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Thread: Windows 8 inaccessible after boot repair

  1. #1
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    Windows 8 inaccessible after boot repair

    Hi - hope you can help me.

    Brand new Asus K55V laptop (Intel i5 CPU, 6 Gb RAM, one 500 Gb HDD ) with Windows 8 pre-installed.

    Installed Ubuntu alonside Windows 8 and, initially...
    - if BIOS configured to boot first from Windows, then OK but no Grub, therefore no Ubuntu
    - if BIOS configured to boot first from Ubuntu, then I get Grub and boot to Ubuntu is OK, but selecting Windows from Grub not OK
    - so if I pressed 'Esc' during reboot, I got a choice from BIOS where to boot from
    - this would have been a tolerable solution ... except I ran boot repair, hoping to get Windows from Grub working, but ...

    Now I've lost access to Windows altogether...
    - boots to Grub and if I select Ubuntu then OK
    - but if I select Windows it fails
    - if I press 'Esc' to select boot from Windows, still fails - appears Windows boot info is corrupted (?)

    I've tried numerous boot repairs, which has returned the following URLs (/paste.ubuntu.com/...)
    5628075
    5628224
    5629927
    5631329
    5635902

    I don't feel confident to play around with boot repair's advanced options (nor gparted for that matter).

    Can you help?

    I don't have any data in Windows 8 but I also do not have an installation disc. I'd really like to have a dual boot machine.

    Let me know if you need any further info. I really hope you can help me.

    Thanks - David

    PS New to Ubuntu but have it on my desktop with no problems and love it. But not quite ready yet to completely abandon Windows.
    Last edited by davidwebbo; March 26th, 2013 at 08:35 AM.

  2. #2
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    Re: Windows 8 inaccessible after boot repair

    Does this grub entry work?

    Windows UEFI bootmgfw.efi

    grub2's os-prober creates wrong style (BIOS) chain boot entry
    https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...2/+bug/1024383
    type of entry from Boot-Repair that should work.
    'Windows UEFI loader'
    Type of entry that does not work:
    'Windows ...) (on /dev/sdXY)'

    But some systems will not boot Windows unless secure boot is on.
    If so you have to use grub's shim file that has the Microsoft key and rename the Windows files. You can tell Boot-Repair that secure boot is off to undo the changes. Still a good idea to back up efi partition as it is not large so easy to copy.


    Boot-Repair - Updated Jan 1, 2013 to not rename first time, but rename if first time Windows does not boot. Post 706 and 711
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...769482&page=71
    Boot-Repair copied /EFI/ubuntu/grubx64.efi to /EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi (in case the BIOS is hard-coded to boot into /EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi or secure boot
    signed GRUB file shimx64.efi.
    I disabled secure boot, and unchecked it in boot-repair. It now bypasses Grub and goes straight in to Windows.
    /EFI/Boot/bkpbootx64.efi
    /EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bkpbootmgfw.efi

    To perform this, just run Boot-Repair --> Adv options --> tick "Backup and rename EFI files" --> Apply
    Then reboot the PC to UEFI/BIOS and chose ubuntu, and please tell us what you observe.
    Please enable SecureBoot in your BIOS, then run Boot-Repair --> Advanced Options --> "GRUB options" tab --> tick "SecureBoot" --> Apply.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
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    Re: Windows 8 inaccessible after boot repair

    Many thanks for your prompt reply. I'm away from my laptop until tomorrow. Will try your suggestion and report back as soon as I can.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
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    9

    Re: Windows 8 inaccessible after boot repair

    OK, I've run Boot-Repair --> Adv options --> tick "Backup and rename EFI files" --> Apply ... here's the URL

    http://paste.ubuntu.com/5639054/

    When I reboot with SecureBoot disabled ...
    - I get a Grub menu with about 8 items
    - if I select Ubunti, OK - Ubuntu boots
    - if I select Windows, fails with error messages - "cannot find command 'drivemap" and "invalid EFI file path"

    When I reboot with SecureBoot enabled ... nothing works ... selecting Ubuntu hangs the machine ...

    I then ran Boot Repair again, just selecting Recommended repair ... here's the URL

    http://paste.ubuntu.com/5639072/ ... which I think is identical to the above URL

    So, still no way of booting Windows 8. Ouch!

    Any other suggestions?

  5. #5
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    Re: Windows 8 inaccessible after boot repair

    Are you booting this entry, not the os-prober one's as posted above on os-prober bug.

    menuentry "Windows UEFI bootmgfw.efi" {
    search --fs-uuid --no-floppy --set=root 0849-970A
    chainloader (${root})/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
    }


    Or this one which looks more like a grub script creation, maybe the are working on bug?

    menuentry "Windows 8 (loader)" {

    But not these:
    menuentry 'Windows Recovery Environment (loader) (on /dev/sda2)'

    menuentry 'Windows 8 (loader) (on /dev/sda4)'

    If those do not work, then you need to let Boot-Repair do the rename files and see it that works with secure boot on.
    Boot-Repair - Updated Jan 1, 2013 to not rename first time, but rename if first time Windows does not boot. Post 706 and 711
    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...769482&page=71
    Boot-Repair copied /EFI/ubuntu/grubx64.efi to /EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi (in case the BIOS is hard-coded to boot into /EFI/Boot/bootx64.efi or secure boot signed GRUB file shimx64.efi.
    renamed files:
    /EFI/Boot/bkpbootx64.efi
    /EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bkpbootmgfw.efi
    Last edited by oldfred; March 23rd, 2013 at 04:40 PM.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
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    9

    Re: Windows 8 inaccessible after boot repair

    I'm sorry, I don't understand what you say I should do.

    Using the Grub menu, the only option that works is 'Ubuntu'. If I select anything else it fails and takes me back to Grub.

    Boot Repair give me the following message ...

    "Please do not forget to make your BIOS boot onsda1/EFI/ubuntu/shimx64.efi file!"

    What does this mean and how do I do this?

    Please help. I still have no access to Windows 8 on this brand new laptop.

  7. #7
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    Re: Windows 8 inaccessible after boot repair

    You probably need to turn secure boot on for Windows to work. But you then use Boot-Repair to rename files. It renames the shim file to the Windows file and when you boot Windows you really boot grub. Then grub loads Windows. See post #5 on how it renames files.
    Try with secure boot on and off. Rename files and try with secure boot on and off.
    UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated :
    https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295
    Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
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    9

    Re: Windows 8 inaccessible after boot repair

    No. If I turn secure boot on, nothing works - no Windows, no Ubuntu.

    I have tried everything I can think of but I cannot get it to boot to Windows.

    If I need to rename files, please tell me exactly which files, including their directory, need to be renamed to what, including their directory - e.g.

    /a/b/c/d/filename rename to /x/y/z/newfilename

    Is there any way I can restore my computer back to where it was before I first used Boot Repair? I would be happy now if I could go to the BIOS to choose which operating system to boot.

  9. #9
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    Ubuntu Development Release

    Re: Windows 8 inaccessible after boot repair

    Hello
    To rename files to their original names, you just need to tick the "Restore EFI backups" option of Boot-Repair.

  10. #10
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    Mar 2013
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    Re: Windows 8 inaccessible after boot repair

    I don't see any "Restore EFI backups" option.

    Do you mean "Restore MBR"?

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