Checking the UEFI boot sector


larc919

larc919

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Is there any way to check integrity of the boot sector other than booting into recovery mode and running bootrec.exe? Can anything be done from within Windows 11? I just changed NVMe drives on a couple of PCs and ran into boot problems on both even though I had cloned the system drive including boot sector to each. Things finally got worked out when I could boot into safe mode. From there, booting normally worked. But it's still slow. While any remaining problems would likely get fixed with a repair install, I'd like to know if the boot sector really needs that before doing it.
 

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Do you have Macrium Reflect? It can repair boot problems if you boot from the rescue iso.
 

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@larc919

If you do use Macrium Reflect, try this first... this is available on the bootable Rescue Media.

Image1.webp



You can also access the command prompt from the same bootable media...

Image1.webp
 

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    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26200.8655 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦25H2AMD Ryzen 7 3700XG.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
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    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26200.8655 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦25H2
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    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
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    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
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    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
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    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
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    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
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    Windows11 Pro 26200.8655
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    Dell Alienware Aurora R16
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    Intel Core i9 14900F (24 -Core, 68 MB Total Cache)
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    PClinuxOS Mate (2025.7)13th Gen Inter(R) Core(TM) i3-1315U64 GB DDR4 @3200 MHz.Internal
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    Chicony 30 Watt
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    Small
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    Razor
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    1GB
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    Slimjet
Thanks for the replies. I should have mentioned this in my OP, but I did try Macrium Reflect bootable. It may have helped with the solution, but didn't solve the problem right away on either PC. It (v. 8.1 Home) was also what I used to clone to the new drives. Maybe that older version didn't quite jibe with current 11 Insider versions. In hindsight, I wish I had used Partition Wizard instead.

Thanks for your suggestion, Josey Wales. I'll try it.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 ProIntel Core Ultra 265KTeamGroup T-Force Vulcan DDR5 6400MHz 32GBMSI GeForce RTX 3050
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Self Build
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 265K
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z890 AOROS Elite
Memory
TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan DDR5 6400MHz 32GB
Graphics Card(s)
MSI GeForce RTX 3050
Sound Card
GPU NVIDIA High Definition Audio via HDMI to Denon AVR-S670BT Receiver
Monitor(s) Displays
LG 32UN650 32" 4k
Screen Resolution
3840x2160 @ 60Hz (175% scaling)
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 Pro NVMe 1TB x2
PSU
Corsair RM850x
Case
be quiet! Pure Base 600
Cooling
Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120SE & be quiet! Silent Wings Pro x3 case fans
Keyboard
Arteck Backlit USB Wired
Mouse
Logitech M510
Internet Speed
500Mb down/12Mb up
Browser
Firefox & Edge
Antivirus
Windows Defender & Free MBAM
Other Info
Main PC
UEFI doesn't utilize a boot sector. There is a legacy MBR record but it's not used by UEFI.
 

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Linux Mint
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Linux Mint
Computer type
Laptop
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System76 Lemur Pro
neemobeer said:
UEFI doesn't utilize a boot sector. There is a legacy MBR record but it's not used by UEFI.
Click to expand...
Then, what specifically is the UEFI boot part called?
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 ProIntel Core Ultra 265KTeamGroup T-Force Vulcan DDR5 6400MHz 32GBMSI GeForce RTX 3050
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Self Build
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 265K
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z890 AOROS Elite
Memory
TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan DDR5 6400MHz 32GB
Graphics Card(s)
MSI GeForce RTX 3050
Sound Card
GPU NVIDIA High Definition Audio via HDMI to Denon AVR-S670BT Receiver
Monitor(s) Displays
LG 32UN650 32" 4k
Screen Resolution
3840x2160 @ 60Hz (175% scaling)
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 Pro NVMe 1TB x2
PSU
Corsair RM850x
Case
be quiet! Pure Base 600
Cooling
Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120SE & be quiet! Silent Wings Pro x3 case fans
Keyboard
Arteck Backlit USB Wired
Mouse
Logitech M510
Internet Speed
500Mb down/12Mb up
Browser
Firefox & Edge
Antivirus
Windows Defender & Free MBAM
Other Info
Main PC
High level
  1. UEFI loads from a ROM chip
  2. Drivers load to read disks
  3. Drives are scanned for a EFI boot loader
  4. Boot loader is selected and takes over boot process

Possibly messed up ESP partition or corrupted EFI file.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Linux Mint
OS
Linux Mint
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
System76 Lemur Pro
Until we see a screenshot of disk management, we can only speculate. Open disk management. Make sure you expand all the columns so we can see all the dialog. Give us a screenshot.
 

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System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
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    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
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    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
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    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
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    integrated
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    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
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    1TB Crucial nvme
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    Logitech wired
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    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.8457
glasskuter said:
Until we see a screenshot of disk management, we can only speculate. Open disk management. Make sure you expand all the columns so we can see all the dialog. Give us a screenshot.
Click to expand...
Sorry about the delay, but I was away for a few days. This is the Disk Management on 1 of the 2 involved PCs, but the other is essentially the same. There isn't much installed since this is a Windows 11 Insider machine that I don't use for daily business.
 

Attachments

  • IP1 Disk Management.webp
    IP1 Disk Management.webp
    188.5 KB · Views: 2

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 ProIntel Core Ultra 265KTeamGroup T-Force Vulcan DDR5 6400MHz 32GBMSI GeForce RTX 3050
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Self Build
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 265K
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z890 AOROS Elite
Memory
TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan DDR5 6400MHz 32GB
Graphics Card(s)
MSI GeForce RTX 3050
Sound Card
GPU NVIDIA High Definition Audio via HDMI to Denon AVR-S670BT Receiver
Monitor(s) Displays
LG 32UN650 32" 4k
Screen Resolution
3840x2160 @ 60Hz (175% scaling)
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 Pro NVMe 1TB x2
PSU
Corsair RM850x
Case
be quiet! Pure Base 600
Cooling
Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120SE & be quiet! Silent Wings Pro x3 case fans
Keyboard
Arteck Backlit USB Wired
Mouse
Logitech M510
Internet Speed
500Mb down/12Mb up
Browser
Firefox & Edge
Antivirus
Windows Defender & Free MBAM
Other Info
Main PC
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