[Solved] Windows 8 Keeps changing default UEFI boot entry

EvanPurkhiser · 2013-07-13 09:00:10

Hey guys, hopefully this is an easy one.

I've been using the rEFInd boot manager for a while and absolutely love it. I decided to install Windows 8 tonight for some games. Everything went well and I was even happy that windows didn't try and trash my EFI System Partition.

I've configured rEFInd to boot to windows with the following menu entry in refind.conf

menuentry "Windows" {
	icon /EFI/refind/minimal-theme/icons/os_win.png
	loader /EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
}

It works fine, however the problem is whenever I boot into windows and restart I see that windows has taken it upon itself to add an entry back into NVRAM and give it higest boot order priority

So it ends up looking like this

# efibootmgr 
BootCurrent: 0000
Timeout: 1 seconds
BootOrder: 0001,0000
Boot0000* rEFInd bootloader
Boot0001* Windows Boot Manager

How do I stop windows from doing that?

Last edited by EvanPurkhiser (2013-07-14 09:58:50)

EvanPurkhiser · 2013-07-13 09:55:03

I was able to work around this by disabling the boot entry

# efibootmgr -A -b 0001

Though it still bothers me that I now have an extra entry in my boot list. If anyone knows how to actually make windows stop creating the entry altogether I would love to know.

srs5694 · 2013-07-13 14:33:44

If disabling the Windows entry works, then just use that solution. Don't get too obsessive about keeping a "clean" or "minimal" boot loader list in your NVRAM. Worrying about it is something that Adrian Monk would do.

the.ridikulus.rat · 2013-07-13 14:41:36

This is normal behaviour by Windows. If Windows does not find a EFI boot entry for bootmgfw.efi it creates a entry and adds it to top of the Boot Order. You can move the "Windows Boot Manager" after your rEFInd if you want to. Windows does not manipulate the Boot Order in such a case.

Just do

# efibootmgr -o 0000,0001

EvanPurkhiser · 2013-07-14 09:58:40

Thanks guys,

I'll go ahead and mark it as solved.

Berseker · 2014-01-05 10:07:04

any clue to do that with gummiboot (i'm not using refind) ? i have the very same problem

Berseker · 2014-01-26 19:33:44

bump - anyone?

Arch Linux

#1 2013-07-13 09:00:10

[Solved] Windows 8 Keeps changing default UEFI boot entry

#2 2013-07-13 09:55:03

Re: [Solved] Windows 8 Keeps changing default UEFI boot entry

#3 2013-07-13 14:33:44

Re: [Solved] Windows 8 Keeps changing default UEFI boot entry

#4 2013-07-13 14:41:36

Re: [Solved] Windows 8 Keeps changing default UEFI boot entry

#5 2013-07-14 09:58:40

Re: [Solved] Windows 8 Keeps changing default UEFI boot entry

#6 2014-01-05 10:07:04

Re: [Solved] Windows 8 Keeps changing default UEFI boot entry

#7 2014-01-26 19:33:44

Re: [Solved] Windows 8 Keeps changing default UEFI boot entry

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