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I installed Ubuntu on an external HDD without adding EFI partition on the HDD. So during installation it added Ubuntu to the existing EFI partition on my laptop and now it is always showed in boot menu options, near to Windows Boot Manager. I tried to remove it from Windows with Visual BCD but after restart it is still present. In addition, I tried to remove it from Linux with efibootmgr but after restart it is still present. Where am I wrong?

Update: I removed Ubuntu from EFI partition correctly, in fact it no longer appears in boot menu options. Now I have noticed the presence of grub files in Boot folder. Which files can I remove without problems?

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    i think you're overthinking this. the ubuntu in question is no present on your system. just remove it from your grub with grub-customizer. or are you saying you weren't supposed to have a grub at all on that system and that it's a windows-only system?
    – tatsu
    Jun 13, 2019 at 14:20
  • Uninstall Ubuntu from menu, Really UEFI boot menu askubuntu.com/questions/63610/… But then you will not be able to boot Ubuntu. If you want full install on external you need to partition in advance with an ESP - efi system partition. If 18.04, you do not need swap partition, as swap file is now used. UEFI/gpt partitioning in Advance: askubuntu.com/questions/743095/… & help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI
    – oldfred
    Jun 13, 2019 at 16:09

1 Answer 1

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Was this your only Linux install and you are trying to change your system back to use solely Windows? If so, I always have to use diskpart in windows to remove the Ubuntu option after Ubuntu is removed, the method I use is detailed here: linuxbsdos.com

  1. run powershell as administrator
  2. start diskpart utility with diskpart
  3. list connected drives with list disk
  4. select the disk that hosts your windows OS with sel disk #
  5. list volumes on selected disk with list vol
  6. select the volume with filesystem FAT32, there is probably only one sel vol #
  7. assign a letter to the selected volume with assign letter=D: *if D is already used, use a different letter, just remember what you used and use that letter instead of D for later steps
  8. exit diskpart with exit
  9. now that your volume with GRUB has a drive letter, change to that directory with cd D:
  10. list all entries in that drive with ls *EFI should be listed, if it is not and you have multiple FAT32 volumes on your drive try the other volume or you are doing this in the wrong drive.
  11. move to EFI directory with cd EFI then check entries with "ls"
  12. assuming ubuntu shows up, type rmdir /S ubuntu and confirm with y after entering
  13. list entries in drive with ls to make sure ubuntu entry is gone
  14. reboot system and the boot menu option for Ubuntu should be gone, as should the assigned drive letter

    Update

You should be fine to remove all GRUB options however, it would be a good check to make sure that date of last write predates your current working installation date of Ubuntu. But ultimately, Windows doesn't need GRUB and if all you have on that drive is Windows, anything with GRUB in the name should be able to be removed safely. Another good check would be to make sure you can boot the external drive without your Windows drive. !remember to always back the files up before you delete them!

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    Would you please describe the method into your post, at least shortly, to help ease a read and keep your post consistent even if the link move in future?
    – FloT
    Jun 13, 2019 at 15:01
  • I never installed Ubuntu on my laptop, I tried to install it on an external HDD not to lose official warranty. So I needed to install bootloader on the external HDD, but I didn't. For this reason Grub was installed on the SSD of my laptop rather than the external HDD. Now I have re-installed Ubuntu on the external HDD in the correct way and Grub is loaded only when HDD is connected. Now, I have to remove Grub from EFI partition if I don't want to lose warranty.
    – TechRevo
    Jun 15, 2019 at 17:48
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    Subsequently how can I remove the letter from EFI partition?
    – TechRevo
    Jun 15, 2019 at 17:49
  • this method can remove GRUB from any HDD, so just choose your main disk. Also, restarting your PC should remove drive letter. Jun 17, 2019 at 18:16
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    Thanks a lot! I removed Ubuntu option correctly from Boot Menu Options, but there are Grub files in Boot folder. Can I remove them? I have uploaded an image in the question.
    – TechRevo
    Jun 21, 2019 at 12:51

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