Well after trying everything, I have ubuntu and windows recognized by UEFI in BIOS setup. Ubuntu boots by default out of it. (probably until a windows update sadly)

Mageia and the newly reinstalled Mint are not visible in the UEFI setup or in the boot mgr. But ubuntu's grub has both bootable so they technically usable. Leave it as it is? Will be a cold day in h*ll I think before I will ever do more than a simple dual boot with this bios set up and trying to add an external disk again? Not unless I keep it attached at all times than what is the point of a removable drive? Ugh. And this was supposed to make possibilities endless and more secure and blah blah. Humbug. Going back to my werther's

semi-solved? and you have to at least admire the tenacity of the windows boot - unshakeable through all this <smdh>

A default reset on the BIOS will set thing to the way they were from the factory so anything Linux is gone.
When you installed Mint to replace PCLinux, it formatted and installed Mint to the partition on which you previously had PClinux but did nothing to the entry for PCLinux in the EFI partition. If you want that gone, you need to do it yourself. And as pointed out above, the ubuntu derivatives use ubuntu as the directory in the EFI partition. Why, I don't know but if you install one of the ubuntu derivatives EFI it will obliterate your previous EFI which in your case was your Kubuntu install.

I saw much weirdness on my attempt at going all-out EFI on the old SSD (I was somehow able to mix GPT and MBR formats same drive - not my intent and I know not recommended). More weirdness when I thought I could have an install live happily removable externally -The lack of being able to store a play install on a removable drive has kind of bummed me out - But too many issues when it wasn't plugged in!what to do with that old drive? I could get a optical drive adapter and make it a second internal.

My and now this. You would think I would of come across something about the buntus having issues coexisting with efiboot in my googling. How this which does so little for managing multi-boots is so touted, I don't know. It works with GPT which is supposed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread too. All I see is now I have 5 partitions where before you could have only 4 primary. For me, not much of an upgrade and 3 surrenders on problems but no real cure. Thanks all for your help.

You lost linux entries in the bios/firmware when you reset the bios.
First lets try to add linuxmint/kubuntu back to bios.
Boot from a linux live usb, open a terminal:
Reboot, If you don't see a grub menu, should be able to access ubuntu from bios boot menu.
Once booted into linumint or Kubuntu, then can proceed to fix the boot order as to your liking.

It is the mageia and linuxmint installs on sda5 and 4 that are missing from UEFI but they are in ubuntu's grub and can be booted from there with no issue. kubuntu gives me access to all now which is fine since it is my daily driver. Apparently mint won't be able to live in EFI with kubuntu because they kissing cousins. And mageia is just for playing with XFCE. I am not messing with boot again until a windows update inevitably tries to muscle out ubuntu but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.