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How do I move the UEFI boot manager from one drive to another without migrating the OS?

Anonymous
2022-09-20T04:33:24+00:00

I had Windows 10 Pro installed on a 256 GB NVMe SSD. I decided to try out Windows 11 Pro and installed it onto a new 500 GB NVMe SSD in a dual-boot configuration. I've since decided that I like Win 11 better and deleted the Windows 10 Pro volume. I've tried to replace the 256 GB SSD with a faster 2 TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, only to discover that the boot manager is on it and the system won't boot without it installed. How do I move the boot manager to the drive with Win 11 installed?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Install and upgrade

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-09-20T05:25:30+00:00

    Hello Master. I'm Greg, 10 years awarded Windows MVP, here to help you.

    As you found when you install Windows on a separate hard drive in a dual boot without unplugging the other drive, it merely updates the EFI System partition on the original drive and becomes dependent upon it to start. So with separate hard drives it's best to unplug the other drive, install and then set the preferred drive's Boot Manager to boot first in UEFI Setup, trigger the other one using the one-time BIOS Boot menu key.

    1. To create an EFI System partition from scratch on the drive without one, unplug all other drives and follow these guides:

    https://www.prime-expert.com/articles/a20/rebui...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aQKkQo7l6c

    1. You can also clone the other install's EFI System to 300mb space you shrink from the front of C, and the Recovery partition from 500mb you shrink from the end of C.

    To fix a Recovery partition that will not boot into WinRE repair mode see here: https://katystech.blog/2021/07/fixing-a-broken-...

    https://www.elevenforum.com/t/boot-to-advanced-...

    1. Another method is to use a bootable Partition Manager to shrink C by about 30gb from the front, boot Windows 11 media to install Windows 11 to the shrink space which will configure a Dual Boot, if the old OS starts then delete the rescue install leaving the new EFI System partition, resize C over the space using partition manager.

    https://www.easeus.com/download/epmf-download.html

    https://www.easeus.com/partition-manager-guide/...

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/software-downlo...

    https://www.windowscentral.com/how-do-clean-ins...

    Report back results for each step so I know what else to suggest.

    Feel free to ask back any questions. Based on the results you post back I may have other suggestions if necessary.

    ______________________________________________

    Standard Disclaimer: There are links to non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the sites that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the sites before you decide to download and install it.

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-09-20T15:15:13+00:00

    The video Greg linked gave me an idea. I booted into GParted Live and used that to copy the boot manager partition and the recovery partitions to the unallocated space on the Win11 SSD, then rebooted into the BIOS to make sure I could select them as the boot source. Then I restarted with the copied partition selected as the default and Win 11 worked. Finally, I rebooted into GParted Live and deleted the partitions on the old SSD. Rebooted again, removed the USB, and Win 11 loaded right up. Problem solved!

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-09-20T23:37:54+00:00

    I'm delighted to hear it. Sounds like you copied the EFI System and Recovery and that worked as good as cloning. I've heard this before but am wary to recommend it since cloning is more exact. Nevertheless thank you for reporting back what worked as it will help others.

    If you want you can post a screenshot of Disk Management, which I read like a doctor reads X-rays and can often spot potential problems. Follow the steps here so I can see everything needed to advise you: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install/post-a-screenshot-of-disk-mgmt/04a8ef8c-c882-404e-a26b-89867c4ddf55?tm=1441932228382

    Let me know if I can help further. I'll stay subscribed to this thread in case you need anything else, until the system locks it in a few months.

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-09-20T12:06:01+00:00

    Just one thing to check and that is to make sure the drive with the OS you want to use, is GPT configured. If, for some reason the other drive was MBR, you could not move or replace the EFI partition on that drive.

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  4. Craig Long 17,825 Reputation points
    2022-09-20T05:08:50+00:00

    Did you try going into Windows Recovery and using Automatic Repair? If possible remove all but the drive that has Windows 11 on it. It will look for another bootloader if it's there.

    How to perform Automatic Startup Repair in Windows 11/10

    Use the Startup Repair function when you can't boot into Windows.

    If all else fails I would suggest wiping everything and reinstalling Windows 11 from Windows 11 installation media.

    Any other suggestions are welcome.

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