Two HDD with Windows 10. Can't choose boot.

[rirusstek2]

I have two HDD with Windows 10 installed in them and can't get the system to show the F2-F10 boot menu at start, if Both drives are plugged in, If I unplug one drive the menu shows up. When Both are plugged in it goes strait to HHD 1 and to get to HHD 2 I have to unplug HDD 1.
I was able to Choose with F10 which HDD I wanted whed HDD 2 had Windows 8.1.
Any pointers?

Thanks

 

[ChrisHirst]

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ff404185.aspx

Did you install the operating systems so they 'know' about each other?

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
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[rirusstek2]

This is what I did: Having HDD 1 with Windows 10 installed I booted from USB stick and Formated HDD 2 (Where Win 8.1 was) and installed Windows 10. It installed just fine but now to get to HDD 1 with the 1st Windows 10 I have to unplug HDD 2. The Boot option for F2/F10 does not show up at System Start with both HDD plugged in?
Thanks

 

[rirusstek2]

Reading all the commands on the BCD Editor, still deciding ( )which one is the appropriate one to choose to 'fix' the issue I'm having. Don't want to make it worse!!

 

[rirusstek2]

With Msconfig this is what I get Link

 

[ChrisHirst]

Have you set the machine BIOS to show the boot options menu?

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
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[rirusstek2]

Yes, but it only shows if I have one of the HDDs disconnected!!

 

[ChrisHirst]

You may have a BIOS setting incorrect somehow, as the device boot menu should only show if you have at least two boot capable devices connected, if there is only one connected there is nothing to choose from.

Have you tried changing the boot order with both drives connected,

And some BIOS have a "Disable [prompt]" settings, is one of those set?

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
Webmaster Forum

 

[rirusstek2]

That is my Main issue, can't get into BIOS when both drives are connected....

 

[linney]

What partition style did you use MRB or GPT at the time of Format?



"You have to partition a disk drive before you can use it. MBR (Master Boot Record) and GPT (GUID Partition Table) are two different ways of storing the partitioning information on a drive".



What’s the Difference Between GPT and MBR When Partitioning a Drive?

http://www.howtogeek.com/193669/whats-the-difference-between-gpt-and-mbr-when-partitioning-a-drive/

Fixing broken Windows 7 boot in Windows 10 system

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...8cbaceb-7836-422f-8f7c-e1becd0992ae#LastReply

 

[rirusstek2]

OK, got it solved ............
1) I went to the Original Win10 HDD and found out that both Operating Systems were on Boot (msconfig) even though I was on just one HDD.
2) Deleted the second entry and which said Default and kept the Current Windows10. That worked good.
3) That didn't solve the problem of the Boot Option NOT coming up at Startup. The menu wouldn't even come up on a single HDD. (Then I started to get worried )
4) I had unplugged everything that looked like a Hard Drive and nothing.
5) Finally I unplugged the Wacom Pen Tablet and everything came back as if nothing had happened. The Tablet some how prevented the BOOT menu from coming up when the original HDD was plugged in.

Now, I know start to looking for the reason the Tablet does this ....

Thanks sooooooo much for all the responses and great support.

Thank you ChrisHirst

Thank you linney

Very much....... If I get stuck again I'll call back for sure.

 

[rirusstek2]

Ooops ...... Jumped the gun.

Not the Tablet, seems that if the 2 HDD are alone, they work perfectly, I mean, if nothing else is plugged in.

I add another drive (extra drives I have on the system) Pam !! the boot menu does not show up anymore.

Is there a way to get the Boot Menu up without having it to be from Start up. It seems that as soon as I get another Drive connected it eliminates the Startup Boot menu. Seems that I need to place the two HDD with the OS on top of the list.

Tried pressing F2 and F10 but nothing. Back to the drawing board.

 

[rirusstek2]

Set the BIOS Configuration to Prompt to either go to NORMAL Startup or into BIOS at the Start.

I did enter at the prompt and moved the OS drives one after the other at the top of the list and it is now working Normally.

What partition style did you use MRB or GPT at the time of Format?

It was the same format that the Win 8.1 had and I Formated it while installing Windows 10

Any pointers?

Thanks

 

[ChrisHirst]

Seems that I need to place the two HDD with the OS on top of the list.

That just triggered a recall, I had similar problems with a machine four or five years back, Gigabyte motherboard with a Phoenix BIOS. If I had an external USB device plugged in, even one formatted to NTFS as data only with no MBR. It would take several three minutes to display the POST data, followed by the dreaded "NO OPERATING SYSTEM FOUND" message. This was despite having "External USB Storage" way down the boot order. It seemed as if the BIOS would put any USB storage device at the top of the boot device list whenever they were plugged in.

The cure was a remote control power extension for the USB drives.

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
Webmaster Forum

 

[rirusstek2]

Thanks ChrisHirst, sometimes it seems that it is just your own machine that is trying to 'confuse' you; but placing the Bios Prompt at StartUp is not too bad and it works if you can't access it directly if a 'no menu' is triggered again.

Appreciate your input. Regards.-

 

[ChrisHirst]

just your own machine that is trying to 'confuse' you;

That's what computers are best at

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
Webmaster Forum

 

[linney]

Are you saying that the dual boot operation is OK if you don't have any USB drive (Flash or Extension) plugged in at boot time?

 

[rirusstek2]

Are you saying that the dual boot operation is OK if you don't have any USB drive (Flash or Extension) plugged in at boot time?

I don't have any USB drives (Jump Drives) plugged in. It was working only when just the two OS HDD were plugged in, but if I plugged in any other HDD (spare ones/additional) it would stop working correctly. I went into BIOS adding the PROMPT option at start up and placed BOTH OS HDD one under the other at the top of the list and then it got well again.

Thanks

 

[flyboytim]

Presumably, if both drives are plugged in, the system that runs is on Drive "c:", and the other drive has a letter "x:" or whatever.

If you can put up with a boot menu, use bcdboot.exe from an elevated (admin) command prompt, and issue the following 2 commands.

BCDboot c:\windows /s c: /f all

BCDboot x:\windows /s c: /f all

This writes instructions to boot the system on C: and the system on X: from the same boot menu on the first active drive.

If you do not want the graphical immersive boot menu, which reboots if you choose any option other than the default, you can use the legacy text-based boot menu with BCDEDIT.exe, which also allows the F8 troubleshooting options.

BCDedit /set bootmenupolicy legacy