehow did. The company says that happened because of failed dual-boot detection: As a temporary workaround, Microsoft suggests customers with dual-boot Windows-Linux systems not restart their Windows copies to apply the August 2024 Patch Tuesday update and use a certain registry key to block the update: There is also a forum thread about SBAT revocation that can help you fix an already broken system. The problem affects all supported client and server editions of Windows 10 and 11, from Windows Server 2012 and Windows 10 2015 LTSB all the way up to Windows 11 version 23H2 and Windows Server 2022. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of July): 3,313 news posts

According to user reports following this month's Patch Tuesday, the August 2024 Windows updates are breaking dual boot on Linux systems with Secure Boot enabled. This issue is caused by Microsoft's decision to apply a Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) update to block Linux boot loaders unpatched against the CVE-2022-2601 GRUB2 Secure Boot bypass vulnerability, which could "have an impact on Windows security." "The vulnerability assigned to this CVE is in the Linux GRUB2 boot loader, a boot loader designed to support Secure Boot on systems that are running Linux," Microsoft says in an advisory published last week to address this issue. "It is being documented in the Security Update Guide to announce that the latest builds of Windows are no longer vulnerable to this security feature bypass using the Linux GRUB2 boot loader. "The SBAT value is not applied to dual-boot systems that boot both Windows and Linux and should not affect these systems. You might find that older Linux distribution ISOs will not boot. If this occurs, work with your Linux vendor to get an update." However, while Redmond says that the SBAT update that blocks vulnerable UEFI shim bootloaders should not impact dual-boot systems in any way, many Linux users say that their systems (running Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Zorin OS, Puppy Linux, and other distros) no longer boot after installing the August 2024 Windows updates on the Windows OS. Those affected see "Verifying shim SBAT data failed: Security Policy Violation. Something has gone seriously wrong: SBAT self-check failed: Security Policy Violation" errors, and, for some, the devices will also immediately shut down. Currently, there is no definitive list of Linux distributions and versions affected by this known issue and Linux users who tried working around the issue say that deleting the SBAT policy or wiping the Windows installation and restoring Secure Boot to factory settings will not work. The only apparent way to revive the device is to disable Secure Boot, install the latest version of their favorite Linux distro, and re-enable Secure Boot. Microsoft has yet to acknowledge that installing this month's Patch Tuesday update may render dual-boot systems unable to boot. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of July): 3,313 news posts

The DuoWOA (Duo Windows on ARM) project is quickly approaching a significant milestone. According to the developer, customers curious and brave enough to swap Android for Windows 11 will soon be able to keep two operating systems in dual-boot mode. Gustave Monce, who made it possible to turn the Surface Duo into a Surface Neo "mini," has revealed details about the latest DuoWOA developments on their Twitter account. According to the developer, most people interested in the project want three notable things addressed before they pull the trigger on installing Windows 11 on the first or second-gen Surface Duo. Those things include the ability to boot Windows without an extra device, dual-boot Android and Windows, and lock back the bootloader. All three items will be available to customers once Gustave finishes the necessary updates and documentation. Users will be able to select Android or Windows on boot by having the device closed or open upon turning it on. This month's update will also bring other features and restore previously broken apps, such as McDonald's, Netflix, and banking applications. Speaking of other Surface Duo news, a new report recently emerged with details about the next generation of Microsoft's Android smartphone. Rumors claim Microsoft has scrapped its plans to release another dual-screen smartphone in favor of a more "traditional" one with a single foldable display. Besides, Microsoft is reportedly working on a conventional slab-like phone under the Surface brand. Those wanting to snag the Surface Duo should act fast and get the device for $314.99 while the supply last. Unfortunately, the Surface Duo 2 is nowhere to be found, including on Microsoft's website. Our stories may contain affiliate links for products/apps where Neowin is paid an affiliate fee if you complete a purchase via those links. You will soon be able to dual-boot Windows and Android on Surface Duo