Score:0

Can my Ubuntu still load or run without the /boot partition?

kp flag

I have a dual boot computer. A couple of weeks earlier, my Ubuntu was not loading so I reformatted my Ubuntu partition. After fixing everything, my Ubuntu now works perfectly fine but now my Windows 11 proceeded to BSOD. The partition in my SSD drive are as follows:

Device FS Mountpoints
/dev/nvme0n1p1 ext4 /, /var/snap
/dev/nvme0n1p3 fat32 /boot /efi
/dev/nvme0n1p4 ext4 /home
/dev/nvme0n1p7 linux-swap ---
/dev/nvme0n1p5 ntfs /media
/dev/nvme0n1p6 ntfs ----

Based on what I searched, there was a problem with the EFI partition that prevented the loading of Windows 11. I think this occurred after the most recent Ubuntu update. So what I am hoping to do is back up my Ubuntu settings without /boot then reformat the /boot partition so I can re-install Windows. But will that affect the booting of Ubuntu or should I do an overhaul of the entire SSD? If I will do that, can I restore my previously backed up Ubuntu settings on a freshly reformatted drive? Hopefully someone can help me with my issue. Thanks.

guiverc avatar
cn flag
You didn't provide Ubuntu 22.04 LTS product details; but a default Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Desktop install for example does **not** use a boot partition; only ESP (*EFI System Partition*) as is required to boot on uEFI/Secure-uEFI hardware.. that is loaded onto `/boot/efi` but it's not a boot partition. Windows isn't impacted by anything on Ubuntu's boot (though it may share or have its own ESP which isn't /boot). Your `nvme0n1p3` looks like an ESP (*with error in spacing though!*) but isn't a `/boot` (loading to `/boot/efi` only at most)
I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

mangohost

Post an answer

Most people don’t grasp that asking a lot of questions unlocks learning and improves interpersonal bonding. In Alison’s studies, for example, though people could accurately recall how many questions had been asked in their conversations, they didn’t intuit the link between questions and liking. Across four studies, in which participants were engaged in conversations themselves or read transcripts of others’ conversations, people tended not to realize that question asking would influence—or had influenced—the level of amity between the conversationalists.