rEFInd Boot Manager Scripts

A collection of scripts for managing the rEFInd boot loader to simplify rebooting into specific operating systems from another booted OS instance. Particularly useful for dual-boot/multi-boot environments and remotely managed systems without the ability to choose boot entry over the network.

⚠️ Before You Start

• Don't run any scripts without knowing what they do
• Always review script contents before execution
• Make sure you have proper backups of your EFI configuration

Available Scripts

Windows to Linux: reboot-to-linux-aio.ps1

An all-in-one PowerShell script for Windows users that provides an interactive menu to manage rEFInd boot configuration.

Features:

• Automatic detection of EFI partitions with rEFInd
• Safe partition mounting with user consent
• Sets Linux (vmlinuz) as default boot option
• Interactive menu with multiple options
• Automatic backup creation before config changes

Menu Options:

1. Detect and mount rEFInd partition
2. Set Linux as default for next reboot
3. Reboot computer now
4. Run all steps automatically (A)
5. Quit (Q)

Requirements:

• Windows with PowerShell
• Administrative rights to run as Administrator
• rEFInd boot manager installed on EFI partition

Usage:

# Run with default settings (mounts to R: drive)
.\reboot-to-linux-aio.ps1

# Specify custom drive letter
.\reboot-to-linux-aio.ps1 -PreferredLetter X

Linux to Windows: reboot-to-windows.sh

A bash script for Linux users to set Windows as the default boot option in rEFInd.

Features:

• Automatically finds EFI partition mount point
• Sets Windows (Microsoft) as default boot option
• Creates automatic backup before changes
• Colored output for better readability
• Optional immediate reboot

Requirements:

• Linux with bash shell
• Root/sudo access
• rEFInd boot manager installed on EFI partition
• EFI partition mounted (usually at /boot/efi)

Usage:

# Make script executable
sudo chmod +x reboot-to-windows.sh

# Run with automatic EFI detection
sudo ./reboot-to-windows.sh

# Or specify EFI mount point manually
sudo ./reboot-to-windows.sh /boot/efi

How It Works

Windows → Linux Workflow

1. Detection Phase: Script scans for EFI partitions with official ESP GUID
2. Mount Phase: Mounts selected partition to specified drive letter (default: R:)
3. Configuration: Updates refind.conf to set default_selection "vmlinuz"
4. Reboot: Optionally reboots immediately into Linux

Linux → Windows Workflow

1. Detection Phase: Finds EFI partition at common mount points (/boot/efi, /efi, /boot)
2. Backup: Creates backup of existing refind.conf
3. Configuration: Updates refind.conf to set default_selection "Microsoft"
4. Reboot: Optionally reboots immediately into Windows

Safety Features

For Windows Script

• Only accesses partitions with official EFI System Partition GUID
• Excludes Windows system disk entirely
• Uses temporary mount points for scanning (not permanent drive letters)
• Requires explicit user consent before mounting partitions
• Asks confirmation before unmounting existing drives

For Linux Script

• Automatically requests sudo if not running as root
• Creates backup before modifying configuration
• Validates file read/write permissions
• Provides detailed error messages
• Asks confirmation before rebooting

Configuration Files

Both scripts modify the refind.conf file located in:

• /EFI/refind/refind.conf
• /EFI/BOOT/refind.conf

The scripts search both locations automatically.

Troubleshooting

Windows Script Issues

"No EFI partitions with rEFInd folder were found"

• Ensure rEFInd is properly installed
• Check if EFI partition is on a different disk
• Verify partition has official ESP GUID

"Drive letter is already in use"

• Script will ask if you want to unmount it
• Choose 'Y' to proceed or 'N' to cancel
• Consider using different letter with -PreferredLetter parameter

Linux Script Issues

"Could not find EFI partition"

• Check if EFI partition is mounted: mount | grep efi
• Mount manually: sudo mount /dev/sdXN /boot/efi
• Specify mount point as argument to script

"Permission denied"

• Always run with sudo: sudo ./reboot-to-windows.sh
• Check if EFI partition is mounted read-only

"Could not find refind.conf"

• Verify rEFInd installation: ls /boot/efi/EFI/refind/
• Check alternative location: ls /boot/efi/EFI/BOOT/

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues or pull requests if you find bugs or have suggestions for improvements.

License

These scripts are provided as-is for managing rEFInd boot configurations. Use at your own risk and always maintain backups of your EFI configuration.