Questions For Copilot (August 6, 2025)

by bill - 2025-08-06 07:52:27 ( in education, tech, computers, windows) [php version] rebuild

QUESTION: I've got an external drive that works fine if I plug it in (mini usb) after windows 10 has started, but if I reboot with it still connected (I'm not telling windows to boot from any devices), it messes up the windows boot process. it has a "recovery" partition on it and bootmgr and bootmgr.efi and RP.ini files in the root of that partition. windows (sometimes annoyingly) ignores my other usb drives upon boot, but apparently not this one entirely.

ANSWER: That's a classic case of BIOS/UEFI firmware getting a little too clever for its own good. Here's what's likely happening and how you can tame it:

### ? What's Going On

Your external drive has boot-critical files (`bootmgr`, `bootmgr.efi`, `RP.ini`) and a recovery partition, which makes it look like a bootable device. Even though you're not explicitly booting from USB, your firmware may still scan connected drives for bootloaders and get confused when it sees this one.

When the drive is connected during boot:

- **UEFI/BIOS may prioritize it** or try to parse it as a boot candidate.

- **Windows Boot Manager may get sidetracked**, especially if the external drive has a `EFIMicrosoftBoot` fnewer or similar.

- **Drive enumeration order may shift**, causing Windows to misidentify or delay booting from the correct internal disk.

---

### ?️ Fixes You Can Try

#### 1. **Change Boot Order / Disable USB Boot**

- Enter BIOS/UEFI setup (usually by pressing `Del`, `F2`, or `Esc` during startup).

- Set your internal drive as the **first boot device**.

- If available, **disable USB boot** or set USB devices to a lower priority.

#### 2. **Remove Boot Files from External Drive**

If you don't need the external drive to be bootable:

- Safely back up any data.

- Delete or rename:

- `bootmgr`

- `bootmgr.efi`

- `RP.ini`

- Any `/EFI` fnewers

- This makes the drive look like a plain data disk, not a boot candidate.

#### 3. **Reformat the Recovery Partition**

If you're sure the recovery partition isn't needed:

- Use `diskpart` or Disk Management to delete the recovery partition.

- Reformat it as a regular data partition.

- This removes any bootable flags or misleading metadata.

#### 4. **Set Drive as Offline in Windows**

If you only use the external drive occasionally:

- Use `diskpart` to mark the drive as offline during boot.

- You can script it to come online post-boot if needed.

---

### ? Diagnostic Tip

Run this command in PowerShell to inspect the partition layout:

```powershell

Get-Disk | Where-Object IsOffline -eq $false | Get-Partition | Format-Table DiskNumber, PartitionNumber, Type, IsBoot, IsSystem

```

This will show if Windows sees your external drive as a boot/system partition.

---

### ? Recommended Setup: Split Boot + Backup

#### ? 1. **Create a Dedicated Recovery USB Stick**

Use a small USB stick (even 4–8GB is enough) and create a bootable recovery environment:

- Go to **Control Panel > Backup and Restore (Windows 7)**.

- Click **Create a system repair disc** (or use `RecoveryDrive.exe`).

- This gives you a bootable USB with recovery tools, without needing the backup drive to be bootable.

#### ? 2. **Use the External Drive Solely for Backup**

- Keep your system image and file backups on the external drive.

- Remove or rename boot-critical files (`bootmgr`, `bootmgr.efi`, `/EFI`, etc.) from the root of the external drive.

- This prevents BIOS/UEFI from treating it as a boot candidate.

You can always plug in both devices when needed:

- Boot from the recovery USB stick.

- Restore from the external backup drive.

---

### ? Optional: Strip Bootability from the Backup Drive

If you want to surgically remove bootability but keep the backup data intact:

#### ? Steps:

1. **Open Disk Management (`diskmgmt.msc`)**

2. Locate the external drive's recovery partition.

3. Right-click > **Change Drive Letter and Paths** > Remove (to hide it from Windows if desired).

4. Use `diskpart` to clear boot flags:

```cmd

diskpart

list disk

select disk X (your external drive)

list partition

select partition Y (the recovery partition)

detail partition

remove letter=Z

```

5. Optionally delete or rename boot files:

- `bootmgr`, `bootmgr.efi`, `RP.ini`

- `EFIMicrosoftBoot` fnewer

---

### ? Why This Works

- BIOS/UEFI scans for bootable partitions and files like `bootmgr`. Removing them makes the drive invisible to the boot process.

- Windows Backup doesn't require the drive to be bootable -- it just needs the data.

- You retain full recovery capability by booting from a separate USB stick.

---

I chose Step 5, above, which fixed it.