Whilst not exactly a newbie (I've used various versions based on Ubuntu for a number of years) this is a bit of a "newbie" question.
I use live cd's (mainly Ubuntu or Mint) to solve problems with Windows computers. Recently I have noticed when clearing and reformatting USB sticks using gparted from various live cds that I end up with a broken Windows 10. This only appears to happen with UEFI based Bios machines. Something upsets the mbr and I have to rewrite it.
Has anybody else experienced this problem?

Note: the problem doesn't occur with older comps running a legacy bios!! This is usually how I get around the problem. USB or SD cards produced using Universal USB Installer work exceptionally well when created this way.

There is no such thing. UEFI and BIOS are exclusive firmware - you have one or the other. End of discussion.
EFI has a CSM mode that emulates a "legacy" mode, but the firmware is still EFI. You are doing something intrinsically "wrong" if you are trying to cover both scenarios. However I don't use a GUI like gparted for things like this.

This is just the sort of reply that will put "newbies" off using your forums. Not at all helpful!

1 members found this post helpful.

Windows 10 will only boot from a UEFI that is running in native (i.e not legacy) mode. In this mode, the UEFI chip doesn't even look at the mbr. It expects to find all its boot code on the EFI system partition. Have you modified anything on this partition?

@syg00: technically you are correct. The firmware is either UEFI or BIOS. However a lot of computer manuals call the UEFI chip a BIOS; the Lenovo manuals do for a start. So I don't blame the OP for being confused.

I've never heard of properly using Gparted to ??"clearing"?? or reformatting a sdx usb causing an issue. You could search the Gparted forums for bug reports. It's never happened to me. It is possible that we don't know the full story here. Soooo,. explain the full steps.
Be sure to mention how you booted and what you selected to do this task.


notes.

Kind of depends on how you got Windows 10. There are some versions that don't need uefi and secure boot as I recall.

Then there is the issue of secure boot, that would only be available in uefi.

There is some disks that have started to be legacy then converted to gpt as well as disks that are legacy and disks that are gpt.

Bios's do not act like they should. Not legacy, not uefi and not uefi running csm.

I just registered about an hour ago to try and seek help since I have a total of 1 friend who knows what linux even is.. So I go to newbies section as I am still learning basics and this was the first thing I read. I'm terrified now. I despise the community of Microsoft snobs and the way their "help" carries a not so subtle undertone of condescension and a blatant need to stroke their own ego and I feel I've found that same atmosphere here. If you want to give advice to a new user or someone ready to admit their question would be appropriate for a new user - you should respect their position because everyone is a beginner at least once. Go be mean to somebody on your own level you're a big kid picking on kindergarteners here. Hopefully someone kinder and wiser than you will help me out with my obstacles so that someday I can get to a point where I'm able to track you down on a forum somewhere and make you feel small and stupid just because I know more than you about one thing.

When you say "a broken Windows 10," what exactly do you mean? Does the Windows box produce any error messages at boot or logon and, if so, what are they precisely? What are the other symptoms of breakage?

When you reformat those USB drives, what file system to you put on them?

I've never encountered this, but my use of Windows 10 is minimal.

There's some truth in what you write here, except:

• it applies to ALL online "communities", nay, the whole effing internet. And most other communities are much, much worse. Believe me, I tried.
• people tend to fill the emotional void that printed letters on a screen produce with what they find inside themselves. In other words, getting upset about it always leads you back to yourself.
• despite being possibly condescending (who really knows what they felt) syg00 was still giving good advice which both you and OP completely ignore.

Also, I think you're just jmc46's sock puppet.

Just to point this out, syg00 is one of the nicest folks here in all cases I've see and his reputation points are only a fraction of what he deserves. His post was in no way trying to be mean to you. Don't take it as mean.

We will try to help you if you let us have some more information about this.