Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

rdb · 2015-09-08 01:48:28

I decided to uninstall Arch Linux, so I deleted the partitions. However, whenever I boot, it boots to GRUB, and GRUB says that it can't find partitions so it goes to grub_rescue.

What I did during installation: When I installed GRUB, I put the following command on windows cmd, because I thought it wasn't working (I got this code from here). Turns out it was just the secure boot turned on.

bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \EFI\arch\grubx64.efi

After I put this code, whenever I went to the boot menu, I could choose between two Windows:

http://i.imgur.com/AaulMU2.jpg
(I have no idea how to change the size of the image in the forums, I didn't want this to be this big)

The first one goes to GRUB and the second one goes to Windows 10.

The third one is my Windows installation disk, in which I used the command line to try to repair the bootloader. No success. I used all the commands I found in the internet, all the bootrecs and bootsects. Nothing worked.

Then I installed easyBCD. As you can see, GRUB is the first "Windows Boot Manager":

http://i.imgur.com/bDehMnQ.jpg

I've already deleted the partitions, why is this still here?

Also something else: since I installed GRUB, whenever I boot Windows 10, this always shows up:

http://i.imgur.com/twS1CDW.jpg

(Sorry for awful quality, this goes out pretty fast)

My computer is Acer Aspire E 15, if that helps.

moderator edit: Welcome to the forums. I have converted the large images to links. See my follow up post below. --fsckd

edit: I solved this by mounting the EFI partition and then deleting \arch\grubx64.efi.

Last edited by rdb (2015-09-09 18:10:25)

headkase · 2015-09-08 02:07:46

For the last huge image, where it is repairing Windows 10, do you have "Fast Startup" disabled on the Windows side of things? If you don't have Fast Startup disabled and you mount the drive while you're running Arch on the other partition then you will cause errors on the Windows drive that will become apparent when you next boot into it. If you disable Fast Startup in the Windows Power Applet then Windows will take a bit longer to startup and shutdown but you will be safely able to access the partition while running a Linux.

fsckd · 2015-09-08 03:19:02

rdb wrote:

(I have no idea how to change the size of the image in the forums, I didn't want this to be this big)

Hello, what you should do is show a thumbnail and link to the full size image, or just use a simple link without a thumbnail (which I have done to your post above). You can read more about sharing images on the forums in Forum Etiquette: Pasting Pictures and Code and screenshot posting rules.

rdb · 2015-09-08 12:11:53

headkase wrote:

For the last huge image, where it is repairing Windows 10, do you have "Fast Startup" disabled on the Windows side of things?

Yes, I do have fast startup disabled.

Tutti · 2015-09-08 12:53:01

rdb wrote:

Then I installed easyBCD. As you can see, GRUB is the first "Windows Boot Manager":
...
I've already deleted the partitions, why is this still here?

It's the entry you added with bcdedit, doesn't easyBCD have functionality to remove it or at least change the order of the entries?

rdb · 2015-09-08 13:07:57

Tutti wrote:

It's the entry you added with bcdedit, doesn't easyBCD have functionality to remove it or at least change the order of the entries?

How? When I go to entries, there is only one Windows Boot Manager, and I'm afraid if I delete that I'll delete both. How can I check the specifics of the entry to make sure it's GRUB? Also, if I delete the entry, will I delete it from the system, or just from the boot menu? I want to remove GRUB entirely from the system, not only from the boot manager.

Tutti · 2015-09-08 13:50:22

I can't help with completely removing grub from the EFI system, this http://askubuntu.com/questions/304558/u … 892#304892 may be relevant.
I don't have any recent experience with easyBCD, but did you try

Bootrec /RebuildBcd

to completely rebuild the BCD store, this will scan for Windows installations.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/927392

niceman · 2015-09-08 13:52:29

I don't know what's the problem but if you removed the partition in which grub resides(in particular the partition in which you mounted /boot) then grub should goes.

I think you have some old grub residing in some partition(probably a previous linux distro you didn't clean well), if you have a linux working and windows fast startup is disabled then you can search for grub folder or grub.cfg file using mlocate or find and then figure out in which partition they exist.

If you don't have a working linux but have windows then you might install some tool to read ext4 filesystem(but not write and you don't want write here anyway) and then search for grub.cfg or grub folder in the places you suspect(or search the entire computer if you had to).

If you were using grub for booting windows too then I suggest after you find grub.cfg not to just delete it but check how to override it as deleting it just like that may end up in not being able to boot into any OS.

rdb · 2015-09-08 16:08:12

niceman wrote:

If you were using grub for booting windows too then I suggest after you find grub.cfg not to just delete it but check how to override it as deleting it just like that may end up in not being able to boot into any OS.

I was using GRUB to boot Windows too. I deleted Linux. There is a grub file in \EFI\arch\grubx64.efi but I don't know how to access it and delete it.

rdb · 2015-09-08 16:12:34

Tutti wrote:

did you try
Bootrec /RebuildBcd

Yes I did try. I tried all the bootrec commands. They were all successful, but didn't do anything at all.

ukhippo · 2015-09-08 18:14:45

rdb wrote:

There is a grub file in \EFI\arch\grubx64.efi but I don't know how to access it and delete it.

Easiest would be to boot up an Arch installation medium; you can then mount the EFI partition and do whatever you want.
In Windows, you need to use the diskpart utility to assign a drive letter to the EFI partition and then run up a (file/windows) explorer instance as administrator.

jbaans · 2015-09-08 18:22:53

Hi,

It looks like you deleted the Arch partition and the EFI System Partition and also that a Windows boot manager is starting.
But the windows bootmanager still seems to be configured to load the GRUBx64.efi file in your second screenshot.
On https://support.microsoft.com/en-en/kb/927392 it tells you how to remove the BCD that contains this configuration and how to rebuild things; you might want to try this still.

Arch Linux

#1 2015-09-08 01:48:28

Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

#2 2015-09-08 02:07:46

Re: Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

#3 2015-09-08 03:19:02

Re: Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

#4 2015-09-08 12:11:53

Re: Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

#5 2015-09-08 12:53:01

Re: Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

#6 2015-09-08 13:07:57

Re: Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

#7 2015-09-08 13:50:22

Re: Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

#8 2015-09-08 13:52:29

Re: Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

#9 2015-09-08 16:08:12

Re: Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

#10 2015-09-08 16:12:34

Re: Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

#11 2015-09-08 18:14:45

Re: Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

#12 2015-09-08 18:22:53

Re: Can't remove GRUB after deleting the partitions! [SOLVED]

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