EasyBCD installed 4 OEM Partitions on my SSD

M

Mike Crovella

Member
I'm a bit of a noob. I admit it, I haven't had my hands on a keyboard since Win95. Still, I managed to install a network once, in the old days. So I'm a little surprised how much trouble I'm having getting my new laptop up to dual boot Windows 10 Pro and Ubuntu. I posted the results of boot-repair (SSD sector map) at Ubuntu Pastebin (paste.ubuntu.com/p/RK3RP8fYTH)
Please note that I didn't have eight partitions at that time. It wasn't until I ran EasyBCD that four OEM partitions of 0MB each were created. I tried to delete them from Windows Disk Management. No dice.
Everything I've tried both from the Ubuntu end and the Windows side produces the same result. I have a selection available on the EUFI boot menu for Ubuntu.
Selecting it has no effect, Windows just boots. Ubuntu indicates a successful install. I can live boot the USB and see the files. I have no GRUB boot loader, though I would prefer the Windows graphical boot loader.

What do I do with these OEM partitions?
 
EasyBCD didn't (it can't) create any partitions. It's just showing you what's there. (In detailed mode - the overview mode omits the UEFI specific stuff)
If there's more than you expected, I imagine you have a UEFI PC which came with W10 pre-installed. UEFI has a load of boot entries which you don't necessarily know about, and you can make your PC unbootable by trying to "clean them up".
If it is UEFI, read
EasyBCD and UEFI
which will explain why you can't boot Linux from the W10 bootmgr and how to circumvent the MS restriction.
 
This is pretty good news! Now I know EasyBCD is more capable and detailed than Boot-Repair and all of the OEM Disk Management utilities. I wish I had known that before I turned my Laptop into a brick. Unfortunately, I followed the instructions in /wiki/easybcd/uefi/... about enabling legacy boot mode on UEFI PCs. I lost confidence (and written instructions) and did'nt boot up EasyRE to fix my brick. Instead, I reinstalled Windows and took a break to lament all of my lost data. There is lots and lots of old and inacurate information out there on the web. Something that is'nt clear to me is the proper steps to install Linux on a UEFI PC. Some say to partition first, some say to just let the Ubuntu installer create the partition. Do I enable legacy boot (loosing my Windows install) and reenable Windows boot with EasyRE before or after installing Linux?
I was pretty sure Microsoft was responsible for making what should have been an easy procedure almost impossible. I figure it is my PC and I ought to be allowed to have two OSs side by side if I want. Without going to the Microsoft store and downloading some stripped wierd version of Ubuntu that Microsoft lets me run their way.
If NeoSmart Technologies publishes a step by step guide that is up to date for installing Linux on a new UEFI Win10 system, they will be the first (that I can find).

Thank you, I appreciate quality feedback.
 
See step 3 in the above link.
You can't "reenable Windows boot" after installing Linux on a UEFI PC
Windows bootmgr.efi will not boot Linux and cannot be made to by EasyBCD, EasyRE or anything else.
You simply add an entry to Linux grub menu for Windows and let grub stay in charge.
It has no prejudice against MS's OSs
 
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