Windows boot manager... help pls?

[MoNKeyNoPinpin]

Hey all... I have an issue I couldn't find anywhere, or at least my specific problem. I have 3 nvme drives currently installed two of them are windows one is win11 and the other is my old win10. the thing is, when I took the win10 drive out win bootloader just shat its pants and wouldnt see neither of them (only win11 was inside my computer). I found many guides on how to deactivate the win bootloader, and mine doesn't even look like the regular blue recovery boot, but I am afraid of bricking everything if I just deactivae the bootloader. I dont have have screenshots of when the problem occured but I can get the bootloader shot if it helps. Anybody experienced something like this? thx! any help is much appreciated (i have the win10 just occupying so much prime real-estate)

[Sawa Takahashi]

First, this is normal behavior. The UEFI partition for the bootloader is probably on a drive you removed so your computer can't boot without it without modifications.

Second, you got the right reflex when being cautious not to brick your computer. Before trying anything, please make a backup of your important data. I repeat _make a backup_. It would make things less stressful if a bug happens (and they may happen).

You can search with google for a guide on How to fix UEFI boot on Windows 11. The one I recommend is by using the Windows install media. If you don't have one, you can download and create a bootable USB drive from Microsoft's website.

I can't remember the whole procedure since I don't do it often, but it is something like booting on the USB stick, going to the repair console and executing a few commands to create a new boot partition and a new bootloader when only one drive is installed. Don't forget that things may go wrong. If that is the case, reinstall Windows on your boot drive since you already have the Windows install media. You won't lose any important files since you did a backup before starting this procedure. Right ? I hope so.

Good luck !

[MoNKeyNoPinpin]

On 11/12/2024 at 9:12 AM, Sawa Takahashi said:

First, this is normal behavior. The UEFI partition for the bootloader is probably on a drive you removed so your computer can't boot without it without modifications.

Second, you got the right reflex when being cautious not to brick your computer. Before trying anything, please make a backup of your important data. I repeat _make a backup_. It would make things less stressful if a bug happens (and they may happen).

You can search with google for a guide on How to fix UEFI boot on Windows 11. The one I recommend is by using the Windows install media. If you don't have one, you can download and create a bootable USB drive from Microsoft's website.

I can't remember the whole procedure since I don't do it often, but it is something like booting on the USB stick, going to the repair console and executing a few commands to create a new boot partition and a new bootloader when only one drive is installed. Don't forget that things may go wrong. If that is the case, reinstall Windows on your boot drive since you already have the Windows install media. You won't lose any important files since you did a backup before starting this procedure. Right ? I hope so.

Good luck !

So... to fix this I will have to create a new windows partition on the Win11 drive? (w/ backup of course) isnt it the same as just taking out old drive and reinstalling win11 in the new drive and bring backed-up files into new machine? or is the process you described different, allowing me to keep current win11 boot?

 

This is so convoluted. cant windows just behave and not create a bootloader inside my main bootloader? going forwards can I prevent this behaviour?

[Sawa Takahashi]

On 11/18/2024 at 5:15 PM, MoNKeyNoPinpin said:

This is so convoluted. cant windows just behave and not create a bootloader inside my main bootloader? going forwards can I prevent this behaviour?

The easy way to prevent Windows to put the bootloader and boot partitions on another drive is to remove all drives except the boot drive when you install Windows. 

On 11/18/2024 at 5:15 PM, MoNKeyNoPinpin said:

So... to fix this I will have to create a new windows partition on the Win11 drive?

Not really. When you fix the bootloader with the Windows media, all should be created automatically. 

[Robchil]

well.. it's the version of wiping the disk and start from scratch.. or you can use diskpart and shrink your windows partition so you have more than 600mb free infront of your main drive and more than 758mb free after your windows partition 

 

 

a thread on almost how to do it, is in this link.. 

 

just when it gets to diskpart you will have to create space for the partitions in front of and after your windows partition by shrinking it. 

before you continue to execute the repair commands. 

 

 

all this have to be done in the recovery mode so windows are not loaded and system files are locked, that's why you boot into the usb media and do it there. 

 

For ALL windows installations i would always only have 1 disk mounted or enabled. so windows only works on one disk, so it only works on that disk during the install or you end up like you have now..  

 

[MoNKeyNoPinpin]

On 11/23/2024 at 1:40 PM, Robchil said:

just when it gets to diskpart you will have to create space for the partitions in front of and after your windows partition by shrinking it. 

before you continue to execute the repair commands.

What should I watch out for when I am doing this? From what I understood diskpart is freeware Ill have to download prior to getting into recovery mode right? I am so used to bricking my linux boot that I am so ok with loosing my data there, but with windows it just feel so risky hahahaha

[Robchil]

On 11/25/2024 at 1:58 AM, MoNKeyNoPinpin said:

What should I watch out for when I am doing this? From what I understood diskpart is freeware Ill have to download prior to getting into recovery mode right? I am so used to bricking my linux boot that I am so ok with loosing my data there, but with windows it just feel so risky hahahaha

diskpart is a part of windows.. and should come with the install usb when trying to repair windows too, since editing the system partitions usually require windows not beeing booted. 

everything is risky.. but as long as you don't delete anything you should be good. 

in the old days i used the partition magic bootloader for multiple systems, it came with a 2mb partition you had to install either before anything else.. or you had to shrink the first partition to make it fit. same thing goes for your windows system drives, that's why it's recommended to install windows with only the install disk enabled. 

 

anyway.. shrinking a partition should not be as devastating as deleting one.. and you should have ca 6-700mb free space infront of your system partition and ca 800 in the end.. i'm not sure if it recreates the recovery partitions too...  but make space for it if it does before trying