Grub and Windows update

[Robert Heller]

At Fri, 31 Jan 2020 12:48:38 -0500 bstanle at wowway.com, "Ubuntu user technical support,  not for general discussions" <ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com> wrote:

> 
> Hi,
> 
> I am installing Linux for a friend that has a nasty Windows virus.  
> Rather than pay mucho dollars to have the virus cleaned from her 
> computer, she decided to migrate to Linux instead.  (Good idea!)
> 
> The issue is that she wants to dual boot her computer and use Windows 
> for only playing games (not online) and use Linux for everything else.  
> The problem is Windows update.  Since Grub will replace the Windows boot 
> loader, can Windows update affect the Grub boot loader in any way.  I 
> have dual booted my computers with no problems ( I have no experience 
> with Windows 10)Â  but hers is Windows 10 and I heard that Windows update 
> can be more intrusive affecting even the BIOS.  How could I disable the 
> network (in Windows only, not Linux) so there is no internet access when 
> she is using Windows?

If she is only going to be using MS-Windows in such a limited way, you might 
do better to just run MS-Windows in a VM.  I presume that you will be doing a 
fresh install of MS-Windows, since that is the "easy" way to clear out the 
virus.  (I don't imagine that you intend to keep the existing "infected" 
MS-Windows install.)  Another advantage of using a VM is that you can create a 
"clean" snapshot, which can be easily restored, yielding an always clean and 
fresh MS-Windows system state.  Using a VM means that you don't have to worry 
about what MS-Windows Update does -- it (at worst) only affect the VM's 
"bios".  Also the VM can be configured to not have internet access  or only 
very limited internet access, using Linux firewall features, since the Linux 
host would be a router (to the VM's VLAN).

> 
> Another possible issue is UEFI.  Should I disable UEFI in the BIOS?
> 
> Bill Stanley
> 
> 

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