Microsoft has released a new update for Windows 10 which fixes some security flaws in the most recent version of the operating system. Although these downloads resolve some vulnerabilities, their installation causes problems that could drive some people crazy. The latest version affects those who have a dual-boot Linux computer.
The update KB5044273available for Windows 10 builds 19044.5011 and 19045.5011, is now available through Windows Update. File Description on the Microsoft support website mentions that the patch fixes security issues and includes quality improvements in all supported editions of Windows 10, version 22H2.
The download also includes an update to the maintenance stack that creates chaos if you have a dual-boot computer with Windows 10 and Linux. The known issues section reports the following:
“After installing this security update, you may experience problems booting Linux if you have enabled dual boot settings for Windows and Linux on your device.
As a result of this issue, your device may not be able to boot Linux and displays the message: Error verifying shin SBAT data: security policy violation. Something went very wrong: SBAT self-test failed – security policy violation“
This problem circulates since mid-august and is resolved by adding an entry to the Windows Registry or disabling secure boot within your computer’s BIOS.
How to recover dual boot in Windows 10
According to Microsoft, the August 2024 security update applied a Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) setting. This was done to block some vulnerability in older boot managers. Although the patch had a detector to not install on dual-boot computers, it applied SBAT by default on some PCs with custom methods.
If you installed the update and lost dual boot or just can’t start Windows, you can follow these steps.
- If you can’t boot Windows, just disable Secure Boot inside your BIOS. To do this you must press the key DEL either F2 when starting the computer and accessing the Boot section (BOOT). Look for the Secure Boot option and disable it.
- If you can start Windows and you lost dual boot you will need to uninstall the latest update or run the following script
- Press the Windows start button, type CMD to run the command prompt as administrator
- Write the following line: reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecureBoot\SBAT /v OptOut /d 1 /t REG_DWORD
- Restart your computer
As with other failures, the Windows is working on a definitive fix for this error. It goes without saying that it only occurs in some specific cases, but it is worth knowing the problem and its possible mitigation.
