I don't want a boot menu...

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

  1. Piledriver
    Posts : 3
    Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit
       New #1

    I don't want a boot menu...


    Hi,

    I will get Windows 7 and a new SSD tomorrow. Right now I have Windows Vista 64bit running on a Raid System. I want to make a clean Windows 7 install, but keep my Windows Vista partition for any case. I don't want a boot menu after installing Windows 7. If I want to start Windows Vista I just want to change the boot up order in the Bios. Is this possible without plugging off my Raid system while I install Windows 7?

    What other options do I have? If I get the Boot menu, how easy is it to erase? Will installing Windows 7 and having the Raid plugged to the mainboard create automatically the boot menu and will I not be able anymore to boot directly into Vista by changing the boot order in the Bios.
    Thanks in advance for any help!
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  3. Luckystar
    Posts : 531
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 RTM + SP1
       New #2

    Hello Piledriver, welcome to the forums,

    Try this tutorial, it may help.

    I am not sure if what you want will be possible as both OS's would use the same boot loader and does'nt create seperate boot loaders per OS, even if you had Linux in there as well, again, it can (Not always) use the same bootloader.

    Have a read through the tutorial and see what you can dig up.

    Lucky
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  4. gregrocker
    Posts : 50,642
       New #3

    It may not be possible to Dual Boot via BIOS which is the cleanest method when there are multiple HD's. But you can try it:

    Unplug the Vista HD's when you Install Win7, set the SSD as first to boot in BIOS setup, then after install power down to plug back in Vista and boot it using one-time BIOS Boot Menu key.
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  6. Piledriver
    Posts : 3
    Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit
    Thread Starter
       New #4

    Hi Luckystar,

    thanks for the reply, but where is the Link?
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  7. Luckystar
    Posts : 531
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 RTM + SP1
       New #5

    I do apoligise - BCDEDIT - How to Use

    There ya go.

    @Greg - If you mean having an os on two seperate hdds on one PC, then it is possible, i have Windows running on two hdds currently on my rig and no problems.

    Lucky
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  8. Piledriver
    Posts : 3
    Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit
    Thread Starter
       New #6

    Hi,

    OK looking at that, I think I will just leave the HDD's plugged in and then reduce the boot menu to 0 so it will directly start into Windows 7. Later if I need Vista I can change the time to 5 seconds or whatever.
    Thanks again for all your help!
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  10. gregrocker
    Posts : 50,642
       New #7

    My point is that where OS's are on separate HD's, it is best to boot via BIOS and not a Windows-managed Dual Boot, so that the HD's remain independent and can come and go as you please.

    The problem here is whether unplugging Vista during Win7 install - as is necessary to avoid having Win7 configure a Windows-managed Dual Boot - is even possible with a RAID array. You could only try it to see.
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  11. Luckystar
    Posts : 531
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 RTM + SP1
       New #8

    Piledriver said:
    Hi,

    OK looking at that, I think I will just leave the HDD's plugged in and then reduce the boot menu to 0 so it will directly start into Windows 7. Later if I need Vista I can change the time to 5 seconds or whatever.
    Thanks again for all your help!
    Absolutly no problem, glad to be of assistance.


    gregrocker said:
    My point is that where OS's are on separate HD's, it is best to boot via BIOS and not a Windows-managed Dual Boot, so that the HD's remain independent and can come and go as you please.

    The problem here is whether unplugging Vista during Win7 install - as is necessary to avoid having Win7 configure a Windows-managed Dual Boot - is even possible with a RAID array. You could only try it to see.

    ????? I always assumed it was windows that created the boot loader anyway.

    How is this done then, choosing OS's by using the BIOS instead of windows?

    Lucky
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  12. gregrocker
    Posts : 50,642
       New #9

    Unplug the other OS HD when you install the new one.

    After install, set the preferred OS HD as first HD to boot in BIOS, then boot the other OS using the one-time BIOS Boot Menu key which every computer or mobo has:

    Asus - F8
    HP/Compaq - Esc
    Sony - F2
    Acer - F12
    Gateway - F10
    eMachnes - F10
    Toshiba - F12
    Dell - F12
    IBM/Lenovo - the blue Thinkvantage button

    This leaves the HD's independent to come and go as you please, whereas allowing Windows to configure a multi-boot interlocks the HD's unnecessarily when you have separate HD's which are able to boot via BIOS.
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  13. Luckystar
    Posts : 531
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 RTM + SP1
       New #10

    So basicly i am creating another boot loader for the seperate drive then?

    Huh, never thought of that.

    Thanks Greg +1

    Lucky
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

 
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

  Related Discussions
I have a bit of a puzzle, and I don't know whether to blame the motherboard maker, Microsoft, or -- this is a really distant third choice, obviously -- myself. (That being said, UEFIs and GPT drives are new to me, so that distant third choice might not be as distant as I'd hoped.) I recently set...
I installed Windows 8.1 to try. The problem is that it stopped working and gives me troubleshooting boot menu . I have Windows xp on the machine too that's working fine. So now every time I open my pc, I get the boot menu where it says Windows 8 can't start. What u want to do. Run...
Hello. I just hit a problem for which I can see no immediate workaround. I'm hoping someone else can. I had XP on a partition, the primary partition had/has Win7 Home Premium. I tried many ways to delete the XP partition, but no programs, including 7's disk management, would let me do that as it...
I left my computer asleep. When I awoke it, it froze up, so I restarted it and it told me I had a disk boot failure, insert boot disk. If I reboot, and press f8 to get a boot menu from the bios, I can select the drive that has windows on it. If I do not intervene beyond this, it will boot to...
I have XP (x86) installed on one partition. Last night I installed Windows 7 (x64) on a separate partition. Anytime I had tried this in the past, using Vista, it always detected the Windows XP partition, and gave me a boot menu with "Earlier Version of Windows" option to boot to. This is...
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

 © Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 16:33.
Find Us