[SOLVED - kinda!] Multiplicate entries in UEFI device list

[laidlaws]

My list of UEFI devices to choose between, has over 20 instances of /dev/sda3, labelled "Compaq Diagnostics" I deleted all but one, and they were all back on the next reboot.

I am running Mga 5 Official on a Gigabyte mobo. I have never had a Compaq. The partition can't be mounted, and the "du" command says it is empty. Do I need that partition at all?

[doktor5000]

You assume that anybody could tell without actually looking at the partition table?

[laidlaws]

I am running a UEFI system (a bad choice.) The first entry in the boot order is the DVD in UEFI mode, but I find that DVD-ROMs are ignored for installation, and I have more success with USB Flash drives. To access these, I have to choose these from the F12 boot menu - if I can find one entry among 30 or so, most of which are /dev/sda3.

[doktor5000]

You still didn't show the partition table. Please also provide the output as root of

Code: Select all

efibootmgr --verbose
efivar -l

[laidlaws]

You didn't ask for it. I thought you were saying: What does it matter if it is invisible? OR: I thought it was a matter of code, not dependent on the particular entries. I would have to go back into the BIOS to get the exact message, but nowadays it is a toss-up whether "sda3" means partition 3 or 4.

Code: Select all

 sudo efibootmgr --verbose
[sudo] password for doug:
BootCurrent: 0000
Timeout: 1 seconds
BootOrder: 0000,0003,0005,0007,000B,0006,000D,0001,000E,000F,0010,0011,0012,0013,0014,0015,0016,0018,0019,001B,001C,001D,001E,001F,0020,0021,0022,0023,0024,0025,0026,0027,0028,0029,002A,002B,002C,002E,0030,0032,0033,0034,0035,0037,0038,003A,003B,003C,003D,003E,0040,0041,0042,0043,0045,0046,0047,0048,0049,004A,004C,004D,004F,0050,0051,0052,0054,0055,0056,0059,005B,005C,005D,005E,005F,0060,0061,0062,0063,0065,0066,0067,0068,0069,006A,006B,006C,006D,006E,006F,0070,0071,0072,0073,0074,0075,0076,0077,0078,0079,007A,007B,007C,007D,007E,007F,0080,0082,0083,0084,0085,0086,0087,0088,0089,008A,008C,008E,008F,0090,0092,0093,0097,0099,009A,009B,009C,009E,009F,00A0,00A2,00A4,00A5,00A6,00A7,00A8,00A9,00AA,00AB,00AC,00AE,00AF,00B0,00B2,00B4,00B5,00B6,00B7,00B8,00B9,00BA,00BB,00BC,00BD,00BE,00BF,00C0,00C1,00C2,00C3,00C4,00C5,00C6,00C9,00CA,00CB,00CC,00CD,00CE,00CF,00D0,00D1,00D2,00D3,00D4,00D5,00D6,00D8,00D9,00DA,00DB,00DC,00DE,00DF,00E0,00E1,00E2,00E3,00E4,00E6,00E7,00E8,00E9,00EA,00EB,00EC,00ED,00EE,00EF,00F0,00F2,00F3,00F4,00F5,00F6,00F7,0002
Boot0000* mageia   HD(2,e1800,32000,75c8d8b1-71f5-45f9-b901-30a8d23ee588)File(\EFI\MAGEIA\GRUBX64.EFI)
Boot0001* Windows Boot Manager   HD(2,e1800,32000,75c8d8b1-71f5-45f9-b901-30a8d23ee588)File(\EFI\MICROSOFT\BOOT\BOOTMGFW.EFI)WINDOWS.........x...B.C.D.O.B.J.E.C.T.=.{.9.d.e.a.8.6.2.c.-.5.c.d.d.-.4.e.7.0.-.a.c.c.1.-.f.3.2.b.3.4.4.d.4.7.9.5.}...-...............
Boot0002* Windows Boot Manager   Vendor(99e275e7-75a0-4b37-a2e6-c5385e6c00cb,)WINDOWS.........x...B.C.D.O.B.J.E.C.T.=.{.9.d.e.a.8.6.2.c.-.5.c.d.d.-.4.e.7.0.-.a.c.c.1.-.f.3.2.b.3.4.4.d.4.7.9.5.}...................
Boot0003* opensuse-secureboot   HD(4,12c800,50000,642b9e23-d5be-4f8f-a7d9-3b7eb88af840)File(\EFI\OPENSUSE\SHIM.EFI)
Boot0005* CD/DVD Drive   BIOS(3,0,00)..GO..NO........o.H.L.-.D.T.-.S.T. .D.V.D.R.A.M. .G.H.2.4.N.S.C.0...................A..........................>..Gd-.;.A..MQ..L.1.K.F.3.P.5.1.G.4.4. .8. . . . . . . . .......BO
Boot0006* Hard Drive   BIOS(2,0,00)..GO..NO........o.W.D.C. .W.D.1.6.0.0.A.A.J.S.-.0.0.P.S.A.0...................A..........................>..Gd-.;.A..MQ..L. . . . .W. .-.D.M.W.P.A.1.9.5.9.1.8.1.3.......BO..NO........o.S.T.5.0.0.D.M.0.0.2.-.1.B.D.1.4.2...................A..........................>..Gd-.;.A..MQ..L. . . . . . . . . . . . .3.Z.0.T.R.M.0.K.......BO..NO........[.B.r.o.t.h.e.r. .M.F.C.-.J.8.2.5.D.W. .1...0.0...................A.........................Gd-.;.A..MQ..L.B.R.O.L.1.F.4.2.0.6.1.1.......BO..NO........S.S.e.a.g.a.t.e. .E.x.p.a.n.s.i.o.n. .0.6.3.7...................A......................&..Gd-.;.A..MQ..L.N.A.4.B.R.1.R.V.......BO
Boot0007* UEFI: WDC WD1600AAJS-00PSA0, Partition 3   ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(17,0)SATA(5,ffff,0)HD(3,c8800,64000,ada54817-7606-4344-8b5d-7dfe5e5be356)..BO
Boot000B* UEFI: WDC WD1600AAJS-00PSA0, Partition 3   ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(17,0)SATA(5,ffff,0)HD(3,c8800,64000,ada54817-7606-4344-8b5d-7dfe5e5be356)..BO
Boot000D* UEFI: WDC WD1600AAJS-00PSA0, Partition 3   ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(17,0)SATA(5,ffff,0)HD(3,c8800,64000,ada54817-7606-4344-8b5d-7dfe5e5be356)..BO
Boot000E* ubuntu   HD(2,e1800,32000,75c8d8b1-71f5-45f9-b901-30a8d23ee588)File(\EFI\UBUNTU\GRUBX64.EFI)..BO
Boot000F* UEFI: WDC WD1600AAJS-00PSA0, Partition 3   ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(17,0)SATA(5,ffff,0)HD(3,c8800,64000,ada54817-7606-4344-8b5d-7dfe5e5be356)..BO
Boot0010* UEFI: WDC WD1600AAJS-00PSA0, Partition 3   ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(17,0)SATA(5,ffff,0)HD(3,c8800,64000,ada54817-7606-4344-8b5d-7dfe5e5be356)..BO
Boot0011* UEFI: WDC WD1600AAJS-00PSA0, Partition 3   ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(17,0)SATA(5,ffff,0)HD(3,c8800,64000,ada54817-7606-4344-8b5d-7dfe5e5be356)..BO
Boot0012* UEFI: WDC WD1600AAJS-00PSA0, Partition 3   ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(17,0)SATA(5,ffff,0)HD(3,c8800,64000,ada54817-7606-4344-8b5d-7dfe5e5be356)..BO
Boot0013* UEFI: WDC WD1600AAJS-00PSA0, Partition 3   ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(17,0)SATA(5,ffff,0)HD(3,c8800,64000,ada54817-7606-4344-8b5d-7dfe5e5be356)..BO
Boot0014* UEFI: WDC WD1600AAJS-00PSA0, Partition 3   ACPI(a0341d0,0)PCI(17,0)SATA(5,ffff,0)HD(3,c8800,64000,ada54817-7606-4344-8b5d-7dfe5e5be356)..BO
Boot0015* UEFI: WDC WD1600AAJS-00PSA0, Partition 3   

Code: Select all

sudo efivar -l
sudo: efivar: command not found


Added code tags
~Germ

[doktor5000]

You didn't ask for it.

I've asked two times for the partition table. Sorry, but feel free to let others rub their crystal balls on that ominous Compaq Diagnostics partition.

[laidlaws]

You asked for efibootmgr output and I gave it. It was very long,and appears to have been truncated. It seems even longer now. If that is what you need, I can post it again as an attachment. If you want some listing from gdisk or gparted, (that is what I would call a partition table,) I can provide that too. Sorry, but I have no technical background, and may be talking at cross-purposes.

Diskdrake says the Compaq diagnostics partition isn't mounted. It is only 12 Mb, type (0x12).

[laidlaws]

Partition table reported by gdisk is attached.

[laidlaws]

This problem is now solved -- or eliminated would be a better word.

My Windows 10 got in such a mess that I had to reinstall it. I spent 2 days trying to repair or reinstall Windows, but the only way was to remove every partition Windows had created, including the ones used by UEFI. That got rid of all the "dead wood" entries. The fresh installation restored the UEFI boot menu on F12 to its original colour scheme and allowed me to manipulate the BIOS once more. All my Linux partitions were untouched, and I created a new Grub2 UEFI boot setup, which works every time, not just occasionally. The 12 MB partition was created again by Windows. How long it stays that way, remains to be seen. I'm sorry for Bill Gates. He would never have allowed such a release of Windows to see daylight.