Unable to boot Windows after installing Ubuntu 12.04 - error: invalid efi file path

[Shoushouwhatwhat]

I have a Laptop (ASUS X310A, I installed Ubuntu 12.04 to be side by side with Windows 7 but I seem to have gotten a problem with booting Windows 7. I used the Boot Repair twice with no results.



Boot-Repair info: http://paste.ubuntu.com/1417623/


The error I get when starting Windows 7 from GRUB is: error: invalid efi file path


In Boot Manager or Menu, I have 3 options now: 2x for Ubuntu (maybe cause I did boot-repair twice) 1x Windows boot manager (If I boot this it opens "ASUS Preload Wizard", it gives me the option to re-install windows losing all previous data -)


When I was making the partition before installing Ubuntu, I made the new partition by making sda4 smaller and adding ext4 mounted: "\" and adding a swap area. Installed it and it didn't work, nothing worked. So i booted Ubuntu from the USB again and deleted the partitions I made and decided to make sda3 smaller and making the partitions but this time it gave me the option that I could mount sda3 on "\windows" or "\dos" I ignored it and didn't choose neither because the I know that it doesn't need to be mounted and proceeded to create what is now sda7 (ext4) and sda8 (swap area). It still didn't work so I booted from USB and did the first boot-repair, so I was able to boot Ubuntu now but not windows, but when I did it through my USB I was not able to update boot-repair, so i decided to redo the boot-repair from Ubuntu running on the Hardisk (fully updated) and it still didn't work.


In GRUB this is what i see (when booting using Ubuntu as first option in Boot Menu): Ubuntu, with Linux 3.2.0-29-generic Ubuntu, with Linux 3.2.0-29-generic (recovery mode) Windows UEFI loader Windows Boot UEFI bootx64.efi.bkp Windows 7 (loader) (on /dev/sda3) Windows Recovery Environment (loader) (on /dev/sda5)


I tried all the ones starting with "Windows" they all don't work


Please help, Many Thanks


UPDATE 1
I tried:
menuentry "Windows 7" {
insmod part_gpt insmod chain set root='(hd0,gpt1)'
chainloader /EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi.bkp
}

"Window 7" appears in GRUB, and when I choose it, It asks if I want to start windows normally so I do and then I get a blue screen and then it returns me to GRUB



I also tried the following two and they both failed:

menuentry "Windows Boot Test" {
search --fs-uuid --no-floppy --set=root CA62-F337
chainloader (${root})/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgr.efi
}
menuentry "2nd Windows Boot Test" {
search --fs-uuid --no-floppy --set=root CA62-F337
chainloader (${root})/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootx64.efi
}

[oldfred]

If you are getting blue screen, I think grub has done its part and chained to Windows. So it may be Windows repairs.

Both your chain load entries look like they should work.

You should have have boot choices in the UEFI menu. Most just show Windows & ubuntu as it does read the efi partition to find the entries.

How did you resize Windows? Windows needs to run a chkdsk after a resize and usually runs it automatically on boot. Not sure how with UEFI how you get to Windows repair consolue. With BIOS it used to be f8 as booting, but I think you have to read manual.

This was a different Asus but maybe similar BIOS?
He has screen shot of UEFI menu to boot from.
Windows 8 & Ubuntu ASUS K55A
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2088499

Be sure to turn off fast boot or similar setting as that almost always caused issues.

[Shoushouwhatwhat]

How did you resize Windows? Windows needs to run a chkdsk after a resize and usually runs it automatically on boot. Not sure how with UEFI how you get to Windows repair consolue. With BIOS it used to be f8 as booting, but I think you have to read manual.

Be sure to turn off fast boot or similar setting as that almost always caused issues.

I resized it during the ubuntu installation process, using the boot-able USB that contained Ubuntu 12.04.

Here is my GPareted: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ytu9nqvwei...1212-WA002.jpg
As you can see my sda3 is not mounted here. In ubuntu though it shows me that its mounted on /media/OS

I don't know how to "turn off fast boot"

I am thinking maybe the problem is with the mounting maybe, and the "unknown" System Files sda2 & sda6.

My recovery partition is located in the end after some empty space not sure if that has any effects.

But when i boot from "Windows boot manager" i get to GRUB:
I can boot Ubuntu, but can't view the windows files
When I try to boot windows and press "F8" I only get 2 options:
1. normally start windows
2. restart laptop
I choose normally start and I get blue screen

But when i boot from "Ubuntu....." i also get to GRUB:
but I can see windows files here.

[oldfred]

Both sda2 & sda6 are not issues.

The sda2 is required by Windows for UEFI systems. It is used just to write some code it and is unformatted space, so shown as unknown. And label is msftres.

Similarly sda6 is for grub, but because you originally installed in BIOS mode grub needs similar space. It does not need that with UEFI boot so you can delete sda6, but it is not causing any issues.

Partitions look fine, you have some unallocated for future use.

Rerun Boot-Info script and post new link.

[Shoushouwhatwhat]

Rerun Boot-Info script and post new link.

I reran it: http://paste.ubuntu.com/1429982/

[oldfred]

I do not see any issues.

This menu entry should work.
Windows UEFI loader

And menu entry should never work as it is by grub with the bug still.
Windows 7 (loader) (on /dev/sda3)

Boot repair creates a backup and boots from the backup. If you go into your UEFI menu does Windows boot directly?

Standard Windows boot that you run when choosing Windows from UEFI menu
/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi

Boot repair adds this which is just a copy of above and chain loads to this.
/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi.bkp

If Windows does not boot directly, I am not sure how to get to the Windows recovery or repair console with UEFI. Not Vendor recovery which rewrites entire drive. You may need to check manual for your system or on-line at Vendor's site.

[Shoushouwhatwhat]

This menu entry should work.
Windows UEFI loader

so basically this is what we did,

We choose "Windows UEFI" in GRUB and pressed F9 to go into "ASUS Preload Wizard" and basically choose the language and proceeded to re-install windows 7 essentially on the first partition (sda3), which is Drive C:.

We let it do its thing through diskpart.exe (dos window, "the black window") - Microsoft DiskPart version 6.1.7601

It re-installed Windows 7, it then jumped to a windows 7 interface with large icons did some more installing and then jumped to ASUS - Windows configuration loading screen then windows opened and then did some stuff and shutdown automatically.

So I assumed that it needed a restart so I went back into "Windows UEFI" in GRUB and same things happened it did some updates then shutdown. So I cycled this maybe 10 times until in the end Windows 7 AT LAST WORKED!!!

So I went back to Ubuntu 12.04, everything was working fine, I opened Gparted and deleted the partition:
sda5 - ntfs - 1.00Mio - bios_grub

and resized sda4 (Drive 'D') to use up the unused space

Went back to windows checked everything and I believe everything is fine now in terms of booting.

But i lost all the files and programs installed on windows 7. But I made a back up of all my files before installing Ubuntu 12.04, so I have them all. In terms of programs I will just have to re-install them.

Thanks for the help guys!!!