Dual Booting Not Always Working

I have a dual booting setup on my computer. Windows 7 x64 SP1 is the default operating system with Windows 10 x64 SP! as the alternate operating system.

Dual booting menu was initialized using EasyBCD.

 EasyBCD_dual_boot.png   30.24KB   0 downloads

Usually when starting/booting up my computer, I get the DOS looking display showing the boot selection menu between the two operating systems. After selecting Windows 7 I can boot into it fine. And after warm restarting my computer, and even after cold restarting from shutdown, the DOS display appears again allowing boot selection between the two operating systems.

If I decide to select Windows 10 as the operating system to boot into from the DOS display, Windows 10 boots up fine. However! On either warm or cold restarting my computer after running Windows 10, the DOS display allowing selection of boot operating system is no longer shown and my computer immediately boots into Windows 10 despite it not being the default operating system!?

In order to get the DOS display boot selection menu back, I have to rerun EasyBCD, and just re-save the existing settings. So on next restart of my computer the DOS display returns allowing selection between the two operating systems. But, again if selecting Windows 10 as the operating system and later restarting my computer, the computer will once again boot directly into Windows 10 bypassing the DOS boot selection menu display!

Question is, why does my computer fail to boot back into the DOS boot selection menu after using Windows 10 as the operating system and after (warm and cold) restarting my computer?

Edited by meeshu, 07 January 2024 - 06:20 PM.

I have the same setup...dual-boot with W7 and W10...and it appears that I have EasyBCD installed/running on both versions.

It sounds to me as if the Windows 10 boot instructions take over when you boot into it...whereas I don't have such when I boot into W10...I get the boot menu reflecting each version of Windows, as well as the Macrium Reflect boot options.

If EasyBCD is not installed on the W10 system, that might be your situation.

Louis

Question is, why does my computer fail to boot back into the DOS boot selection menu after using Windows 10 as the operating system and after (warm and cold) restarting my computer?

It does not entirely shut down. Disable fast startup.

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-disable-windows-10-fast-startup

Both comments noted. Thank you.

hamluis, I wouldn't have thought the lack of EasyBCD being installed might cause this dual boot issue to occur. It is my understanding that EasyBCD just writes something to the boot manager or loader or whatever it is called, and EasyBCD is then no longer required unless some changes are to be made to the boot options.

VolumeZ, thanks for the tip. Actually I vaguely recall reading something about Fast Boot sometime ago.

So I have disabled Fast Boot, and now the system brings up the boot selection menu as wanted, even after restarting my computer after using Windows 10.

Problem seems to be solved (for now anyway)!

Edited by meeshu, 08 January 2024 - 09:03 AM.

Good job, happy computing .

Louis