Desktop chooses OS even though not default.

C

cooolmail

Member
Hi.
Firstly I'm not cool...15years ago I thought gmail was cool... not sure now.
Running two Operating Systems is new to me so I have a few questions.
First I recently put two OS's on Acer laptop without incident.
I'm asked to choose at boot and as programmed it chooses default I'm distracted. No problem.
This weekend I put Win 7 Ultimate on an old Medion Desktop which already had Win 10.
Upon boot it 'sometimes' offers me the choice of 10 or 7 but more than often just goes straight into 10.
I installed EasyBCD and made Win 7 the default choice.
Rebooted machine...still straight into 10!
I opened the BIOS (custom MSI Mobo, very few settings) and found "Boot Num Lock" enabled.
I disabled "Boot Num Lock" and everything OK...
Today back to it's old tricks of not offering menu/choice and booting Win 10.
Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?
Second, I realise this is naive but I have attached screenshot from Neosmart Technologies homepage for EasyBCD as I wanted to add a Safe Mode boot options for both OS's
particularly as 10 is very reluctant to open in Safe Mode.
Question: Do I have to install EasyBCD on both OS's?
As how will software know which OS I want to boot in Safe Mode?
Never summitted a question to a forum before so if I've broken any online etiquette then I'm very sorry.
 

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You can execute EasyBCD from wherever it resides, it doesn't need to be installed multiple times (it's not a boot manager, it just helps you manage the MS bootmgr's data store (BCD))
Your Windows safe-mode entry will open whichever OS you pointed to when you created that entry in the BCD. You'll need two different entries for two different OSs.
Regarding W10 starting without a choice, read
W10 is a bit of a misnomer. Back in the days of XP, Vista and W7, a substantially new release of the OS would be called SP1, SP2 etc (service pack).
A substantial update to W8 was called W8.1.
Unfortunately with W10, Windows UpDate keeps introducing totally overhauled versions of the OS which will be completely re-installed automatically through WUD, but still called W10. In reality we've reached about W20 or W10.10 or W10 SP10 by now but it's still called W10 (with a tiny multi-digit version number hidden away somewhere). Each of those major re-installs takes over the boot process to effect the multiple reboots that are a standard feature of all Windows installations since the year dot. Once finished it makes no attempt to reinstate the previous state of the BCD and will continue to just keep booting W10 exclusively. Sometimes it also resets the "fast start" flag even if you've previously removed it.
All you should need to do when it has hijacked your boot is make sure that fast start is disabled and reset the BCD default again.
Unfortunately you'll need to do so every time W10 introduces such major upgrades.
 
Dear Terry.

Thank you for your prompt reply which has been very helpful and I apoligise for my late reply.

Thanks also for the informative link ...full of dry humour.

Although I go back to W95 I never seem to upgrade until ‘Support’ is withdrawn. "Thank you for your support...I shall always wear it"

I left Win 7 kicking and screaming as for me it was visually polished and still I understand much preferred by the gaming fraternity.

Therefore chronologically W10 is still comparatively new to me there are naturally some differences from 7...but Graphically looks cheap and looks like it was knocked together over a weekend...Come back Mr G. Installed Version 1909 January and +60 updates since, almost a daily occurence!

I had disabled Quick/Fast(?) Boot in the BIOS it was one of the last things I did before using your forum.
From what you have told me 'Power Options' in the OS must have had the last 'boot' word?

I did since posting (but before reading your reply) changed my BIOS ‘Boot order’ from USB/DVD to HDD! Never quite understood why the BIOS is set to a drive which day to day does not have/hold/contain the OS? ) (but useful for clean installs)

Apparently after drawing a ‘blank’ from USB/DVD 'Boot' reverts to HDD to complete the process.

Anyway I now have ‘OS choice’ accompanied by a friendly Beep and having followed your advice and disabled "Turn on fast startup"

As a mature man I would not want to own and run a vintage car. So as a lament and homage to Win 7... I installed Ultimate.
It is my dream to take my Ultimate on a virtual drive on my way to the Virtual Vintage OS Show...

Some say Ultimate is superior to 10 Home and 7 freaks say it isn’t that far behind 10 Pro although it can’t match 10 Pros RAM capabilities...but I couldn’t possibly say.

Thank You Baker of Fine Scones
 
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