Testing Visual BCD Editor v0.9.3 on Windows 7,8,10
installed to GPT disk
(using UEFI firmware boot)

 

Visual BCD Editor is functional on Windows 7,8,10 using UEFI boot from GPT style disk.

Following errors were encountered during testing:

 

Notes for Windows 7:

 

1. Firmware boot manager

 

Firmware boot manager ({fwbootmgr}) elements are not recognized properly.
They are decoded as "unknown_app_element" but are editable.
Default fwbootmgr elements are:
a) display order - can be edited (first loader listed is the default loader for firmware UEFI)
b) timeout (value decoded as TestToFail enumeration) - timeout can be set only between 0-4

 

2. Path to files on hidden (not mapped) partitions

 

Editing 'ApplicationPath' for a file stored on a hidden partition causes recoverable failure/exception.
Editing is not possible unless partition is mapped to a drive letter (temporarily).

Hint: You can use "mountvol" command to map EFI system and hidden recovery partitions. For example:

mountvol Z: /s - mounts ESP - EFI system partition - to drive Z:

 

3. Edit boot menu button

 

Pressing button does not open boot menu for editing.
Workaround: edit {bootmgr} - 'DisplayOrder' element.

 

4. Loader application path

 

Windows loaders are created by default for BIOS/MBR booting - 'ApplicationPath' of loaders end in .exe.
Changing the file extension to .efi makes the loader UEFI/GPT compliant.

 

Notes for Windows 8/10:

 

All Notes for Windows 7 above plus:

 

1. Visual BCD Editor fails to display elements for objects which do not have a 'Description' element

(like {fwbootmgr}, various settings objects)

Loaders and {bootmgr} are not affected. Workaround - use Visual BCD Editor version 0.9.0.1.

 

2. New elements defined in Windows 8 (and later) are decoded as custom.

 

All elements can be be edited as Visual BCD Editor is editing elements by type, so even the first version of the tool published in 2010 can edit elements which came to Windows 8 BCD in 2012 for example.

 

 

Some more testing and some functional extensions are needed for the next version of Visual BCD Editor to be fully Windows 7/8/10 UEFI/GPT compliant.

 

 

It takes some time and effort to code apps and maintain a website, and liters of coffee ;)