Cannot boot into my Windows parition anymore

User Support
#1

I installed qubes on my Windows computer a couple of months ago, and I shrank the Windows parition to make room for qubes.

I can’t recall exactly why, but I ended up changing the BIOS setttings to legacy boot from UEFI.

Recently, I had a need to boot Windows (I know this is not considered a good idea). But when I switched back to UEFI, the BIOS cannot find any medium to boot off of.

I thought I had tested booting into Windows after installing qubes, but I am actually not sure.

So the main reason I am posting this is: does this sound like a possible cause for concern that the BIOS had been infected?

It would be nice to be able boot into Windows (to test external hardware that I cannot get working with qubes) but my main concern is a possible security breach.

#2

try checking uefi entry first, are there any windows boot manager there ?
and for dual booting with qubes you don’t need to change to legacy bios (even with 2 separate drive), neither need 2 efi partition.

#3

Sorry for the slow reply: I did not want to interrupt my work task with a reboot.

When I change the BIOS setting back to UEFI, the boot list is empty. In legacy mode, there is a list with 5 items (internal HD, USB drive, CD-ROM, etc…). If I try to “Add Item” I get a popup that says:

“Warning: File System Not Found!”

If I reboot anyhow with UEFI ROM I get the error:

“No bootable devices found.”

I also tried selecting reset factory defaults in the BIOS, but it was still in legacy mode after rebooting.

If I recall correctly, it was in UEFI mode when I bought my Windows laptop, but then I switched to legacy ROM for some reason, but I don’t remember why.