Although we can only use one computer at the same time, on one PC we can install two, three or all the operating systems we want . All of them can be Windows, we can mix Windows and Linux, and even bet on macOS through the technique known as hackintosh. When we turn on the computer, the boot manager will show us all installed operating systems and will allow us to choose which one we want to boot with. However, since the list of systems is generated automatically, it is very likely that they are not in the order that we want.
Each operating system usually has its own boot manager . In the case of Windows, for example, the boot loader that is installed by default is the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) . Linux usually installs GRUB, although some distribution opts for an alternative like Lilo . And, in addition, there are other ways to control the startup of operating systems, both from the BIOS / UEFI of the PC and by installing our own boot manager.
How to change the boot order in Windows 10
In case of using the Windows 10 bootloader, we can change the boot order in several different ways.
From advanced system settings
At first, editing the operating systems registered on the PC is something that not all users should do. Modifying the boot without knowing what we are doing can compromise the integrity of the system and make the PC not start.
What Windows does allow us to do is choose what we want the default operating system to be to boot, and change the waiting time until loading it by default. We can modify this by typing ” Advanced System Configuration ” within the Windows 10 search engine, and entering the “Startup and recovery” section.
If what we want is to eliminate one of the entries that have been registered (for example, an operating system that we used in the past but that we no longer need), then what we must do is execute the command ” msconfig ” from the Windows search engine and in the tab “Startup” we will see all the systems that are registered.
We select the operating system that we do not want and click on “Delete”. Clever. When we turn on the PC again this system will no longer appear.
Using EasyBCD
Windows does not allow us to change the order as such of the operating systems that are registered in its BCD. However, what we can do is resort to a program, called EasyBCD , which will allow us to do just this.
This totally free software allows us to configure the Windows boot manager from a very intuitive window, being able to add or remove operating systems and improve the boot manager to be able to use it more comfortably. Of course, it also allows us to change the order of the systems.
This program allows us to add or remove operating systems, deactivate them (so they do not appear, but without deleting them) and change the order of them. It also has a large number of administrative and very advanced tools that, surely, we will not need.
Edit GRUB order
If one of the operating systems that we have installed on the PC is Linux, surely we have GRUB installed on the PC. This bootloader is much more dynamic and customizable than the Windows one, and, therefore, it would be recommended to use.
The configuration of GRUB operating systems are saved in a text file, a file that we can modify if we want to change the order. Or we can also resort to a program that does it more intuitively.
Modify GRUB by hand
The configuration of the PC boot loader is saved in the file / etc / default / grub.cfg . This is a normal text file, like most Linux configuration files, so we can easily edit it by opening this file with a plain text editor such as gedit (with interface) or nano (from terminal).
gksu gedit /etc/default/grub.cfg
Once this file is open, as long as we know what we are doing, we can move the site entries to change the order. Or eliminate those that we do not want to appear.
Grub Customizer
Grub Customizer is a program that allows us to modify GRUB, GRUB2 and BURG entries from a very clear and easy-to-use graphical interface. With this program we will be able to move, rename or delete any entry registered at startup, in addition to editing the content of the entries by hand.
This program is by default in the repository of most distributions. We can install it by executing the following command (or equivalent) in a terminal:
sudo apt install grub-customizer
In case you screw up any of the changes, one of the benefits of GRUB is that we can easily rebuild the list of operating systems with one command.
From BIOS / UEFI
When we press the power button of the computer, the PC automatically performs the POST to verify that all the hardware is connected and, immediately afterwards, the boot begins. To do this, the BIOS or UEFI lists all the hard drives connected to the PC and boots directly from the one set as the default.
Although it is the least effective and least recommended method, if we want we can also use this as a bootloader. It is enough to enter the BIOS or UEFI configuration of our PC, locate the order of the hard drives and change it to our liking. The computer will start by default with the first disk registered.
In addition, motherboards have a “bootloader” that we can launch while the PC boots by pressing a key (which can be F8, F12, Del, or any other, as each manufacturer changes). This bootloader loads before the operating system bootloader and, therefore, allows us to choose the hard drive we want to load.
If we have each operating system installed on a separate disk or SSD, it can help us. Otherwise not.