2 Bootmanagers visible on Windows 10 laptop.

S

Squawk

Member
Hello people,

I have a strange thing going on on my laptop.
At least, to me it's strange (coming from a simple MBR Windows 7 system).

From factory, I have laptop with 1 NVMe drive.
Both in the BIOS/UEFI as well as after pressing F12 (boot menu) during startup, I see 2 boot managers.
The first one starts up Windows 10 Pro as usual.
The second one results in the typical Windows 10 "something went wrong, select an option" with Smart Repair, Advanced, etc. screen.

At one time, the laptop started up in this "there is a problem" screen. After restart and F12, I choose the first boot manager and all went well. For a while..

From one moment to the next, after starting up my laptop, I ended up in that screen again. But now, F12 only showed 1 boot manager.
And that one resulted in the same "there is a problem" screen. The other boot manager (obviously the one that worked normally) disappeared.

I had made a Acronis True Image backup of the whole drive, but even after putting back the original drive in the original shape, it gave the same problem.

In the end, I used Windows 10 install USB stick and went through the first steps until reaching the option to install and erase partitions.
I removed all partitions, re-installed Windows 10 and then used Acronis True Image bootable USB stick to deploy the original image I made.
Except I did not include the 10GB Recovery Partition that was present from factory delivery.

The laptop booted fine after that and with minimum time needed (a few Windows updates, etc.) I was up and running again.

But.. now again, when looking at the BIOS, I again see 2 boot managers. And I can also select from 2 different boot managers when pressing F12 during startup.
So I wouldn't be surprised if this same thing will/can happen again.
Also, when looking into the Windows System Configuration - Boot tab, I only see 1 bootable option.

Despite of course being able to re-do all the steps above and fixing it again when it does, I would prefer to fix whatever caused this in the first place.

So, sorry for the long story, but I have a few questions:
  • How is it possible to have 2 boot managers on 1 NVMe drive?\
  • Why do I only see I see 1 bootable option/boot manager in the Windows System Configuration - Boot?
  • How can I remove the second one?
  • Is this a problem that I can fix with EasyBCD?
  • If it happens again, can I solve the issue with EasyBCD bootable repair USB stick?

I've added some screen shots to clarify my story.
(On 1 screenshot you can see a second NVMe drive I've installed. But during these problems, I also didn't have that second drive installed yet.)

I hope somebody can help me out..
(Thank you for your time and help in advance!)

Best regards,

Squawk
 

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There aren't two boot managers, just two options, for the normal and the extended boot menu.
On the old W7 command-line menu, there was also an extended menu conjured up with a PFK which introduced a few extra lines of options.
It's a bit fancier on the W10 metro menu but essentially the same.
UEFI is just bigger and better than BIOS, so you see things in there which didn't exist as options before.
If you try to "clean up" the UEFI boot by removing things you don't recognize from your BIOS days, you'll likely make your PC unbootable..
Remember that W10 UEFI has implemented "fast start" and all the hidden clockwork that runs that secret system
(https://neosmart.net/forums/showthread.php?t=12890)
is hidden away in the UEFI boot options too.
Ignore what you see in the UEFI BIOS if your PC is working OK.
If it ain't broke ...
 
Hello Terry,

Thank you for your reply and explanation!

Strange thing is though, that on my wife's laptop, I only see 1 option in the boot manager (both in the "F12" list as in the BIOS screen (like image 3583 above)).
And when I performed a clean install (after making an image of the factory in stall that I ended up deploying back on the NVMe drive) I also only saw 1 option.
Why are those different? (Or is it due to an option the manufacturer choose on their original W10 install?)

Lol.. if it ain't broke.. Yeah, now it works. But it worked before.
Then one day, out of the blue, the laptop wouldn't start up. Straight into the "there is a problem, choose an option" screen where options as "Smart repair, Advanced options, Select USB drive, etc." are offered.
Then when pressing F12, only 1 option was shown in the Boot Manager. Unfortunately, the one that never worked when chosen and so also not then.
I'm just worried that happens again. And I wondered if EasyBCD could fix that problem if I purchase it and use the bootable USB stick "fix" method.

So after reading your answer, my correct question should have been: "Why did 1 Boot Manager option disappear?"
And why was the problem screen that follows not capable of "smart-fix" the startup?

And: Can EasyBCD fix the boot manager or whatever caused the working boot manager option to disappear?

Looking forward to more of your insights! :smile:

Cheers,

Squawk
 
If W10 detects a problem that needs fixing, it will automatically go into the extended boot menu.
I don't know what problem you had that wasn't fixable through that screen.
Did you try system restore to a checkpoint when the PC worked normally ?
 
Hello Terry,

Thank you for your reply!

Ah, so that "there is a problem" screen is the extended boot menu..
Is it a coincidence that I could not see the other boot menu option anymore?

Second thing I find interesting is that from the start when getting this laptop, I was a bit thrown off by the dual boot option. (If I knew then what I learned from you now.. :wink:) So much, that when the laptop didn't boot and I saw the second boot option missing, I automatically drew the conclusion that one got accidently deleted.. I wonder if you had to laugh at that.. :blush:
I was so biased, I never figured that whatever problem the laptop had, was in no way related to the boot manager..

Either way, I could not resolve the problem from any of the options offered (thrust me, I tried them all..).
For the exception of attempting a system restore, since I never made a checkpoint. I figure I was safe with my "Acronis True Image" Image of my MVMe drive, as I have been for years with my Windows 7 pc.

But I will make one now, while the laptop seems to be running smooth and happy.

Also, that probably means that EasyBCD likely could not have fixed anything, as the issue may not have been related to the boot manager at all.

I guess I'll have to wait if the same problem arises again..

Cheers,

Koen
 
Restore points are a great idea, introduced in ME and present ever since. Got me out of several problems over the years.
Don't take them manually though, turn on the feature permanently and Windows will take them automatically at critical points (like Windows Update) allowing instant and simple fallback in the event of a dodgy patch screwing your PC.
It will appear to clag up your C drive, but don't worry, the usage up at 90+% is illusory. It just keeps as many points as it can fit into your spare space, giving you multiple fallback options. They're managed dynamically (fifo) and the space they use up is temporary and easily reclaimed if needed for expansion of your 3rd party apps, just makes full use of what would otherwise sit there doing nothing useful.
 
Hello Terry,

Thanks for that info!
Yes, indeed it makes sense to use the space, instead of hamstering drive space.. :wink:

Thanks for your help and sharing of knowledge!
Much appreciated!

Best regards,

Koen
 
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