Clean Windows Install: Do I need the 100mb EFI System Partition?

NavyLCDR said:

Create USB flash drive using Microsoft Media Creation tool. Boot computer from it. Go through the setup screens until you can select the custom install option. On the next screen after picking custom install, delete every partition until you are left with one big unallocated space. Highlight it and click next. Let Windows Setup set up the drive the way it wants to.

thank you, that is what I did. so I am good.

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Bree said:

If you have not yet deleted the OEM recovery partition you can 'factory reset' using the NOVO button.

Introduction to NOVO button - ideaPad laptops - US

the link you provide directs to Search page. I will search NOVO. I found this YouTube Thanks

g725s said:

...the link you provide directs to Search page. I will search NOVO. Thanks

That search page says: "...If you have been redirected to this page while attempting to visit the Lenovo support site; then the site is currently experiencing technical issues and is unavailable."

I Think you will find that currently any link to a 'pcsupport.lenovo.com' address does that. All the ones in a Google seach do..

Novo button - Google Search

There was a note about routine maintenance starting shortly when I looked for that page. Try the link again in a few hours.

Bree said:

That search page says: "...If you have been redirected to this page while attempting to visit the Lenovo support site; then the site is currently experiencing technical issues and is unavailable."

I Think you will find that currently any link to a 'pcsupport.lenovo.com' address does that. All the ones in a Google seach do..
Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

There was a note about routine maintenance starting shortly when I looked for that page. Try the link again in a few hours.

I found this youtube video....YouTube

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Thanks to all of you. This is a very helpful forum.

ignatzatsonic said:

If you delete ALL partitions down to unallocated space, an OEM recover partition would NOT be left after a clean install.

But I did the clean install and deleted all partitions into one single Unallocated space during the install and I still have the OEM Partition. How is this possible then?
.

The recovery (OEM) can be deleted but why would you need 529 MB on a 240 GB drive?
If you perform a Windows upgrade sometimes the upgrade installs a second recovery partition.

To see if the drive has a working windows advanced troubleshooting menu > open administrative command prompt and type:
reagentc /info
It's useful having safe mode, etc.

example:

C:\WINDOWS\system32>reagentc /info
Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and system reset configuration
Information:

Windows RE status: Enabled
Windows RE location: \\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition5\Recovery\WindowsRE
Boot Configuration Data (BCD) identifier: be5d0d41-c6eb-11e8-adca-e98a121fef8b
Recovery image location:
Recovery image index: 0
Custom image location:
Custom image index: 0

REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.

On this computer disk management displayed two recovery partitions. There was a second recovery partition during a windows upgrade.
The recovery partition that is no longer in use is 450MB. The one that had been installed during the upgrade was 885 MB.
There is little need to create an additional 450 MB free space.

This is a link on clean install:
Clean Install Windows 10

This is a link on UEFI / GPT partitioning:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...ive-partitions

g725s said:

But I did the clean install and deleted all partitions into one single Unallocated space during the install and I still have the OEM Partition. How is this possible then?

I assumed you were referring to an OEM partition placed there by Lenovo since you have a new laptop. A Windows clean install can also create partitions designated "OEM". I've got 2 of them: 450 and 485 MB in size. A Lenovo OEM recovery partition would return the machine to factory state.

zbook said:

The recovery (OEM) can be deleted but why would you need 529 MB on a 240 GB drive?
If you perform a Windows upgrade sometimes the upgrade installs a second recovery partition.

To see if the drive has a working windows advanced troubleshooting menu > open administrative command prompt and type:
reagentc /info
It's useful having safe mode, etc.

example:

C:\WINDOWS\system32>reagentc /info
Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and system reset configuration
Information:

Windows RE status: Enabled
Windows RE location: \\?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition5\Recovery\WindowsRE
Boot Configuration Data (BCD) identifier: be5d0d41-c6eb-11e8-adca-e98a121fef8b
Recovery image location:
Recovery image index: 0
Custom image location:
Custom image index: 0

REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.

On this computer disk management displayed two recovery partitions. There was a second recovery partition during a windows upgrade.
The recovery partition that is no longer in use is 450MB. The one that had been installed during the upgrade was 885 MB.
There is little need to create an additional 450 MB free space.

This is a link on clean install:
Clean Install Windows 10

This is a link on UEFI / GPT partitioning:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...ive-partitions

So it sounds like if you want to always have the Lenovo OEM then you should leave it alone and consolidate only the other partitions into a single Unallocated Space? Would you then have 2 OEM partitions?

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ignatzatsonic said:

I assumed you were referring to an OEM partition placed there by Lenovo since you have a new laptop. A Windows clean install can also create partitions designated "OEM". I've got 2 of them: 450 and 485 MB in size. A Lenovo OEM recovery partition would return the machine to factory state.

So it sounds like when you say you have 2 OEM System Recovery partitions that one is the original OEM and the other is one made during your clean install? And if doing a actual recovery that you could choose either? Or in my case I could choose the OEM Lenovo System Recovery partition to bring the computer back to its original state?

g725s said:

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So it sounds like when you say you have 2 OEM System Recovery partitions that one is the original OEM and the other is one made during your clean install? And if doing a actual recovery that you could choose either? Or in my case I could choose the OEM Lenovo System Recovery partition to bring the computer back to its original state?

No. My computer is self-built. I have no "original OEM". I did a clean install on a totally blank drive and all 4 of my partitions, including the 2 labeled "OEM", were placed there by Windows during the installation. Not by an "original OEM" such as Lenovo.

Windows named them. I didn't. You'd have to ask Microsoft why the term "OEM" is attached to those partitions on a self-built machine.

I use Macrium for recovery. I don't use the built-in Windows capabilities. I would not directly use my "OEM" partitions when doing a recovery, but they would be part of the Macrium image file that I would use.

It's up to you if you want to use Lenovo's own recovery. It would restore you to a factory state, including both the good and the bad that Lenovo installed at the factory. If you have no interest in going back to a factory state, then I wouldn't think that any Lenovo-specific partitions need to be kept. It's up to you.

Here's what I have.

The contents of the recovery partitions from a windows iso during clean install is likely smaller than what is provided by Lenovo. Lenovo likely has additional files, folders, etc. Often partitions can be copied to a flash drive. Then a clean install can be performed. If a recovery partition is needed there will be one on the windows disk drive and one on a flash drive.