How to Perform Dual Repair Windows 10

Many users set up a dual-boot system on their Windows PC to access multiple operating systems on one machine. Windows is often preferred for its wide compatibility with software like productivity tools and games, which are optimized for Windows environments. Compatibility and experimentation are also common motivators. Some users may need certain software or hardware configurations that work better on one OS over another, and dual-booting offers a versatile solution. This setup allows users to avoid the limitations of a virtual machine, giving them a fully native environment for each OS.

Why did dual boot fail on Windows 10?

However, dual-booting isn’t without challenges. Most problems that appear on dual boot on Windows PC are:

1. Boot Loader Issues: Dual-boot setups rely on a boot loader (such as GRUB) to choose the operating system on startup. If this bootloader becomes corrupted or misconfigured (often after a Windows update), the system may fail to boot or default to one OS without presenting a choice.

2. Storage Space and Partitioning Conflicts: Each OS needs its partition, which can limit available space. Poorly partitioned drives can lead to data loss or make resizing and adjusting partitions risky.

3. Security Issues: Some operating systems, particularly Windows 10, may implement updates that impact the boot loader or system settings, potentially leading to conflicts with other installed OS. Additionally, tools like BitLocker may not recognize Linux or other OS partitions, causing errors or prompting recovery keys.

4. File System Incompatibilities: Windows and Linux use different file systems (NTFS for Windows, EXT4 for Linux). Accessing data between these systems can be tricky; while Linux can read NTFS, Windows doesn’t support EXT4 natively, requiring third-party solutions to bridge compatibility.

5. Performance and Stability Issues: Certain hardware drivers may not work well with both operating systems, particularly if they are proprietary. Additionally, dual-booting can slightly increase wear on the system disk and reduce battery life due to potential inefficiencies in driver and power management across systems.

How to repair dual boot PC with bootable USB

Using a bootable drive is an easy approach to fix the failing system. This part offers a detailed instruction on building a bootable USB drive and fixing typical issues causing incorrect operating system booting.

1. Make a boot repair USB drive

You need to prepare a USB drive at least 16 GB of free space, a well-running computer.

Step 1. Download the Media Creation Tool from the Microsoft site.

Step 2. Choose the “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC” option and then click Next to continue.

Step 3. Specify the language, edition, and architecture according to your needs, and then click Next.

Step 4. In the subsequent window, select USB flash drive as your media type and click Next.

Step 5. Finally, select the drive you prepared to store the downloaded Windows 10 installation files.

2. Use Windows Installation USB to fix dual boot issues

Insert the created USB drive into the faulty computer and restart the system. During the startup process, press F12 to enter the BIOS/UEFI setup. The designated key may vary depending on different devices. Now, you need to change the boot order to ensure the USB drive is set as the primary boot device to boot your computer from USB.

You can access several repair options including System Restore, Startup Repair, or Command Prompt once you have successfully booted. Here we consider Command Prompt as an illustration. Executing different commands with this command-line interpreter will enable you to accomplish certain chores. These are the exact instructions to access it together with some often used commands.

Step 1. After successfully booting, you can set languages, time, and keyboard according to your needs.

Step 2. Choose Repair your computer.

Step 3. Click on Troubleshoot > Advanced options to see various repair tools, then select Command Prompt.

Step 4. You can type the following commands and press Enter to execute each task to fix dual boot problems.

► Check and repair disk errors: chkdsk C: /f/x/r

► Check and fix corruption of system files: sfc /scannow

► Resolve issues related to the boot configuration:

• bootrec /fixmbr
• bootrec /fixboot
• bootrec /scanos
• bootrec /rebuildbcd

Efficiently & easily do dual boot repair for Windows 10

The methods outlined above may not be able to restore your system, you can try AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional to run a dual boot repair on Windows 10.

Boot repair is accessible to users with minimal technical proficiency due to the user-friendly interface of this robust third-party software. Significant time can be saved by diagnosing and resolving the underlying issues with a few keystrokes, as opposed to manual troubleshooting.

Step 1. Download and install AOMEI Partition Assistant on a functional PC, then connect a USB drive to it.

Step 2. Select Recover > Boot Repair from the main interface.

Step 3. Choose the create a bootable disk option to generate WinPE bootable media.

Step 4. Connect the drive to the malfunctioning computer and try to start it. Once you log in successfully, it will automatically load the Boot Repair tool and initiate the boot entries scanning process.

Step 5. Once the process completes, all boot entries will be displayed. Select the entries that you want to repair and click the Repair button.

Step 6. After the repair is successful, remove the bootable USB drive and reboot the PC from the original system drive.

Conclusion

While dual boot configurations can considerably increase productivity by simplifying the management of various tasks, they may also present numerous issues during operation. This article provides a thorough explanation of the process of resolving boot issues by utilizing a bootable USB drive. AOMEI Partition Assistant offers exceptional solutions for dual boot repair on Windows 10. 

What's more, AOMEI Partition Assistant offers a wide range of features and technical support to help you confidently manage the dual boot environment, you can easily manage your partitions and disk to keep your computer in a steady status.