EasyUEFI

Pros

• Very easy for power users to work with
• More effective than Windows' native tools
• Creates bootable USB drives
• Solves EFI/UEFI Boot issues instantly

Cons

• Not compatible with BIOS-only machines
• Allows users to make potentially destructive changes to their systems

EasyUEFI is a simple utility designed to manage boot options for personal computers that use something other than BIOS to start themselves up.

Considering how difficult the UEFI specification is for even programmers to understand, it's no surprise that many end-users have been left in the dust. On many new machines, UEFI has completely replaced the traditional Basic Input/Output System that was originally designed for use with CP/M back in 1975.

As a result, quite a few people can't get into the UEFI setup screen needed to manage boot devices like they could on their older PCs. It's often much more complicated to do than simply holding down F12 or F2 when turning the machine on.

By using EasyUEFI, you can manage all relevant EFI and UEFI boot options the same way you would have been able to from the firmware. It will automatically check to ensure that everything is copacetic. If anything is drastically out of spec, then the app will give you the option to repair it without having to write a single line of code.

Those who prefer to use graphically-oriented apps will appreciate EasyUEFI's simple interface. It's no more difficult to use than the traditional Windows Control Panel. Those coming over from the Macintosh environment might even make some comparisons to the System Folder that was present in older versions of the operating system.

Advanced users should find quite a bit to like here as well. The app allows you to manage all of your EFI system partitions if you have any. While you could theoretically do this with the DISKPART command in a DOS window, that can be rather difficult since PC firmware doesn't often like the way that app cuts disk slices.

When there's something wrong with a boot partition, EasyUEFI will offer to repair it and then reboot your system automatically. Those who need to perform more serious repairs can instead use the app to create a WindowsPE bootable emergency disk. Even though the app uses traditional nomenclature, you don't have to use physical media to do so.

In fact, you might not be able to if you're on a legacy-free PC. In that case, EasyUEFI allows you to write WindowsPE code directly to any USB memory stick or SDHC card you have available. It's also fully compatible with microSDHC cards as well as other block devices.

Those who want to completely disable Secure Boot and the UEFI system may be able to from the app as well. That being said, that's only useful for those who plan to wipe out Windows and switch to Linux, BSD or another open-source operating system afterwards.

Pros

• Very easy for power users to work with
• More effective than Windows' native tools
• Creates bootable USB drives
• Solves EFI/UEFI Boot issues instantly

Cons

• Not compatible with BIOS-only machines
• Allows users to make potentially destructive changes to their systems