Resizing the EFI partition using Macrium - would this work?


Use caution with the /bootex flag.

/bootex should only be used if:
- Secure Boot is confirmed as disabled, OR you have completed the UEFI CA 2023 cert procedure.
Thanks for the warning. Do you mean that the O.P.'s PC would be rendered unbootable if the O.P. used the switch /bootex ?

I'm glad the O.P. didn't do it. Disabling Secure Boot temporarily to repair EFI system partition may help but sure it could be a troublesome procedure for some users.

I am sorry @BrianInEngland
 

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My point was, if you didn't ask about Secure Boot, then using /bootex could end up installing a blocked boot file.

If you run "bcdboot C:\Windows /s S: /v" with the verbose option, you can see bcdboot deciding whether to use the EX (CA 2023) files, based on what it finds in the existing EFI partition, or UEFI DB variable. Forcing the /bootex option, doesn't allow bcdboot to decide.
 

My Computer

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    Windows 7
@garlin Thanks for your further clarification. It is well appreciated.
 

My Computers

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-4790
    Motherboard
    Asus H97 Pro Gamer with add-on TPM1.2 module
    Memory
    Teams DDR3-1600 4x4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1150
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell P2425D
    Screen Resolution
    2560 by 1440 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Corsair NVMe M.2 Core XT 1000 GB (Windows 11 v.25H2); Samsung SATA Evo 870 500 GB (Windows 11 v.25H2);
    PSU
    Corsair HX850
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    Gigabyte Solo 210
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    Zalman CNPS7X Tower
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    Microsoft AIO Wireless (includes touchpad)
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    HP S1000 Plus Wireless
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    128 GB
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    N/A
Secure boot is disabled
 

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    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (RP channel)
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    MEG X870E Godlike
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Then you can use any version of the boot files, placed by bcdboot from a source folder.
 

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  • OS
    Windows 7
OK I did it.
Extra step before starting - run reagentc /disable (otherwise the Recovery partition is inaccessible after re-imaging)

200MB EFI, 16MB MSR, 360GB System drive (I extended it from 320 while I was doing the other stuff), recovery partition, 3.29TB games/storage

Macrium did the job, total time about 10 minutes (including backing up/restoring the games drive which was over 1TB each way)

Run reagentc /enable after

New backup created with the new partition layout

All good 👍
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (RP channel)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8-core
    Motherboard
    MEG X870E Godlike
    Memory
    64GB Corsair Titanium 6000/CL30
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Suprim 5080 SOC
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster AE-9
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 9100 Pro 4TB (gen 5 x4, system drive/games)
    Samsung 990 Pro 2TB
    Samsung 980 Pro 2TB
    Samsung 870 Evo 4TB
    Samsung 870 Evo 2TB
    Samsung T9 4TB
    PSU
    Seasonic PX-2200
    Case
    Bequiet! Dark Base Pro 901
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15S Chromax black
    Keyboard
    Logitech G915 X (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech G903 with PowerPlay charger
    Internet Speed
    900Mb/sec
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    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Like they always say, don't try to fix something unless it is broken.
 

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    Windows 11 Pro
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    PC/Desktop
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    AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
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    MSI PRO B850-P Wifi
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    32GB DDR5 CL30 Kingston Fury
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    ASUS Prime Radeon RX 9060 XT OC Edition 16GB
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    LG Ultrawide 34" + LG 27" 1080p
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    Main Boot Drive : 512GB Adata XPG RGB Gen3x4 NVMe M.2 SSD
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    EVGA 750 Watts 80+ Gold
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    Deepcool Genome II
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    Thermalright Burst Assassin 120
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    1Gbps
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    Windows 11 Pro
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    i7-4790K
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    ASRock Xtreme6 Z97
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    16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro
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    MSI R9 290
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    LG Ultrawide 34"
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    3440x1440
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    500GB Adata SSD (OS Only)
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    Thermaltake 475 Watts 80 Bronze
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    Thermaltake Commander I Snow Edition
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    Deep Cool Archer Air Cooler
    Keyboard
    Armageddon MKA-5R RGB-Hornet
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    Logitech G402
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    1Gbps
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    Chrome
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    Moderna :)
100 MB EFI is not enough room for a modern W11 system. This is like the "Recovery partition is too small" disaster everyone went through. Resizing it makes sense if you're intend to upgrade in-place to 26H2 or later.

The reason for storing new files in EFI is to make them accessible to the UEFI (which reads from a FAT32 filesystem). This eliminates the need for requiring the user to copy the same update files to an external USB drive with a FAT32 volume. Back in the day, UEFI security fixes were less common and you could get by with a 100 MB partition.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
100 MB EFI is not enough room for a modern W11 system. This is like the "Recovery partition is too small" disaster everyone went through. Resizing it makes sense if you're intend to upgrade in-place to 26H2 or later.

The reason for storing new files in EFI is to make them accessible to the UEFI (which reads from a FAT32 filesystem). This eliminates the need for requiring the user to copy the same update files to an external USB drive with a FAT32 volume. Back in the day, UEFI security fixes were less common and you could get by with a 100 MB partition.
Which is why MS changed it from 100 to 200 on later install media
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (RP channel)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8-core
    Motherboard
    MEG X870E Godlike
    Memory
    64GB Corsair Titanium 6000/CL30
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Suprim 5080 SOC
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster AE-9
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 9100 Pro 4TB (gen 5 x4, system drive/games)
    Samsung 990 Pro 2TB
    Samsung 980 Pro 2TB
    Samsung 870 Evo 4TB
    Samsung 870 Evo 2TB
    Samsung T9 4TB
    PSU
    Seasonic PX-2200
    Case
    Bequiet! Dark Base Pro 901
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15S Chromax black
    Keyboard
    Logitech G915 X (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech G903 with PowerPlay charger
    Internet Speed
    900Mb/sec
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I am running this same OS from my previous 4 year old build transferred to my new build last month with 25H2. It is probably only 30% full.

1765405167072.webp
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
    Motherboard
    MSI PRO B850-P Wifi
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 CL30 Kingston Fury
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS Prime Radeon RX 9060 XT OC Edition 16GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Ultrawide 34" + LG 27" 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    3440x1440
    Hard Drives
    Main Boot Drive : 512GB Adata XPG RGB Gen3x4 NVMe M.2 SSD
    PSU
    EVGA 750 Watts 80+ Gold
    Case
    Deepcool Genome II
    Cooling
    Thermalright Burst Assassin 120
    Internet Speed
    1Gbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    "Moderna"
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-4790K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Xtreme6 Z97
    Memory
    16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics card(s)
    MSI R9 290
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Ultrawide 34"
    Screen Resolution
    3440x1440
    Hard Drives
    500GB Adata SSD (OS Only)
    PSU
    Thermaltake 475 Watts 80 Bronze
    Case
    Thermaltake Commander I Snow Edition
    Cooling
    Deep Cool Archer Air Cooler
    Keyboard
    Armageddon MKA-5R RGB-Hornet
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    1Gbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Moderna :)
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