Hello friendly list,
GRUB now puts a "Preferred Boot" at the top of GRUB's choices so that it goes directly to the last successfully used operating system.
Example:
I have Slint, Debian, and Windows 10 on my computer.
They all boot with use of GRUB.
The first time I boot my boot choices are determined by my computer's firmware, that's the computer SETUP that is accessed by a key press immediately when the BIOS (Basic In and Out System) name flashes on the computer monitor. I tell blind friends to "pump the key" because often you only have a 3 second window to get into SETUP.
To boot into USB stick, you usually have to change BIOS setup settings. I have to put USB HD to the top for my computer to boot into the USB stick - the computer thinks it's a USB HD - Hard Drive - and there is no choice for USB Stick so this works.
But here's the PROBLEM.
As soon as my computer boots into one of the operating systems, either Slint, Debian, or Windows 10, GRUB adds an entry to the very top of my computer's BIOS SETUP changing the boot device boot order, which previously was USB HD, then my hard drive, and inserts whatever operating system it last booted into, modifying the previous BIOS boot settings.
Now on the next boot, my computer which previously booted from USB stick, now will boot directly into the last operating system that I used and it's impossible to enter BIOS Setup at all by pressing the setup key (usually F2).
What I have to do is to use the GRUB entry in Debian or Slint to go to the last entry which is "UEFI Firmware Settings" and this will cause my computer to reboot into the UEFI Firmware Settings - the same settings that I mentioned earier, that is accessed by a key press immediately when the BIOS name flashes on the screen - which now is inaccessible for even the sighted because the computer just directly goes to the last operating system that was used.
Without this entry in GRUB the only ways to go back to a BIOS SETUP that allows me to boot to USB stick is to either boot into Windows and search for Advanced Boot Settings, then UEFI Firmware settings, and reboot - which will do the exact same thing as the bottom GRUB menu entry in Debian or Slint.
Or I can take my computer apart and find the RESET button and press it and it will reset my firmware to the original where I again have access to Boot device choice - in my case by pressing F2.
But whenever I boot into any operating system, I again lose the ability to boot into a USB stick because GRUB places an entry at the top of my BIOS UEFI settings!
Certainly this action by GRUB should be disabled in an accessible version of Linux, or disabled altogether!
Regards,
David