Kernel upgrade breaks dual-boot default option (windows)

Ask Fedora
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1

Hello, I have a dual-boot system which has Windows set as default boot option.
Whenever I upgrade a kernel from Fedora, through GNOME software, the upgrade process goes like this:

  • Select Reboot and Upgrade (something like that, my system is localized in another language)
  • Grub comes up, with the correct default option, I have to choose Fedora to complete the upgrade process
  • At the end of the upgrade (when the splash screen reaches 100%) the system is rebooted again
  • When Grub comes up this time, the new default is Fedora, latest kernel (unexpected!)
  • On subsequent boots, Fedora stays the default option, I’ve to manually change it

I see at least three different annoying things:

  • When rebooting the first time, GRUB should automatically boot the Fedora entry, to complete the process the user started (the upgrade)
  • When rebooting the second time it would be best to have a setting to choose whether to mess with the default grub entry or not
  • Even if the second boot loads up Fedora (to bring the user back to what (s)he was doing), the previous default boot option should be restored, to not mess with system preferences

Changing GRUB default boot option is a bit annoying and given the frequency of new Fedora kernels I had to make a script to simplify resetting it to my liking.

I suppose some of this things are more easily feasible than others, but they might require some coordination between different system components (grub, dnf, GNOME Software).

I’d like to address these issues through the right channels to the maintainers, but I still don’t know the upgrade process good enough to refer each annoyance to the right owner, can someone help me out?

2

Multiboot has always been annoying and a time waster, so the first step might be to find a way to avoid it, such as single boot with the secondary OS in a VM. Many people working in large enterprises where Windows is mandatory find that Windows WSL allows them to have always-on access to missives from HQ in Outlook while doing actual productive work in linux. Some Fedora users who rely on a few Windows apps run Windows in a VM under Fedora.

The maintainers are likely well aware of the issues you mention but there are more pressing concerns with vendor-specific differences, booting multiple Fedora versions, entries disappearing from the list, supporting non-UEFI systems (legacy BIOS and Apple Silicon), interactions with power management, etc.