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Boot or EFI Partition ? Deleted by Mistake in Windows/Ubuntu HD

cg flag

I was trying to format a USB key and accidentally deleted a 157MB partition that I suspect it was the booting partition from Ubuntu. But I have actually no idea of what I deleted, could have been the EFI system partition.

I was convinced that I selected the USB to be formatted and skipped all the alerts as I was getting messages of the USB being in use until then.

My Dell XPS 17" laptop has a 1T hd with Windows and Ubuntu Desktop 20.04.3 LTS installed. here is a picture of the current situation, key is the partition I have formatted: enter image description here enter image description here

running from a Live USB Ubuntu:

$ sudo fdisk -l
Disk /dev/loop0: 2.1 GiB, 2160009216 bytes, 4218768 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes


Disk /dev/loop1: 55.45 MiB, 58130432 bytes, 113536 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes


Disk /dev/loop2: 65.1 MiB, 68259840 bytes, 133320 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes


Disk /dev/loop3: 219 MiB, 229638144 bytes, 448512 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes


Disk /dev/loop4: 50.98 MiB, 53432320 bytes, 104360 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes


Disk /dev/loop5: 32.3 MiB, 33865728 bytes, 66144 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes


Disk /dev/nvme0n1: 953.89 GiB, 1024209543168 bytes, 2000409264 sectors
Disk model: Micron 2300 NVMe 1024GB                 
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 9799531D-8078-41B9-9BFA-4D8E5889A40D

Device              Start        End    Sectors   Size Type
/dev/nvme0n1p1       2048     309247     307200   150M Linux filesystem
/dev/nvme0n1p2     309248     571391     262144   128M Microsoft reserved
/dev/nvme0n1p3     571392 1176300355 1175728964 560.6G Microsoft basic data
/dev/nvme0n1p4 1957793792 1959821311    2027520   990M Windows recovery environment
/dev/nvme0n1p5 1959821312 1997438975   37617664    18G Windows recovery environment
/dev/nvme0n1p6 1997441024 2000377855    2936832   1.4G Windows recovery environment
/dev/nvme0n1p7 1176301568 1957793791  781492224 372.7G Linux filesystem

Partition table entries are not in disk order.


Disk /dev/sda: 29.12 GiB, 31260704768 bytes, 61056064 sectors
Disk model: Cruzer Fit      
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x2cf4ba3a

Device     Boot   Start      End  Sectors  Size Id Type
/dev/sda1  *          0  5999871  5999872  2.9G  0 Empty
/dev/sda2       5271500  5279499     8000  3.9M ef EFI (FAT-12/16/32)
/dev/sda3       6000640 61056063 55055424 26.3G 83 Linux



$ sudo gdisk -l /dev/sda
GPT fdisk (gdisk) version 1.0.5

Partition table scan:
  MBR: MBR only
  BSD: not present
  APM: not present
  GPT: not present


***************************************************************
Found invalid GPT and valid MBR; converting MBR to GPT format
in memory. 
***************************************************************


Warning! Secondary partition table overlaps the last partition by
33 blocks!
You will need to delete this partition or resize it in another utility.
Disk /dev/sda: 61056064 sectors, 29.1 GiB
Model: Cruzer Fit      
Sector size (logical/physical): 512/512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): 8CF0A28E-AAD6-4288-B195-4CF693FFA61F
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
Main partition table begins at sector 2 and ends at sector 33
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 61056030
Partitions will be aligned on 4-sector boundaries
Total free space is 5992606 sectors (2.9 GiB)

Number  Start (sector)    End (sector)  Size       Code  Name
   2         5271500         5279499   3.9 MiB     EF00  EFI system partition
   3         6000640        61056063   26.3 GiB    8300  Linux filesystem

The machine doesn't start anymore, it goes into some scanning tool from DELL every time I start.

If I press F12 I can see the booting dialog with Ubuntu and Windows Boot Manager, but if I select them I am told "No Boot Device Found". I am currently writing from a Live Ubuntu USB, with "Try Ubuntu".

I wonder, what have I deleted looking at the picture? the second 134MB partition says to be a Microsoft Reserved partition, so I suppose the key partition I formatted was the Ubuntu boot?

Do you think that if I install the Ubuntu boot in the key partition I will be fine to start the Win/Ubuntu partitions again?

Could you some up the steps I should take to make sure I don't make any further mess? I need a little guidance for confidence.

Is it the EFI partition that I deleted or something else? Maybe I shall just install GRUB in the key partition?

guiverc avatar
cn flag
You didn't provide release specifics; but Ubuntu does not by default have a boot partition (it's just a directory on the / partition). Are you sure you're not meaning the ESP or *EFI system partition*
user3755529 avatar
cg flag
could well possibly be, I am not sure of what I deleted. is Ubuntu Desktop 20.04.3 LTS
PonJar avatar
in flag
If you search on here with “deleted EFI” there are several accepted answers
user3755529 avatar
cg flag
I can get to my BIOS, and I am not sure of what I have deleted, so I am a bit scared to follow a solution from a different situation. I guess I will just reinstall windows hoping for the best
oldfred avatar
cn flag
Your p1 is now shown as a Linux partition. Windows will not see Linux partitions. IF p1 is empty it then was probably the ESP as FAT32 formatted with boot,esp flags if using gparted. If you reformat p1 to ESP, then you still need full reinstall of grub2-efi-amd64, the UEFI version of grub and reinstall of Windows boot loader To create the files & folders in ESP and UEFI boot entry using new ESP.
user3755529 avatar
cg flag
I solved by reinstalling windows from USB. I would like to salvage the prvious Ubuntu install, but now no boot takes me to it, how can I install a boot that takes me to the existing Ubuntu partition without reinstalling Ubuntu?
user3755529 avatar
cg flag
with Boot Repair!! all is sorted https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair
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