Windows borked on my dual boot Dell xps

[fox]

The firmware update is handled by Dell, not Microsoft.

The alternative VM perspectives are interesting, but my response to either is influenced by my use of this particular computer and would in no way apply to my main computer. I don't use a laptop much anymore - too small for my eyes, and the original use I bought it for is mostly rendered irrelevant by my retirement. Previously, the laptop was an important work tool; I took it to conferences to do presentations and work with colleagues, and I used it for lectures. I also took it on holiday trips. Now I take an iPad on holiday trips and I used that iPad for lectures when I last gave them in person (as opposed to Zoom) in 2019. Now this very nice laptop sits on my desk almost unused. I spend more time updating the Windows and Ubuntu software on it than I spend using it. It's sad because this is a really good, well thought-out laptop (except for the placement of the webcam). I could sell it, but PCs get a fishcake once they're a few years old. Not worth doing even if I don't use it much.

If I had a desktop PC (vs a Mac), I would sooner put Windows in a VM because Ubuntu would be my regular system. On this laptop, the only software I depend on at certain times of year is a tax program that doesn't run on Linux. In other words, I have rarely used Linux on this laptop since I retired. Still I'm mainly a Linux user; that's what I use every day on my desktop. So I feel that I have to have Linux on the laptop. Given this situation and the fact that my copy of Windows is registered on this laptop, if I had to choose between a Linux VM on Windows or a Windows VM on Linux, I would choose the former. But I see no reason to choose either.

Because grub won't boot Windows now, I have the default boot set to Windows. It's still easy enough to boot into Linux; boot with the F12 key and choose to boot Ubuntu.

[Jason]

Third, and I may be mistaken here, but wasn't the firmware update handled by Dell, rather than Microsoft?

I believe you're mistaken. Fox's problem *started* with a Windows update. The name of the topic is "Windows borked on my dual boot Dell xps". The firmware issue was an attempt to see if an update to it fixed the Microsoft issue.

Regarding the license transfer, yes it wouldn't go to a virtual machine but I believe you mentioned before that it's not a big deal anyway. Something about the only thing you can't do is change its appearance and you get that message in the corner that it's not registered.

In any case, I wasn't actually suggesting that Fox install Windows on a virtual machine on a Linux install - just that your argument was flawed.

If you like, Fox, I can make use of your unused laptop. I won't even charge you for taking care of that problem!

Btw, Buster, I found your post otherwise entertaining. I didn't know the Lord still came to you in dreams. You should probably get that checked that out. Did you eat have wine before bed? Maybe that's why.

That might have been funnier if I had asked what I meant, "Did you have wine before bed?" Or maybe it wouldn't have been.

[Jason]

I was wondering if you could install grub on a USB stick and set that as the default to boot from. I see to recall some utility online called multi-boot or something. But maybe it was just a for booting distros from within that drive. If it works, it's a bit of a kludge but might be easier than having to hit F12 repeatedly to get the BIOS/UEFI boot menu.

[fox]

In this case, I wouldn't consider it better than hitting the F12 key. Also, I don't have to hit the F12 key at all if I want the first in line in the BIOS menu to boot. So I can set it to boot either Windows or Ubuntu (the grub menu) first. The nice thing about the F12 menu (as opposed to F2) is I can boot whichever one I select from that without permanently changing the boot order.