Stupid EFI partition, cant remove it?

[jay213]

Windows 7 64 bit
SSD drive for my OS only.
ASUS Sabertooth Intel X79 Chipset LGA2011 Motherboard
I got the drive from an old of the shelf computer and it took FOREVER to install windows on it because all the bloated factory restore partitions.

So now I cant remove it in Acronis 12 and I don't own AOMEI partion software just the trial.
I DId have to disable secure boot in BIOS because it was giving me lots of booting issues checking every single software I installed.

 

[Darkbreeze]

You can download Gparted, create bootable media, remove ALL the existing partitions on the drive and then do a CLEAN install of windows using your installation media if you have installation media. There is likely more than one boot partition on that drive which is further complicating your configuration. You should also be able to simply disconnect all other drives except the target drive for the OS and then use the following method to delete all the existing partitions and install windows.

If it will not allow you to delete those partitions during the installation when you choose the "custom" installation option, then use Gparted.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html



Gparted: http://gparted.org/download.php (You'll need to download the ISO and then following the instructions offered on the website to create bootable media using the ISO.)

 

[jay213]

thanks was considering not doing a fresh install and installing a boot manager?

 

[Darkbreeze]

That's just likely to further complicate the problem. You want to start fresh, with NOTHING on the drive, NO partitions, from any previous installations. I'd perform the CLEAN install as per the instructions at the first link and if that doesn't allow you to remove all the existing partitions, which it SHOULD, then I'd use Gparted.

 

[Darkbreeze]

People know about it. We just don't use it because it isn't necessary. The windows installation disk or Gparted will perform the necessary tasks. There is no need to write data to the disk for the purpose of wiping it. Deleting the partitions is all that is needed. Even formatting isn't necessary. Windows will create the necessary partitions and perform any needed formatting once you remove the existing partitions and begin the installation to the drive. Everything else is just wasting time and energy.

If you were looking for a military wipe for security purposes, you'd want to look to something else as partitionwizard would not be the answer.

 

[jay213]

I was unable to use W7 install disk to format. I formatted and it kept that weird file format GPK or some such.
I had to use Hirens boot CD ehehe, love that cd.

 

[jay213]

iv been doing installs also from the days of atari computers.
This Lenovo SSD drive had all kinds of weird GPD and EFI locked flags.
When the W7 install DVD formatted it always came up that windows could not install on the hard drive, (note, drive not partition)
I formatted it for almost 12 hours with dozens of boot CDS and man I dunno why every time W7 install DVD said it was an unknown partition type?

http://www.disk-partition.com/articles/selected-disk-is-gpt-partition-style.html

GPT partition of type 'Unknown' Windows can not install on this kind of drive, deleting and formatting did not remove the flag.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I was unable to use W7 install disk to format. I formatted and it kept that weird file format GPK or some such.
I had to use Hirens boot CD ehehe, love that cd.

I didn't say anything about formatting. I said to DELETE the partitions when you get to the screen where it asks you where you want to install windows. You delete all the existing partitions on the drive (NOT the same as formatting the PARTITION) you are installing windows to, and then install windows to the unallocated space that remains. You do not format anything nor do you create any new partitions. Windows will do that automatically.

If you simply format the existing C:/ partition, it's not going to get rid of any other partitions on the drive.

Do that ^^^^, to each of the listed partitions until there are no partitions remaining. It's outlined in the Windows 7 clean install tutorial I linked to earlier, which you probably skipped right over.

 

[Darkbreeze]

People know about it. We just don't use it because it isn't necessary. The windows installation disk or Gparted will perform the necessary tasks. There is no need to write data to the disk for the purpose of wiping it. Deleting the partitions is all that is needed. Even formatting isn't necessary. Windows will create the necessary partitions and perform any needed formatting once you remove the existing partitions and begin the installation to the drive. Everything else is just wasting time and energy.

If you were looking for a military wipe for security purposes, you'd want to look to something else as partitionwizard would not be the answer.

I'm really suprised that someone who is a moderater can be so unfactual about wiping a hard drive maybee you need to educate yourself a bit better.
The fact is a windows format upon setup is just a quick format just like the rubbish tools you suggest, if you want your hard drive to work fast without reading any data from previous install you do it properly.

It's pretty clear YOU have no clue what you're talking about and I think you'd best just behave before I bring another fifty experienced members in here to set you straight. Nobody said anything AT ALL about FORMATTING anything. If you want to start making accusations and talking trash, this can get very ugly very fast. I'd prefer it to not be that way, so let's keep it on an even keel shall we? I know what I am talking about, and have worked with these procedures on hundreds and hundreds of builds and installations, so please realize you're not talking to some noob builder who is clueless.

That might sound rather harsh, but so was your previous statement, so take it as you wish to. We can move forward, or we can play games, we can't do both.

 

[getochkn]

That's exactly how I install Windows. I just delete the partitions, and then install. No format, no nothing. Let windows do it's thing. Unless you drive is full of terrorist material or child porn, there is no reason to have to wipe it. The second the partition table is deleted, the drive thinks it's blank and won't ever try to read any old data from it. Data isn't even stored sequentially. Without a partition table, it's all gabbly-goop.

 

[jimmysmitty]

People know about it. We just don't use it because it isn't necessary. The windows installation disk or Gparted will perform the necessary tasks. There is no need to write data to the disk for the purpose of wiping it. Deleting the partitions is all that is needed. Even formatting isn't necessary. Windows will create the necessary partitions and perform any needed formatting once you remove the existing partitions and begin the installation to the drive. Everything else is just wasting time and energy.

If you were looking for a military wipe for security purposes, you'd want to look to something else as partitionwizard would not be the answer.

I'm really suprised that someone who is a moderater can be so unfactual about wiping a hard drive maybee you need to educate yourself a bit better.
The fact is a windows format upon setup is just a quick format just like the rubbish tools you suggest, if you want your hard drive to work fast without reading any data from previous install you do it properly.

You do realize that even your method is rubbish, right? The government, military, spec is 7 passes of a 0 write. If you want to make sure no data can be recovered (which even with 7 it can) you do what is called Gutman which runs 33 passes and takes forever.

The problem I see with what you are posting is that you are acting as if doing a 0 write will somehow make the system respond faster, that is false. The way that NTFS stores everything is through the MFT. When a file is deleted from your system that MFT is told that that sector is blank which allows for data to be written there. Prewipping a drive with 0s does not make a difference in performance but does ensure the security of your data.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Even then though, if you're only wiping the data on one of the existing partitions, you'll still have the SAME problem with the existing EFI partition. You need to eliminate those partitions if you want a clean slate to install to.

 

[Darkbreeze]

As expected, you're not making any sense. So whatever. Move along.

@jay, the procedures listed are sound. You can do whatever you think is best. Good luck.

 

[USAFRet]

"The government, military, spec" is to put the drive in a shredder, and make metal confetti.

 

[jimmysmitty]

I know you think you clever & all that but since having 30 years of experience tell me what NOOB you are of getting things right inthe first place. (Typical American - example just look at your friendly fire record)
Mini Tool does this a boot disk where you can delee a partitions then do 1 /3 / 7 passes putting 0's & 1's on the hard drive deleting everything, if you can delet via windows instal that is because it has protection which the windows know about but i guess you think you know alot more & can take the fact you may be wrong sometimes.
I wrote on for person with the problem not for to go on like your the GOD of NOTHING.

What does being American have to do with anything?

"The government, military, spec" is to put the drive in a shredder, and make metal confetti.

Well.....

 

[jay213]

This thread has gone down hill but what I did was this:

SSD drive, 6 gig per second port, I had to unplug all my other OS drives and reinstall. Delete and format again....
I never put the old drives back, I really dont know what happened. This has never happened in 20 years.

This was unpleasant and I did not have this issue before the UDMI UEFI motherboard with Secure boot.

PS: I hate Secure boot and Windows 10 looked like a hooker dragged threw the mud.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I'm still not sure what you did or why you did it, but as long as it worked out, that's a good deal.

As for Windows 10, it was kind of hairy at first after being rolled out, but it's pretty much smooth sailing now.