Open Discussion section in Github?

[JpTiger]

I've got a minor issue with rEFInd that is clearly user error on my part - would a discussion section on github be a good place to ask other users and devs for help? Filling a bug report doesn't seem appropriate.

[jlobue10]

I think an open issue is fine. What's going on with your setup? The more details you provide, the more likelihood that I (or someone else) can help solve your issue.

[JpTiger]

Thanks, it might not even be an issue and I'm afraid I don't have a lot of specific info. I installed rEFInd around March 2023 and it some point after a SteamOS update it would only launch into Windows. Now I know you just launch it manually once and it fixes itself but at the time I thought I'd have to reinstall rEFInd, so I did. Ever since then my SD takes noticeably longer to boot up. I'm wondering whether I messed things up, how to diagnose, and how to reverse if yes.

[jlobue10]

If You're able to boot into both SteamOS and Windows, then it seems like your setup is okay. As for longer boot times on the SD card (into Windows?), that could just be the SD card deteriorating, as it's not really recommended to run Windows off an SD card for long term use.

[JpTiger]

Sorry I shouldn't be using ambiguous acronyms. I meant the Steam Deck is taking longer to boot. I don't have a microSD memory card - the dual boot is different partitions of the SSD. Longer boot could well just be perception on my part though.

[jlobue10]

Oh gotcha... The only thing that readily comes to mind is that if you've updated to W11 24H2, then some bootloader issues have popped up for some people. During my own OLED Steam Deck update to W11 24H2, I noticed that the partition table was messed up and had to be restored.

As for longer boot times, I don't know exactly what may be going on, if anything. As long as Windows and SteamOS both boot when selected, then that's as far as rEFInd and my customization utility go. It's often a good idea to make sure that you are on the latest SteamOS version (stable, unless you "need" a feature from the beta build).