Hack Windows Vista Multiboot Systems with VistaBootPRO
You don’t need to wrestle with BCDEDIT if you want to change how Windows Vista boots, especially on a multiboot system. Use the free VistaBootPRO instead.
As you’ve seen [Hack #10] hacking the way that Windows Vista boots is pretty tough if your only tool is the command-line interface.
There’s a much better solution than going mano a mano with BCDEDIT. Use the free VistaBootPro (www.vistabootpro.org), which offers a simple, graphical way to hack multiboot systems. Think of VistaBootPRO as a front-end to BCDEDIT. When you make changes using VistaBootPRO, you’re actually editing your BCD store, as if you were using BCDEDIT.
Note: Before using VistaBootPro, it’s a good idea to get a basic understanding of what the BCD store [Hack #10] is and does.
The first thing you should do after installing VistaBootPRO is to back up your existing BCD store. That way, if anything goes amiss when you use the program, you can easily revert to your previous store. To back up your BCD store, click the Backup/Restore Center in VistaBootPRO. A screen like the one shown in Figure 1-22 appears. Click the Save button to save a copy of your store with the file name VPB_Backup.bcd to the root folder. You can also browse to a different folder and save it there. To restore to the BCD store you’ve saved, click the Restore button, click Search, and browse to VPB_Backup.bcd, and then follow the directions for restoring to it.
Note: You can also use the command line to save your BCD store to a removable drive or disk, for more safety. Create a folder for the BCD store: for example, D:\BCD Backup. Next, launch an administrator’s command prompt, and type bcdedit /export “D:\BCD Backup\Bcd Backup”. That will back up the store. To restore it, type this command: bcdedit /import “D:\BCD Backup\Bcd Backup”. For more details, see “The Secrets of Windows Vista’s BCDEDIT” [Hack #10].
Using VistaBootPRO is quite straightforward. To see your BCD store information, click View Settings. For a basic overview of your BCD store, and how your system is set to boot, select Overview, as shown in Figure 1-23. It describes, in plain English, how your system is set to boot, and shows you the basic settings in the BCD store [Hack #10]. Select Detailed to see more BCD settings, and select All for a comprehensive list.
Figure 1-22. Before using VistaBootPRO to change your boot settings, back up your BCD store
Figure 1-23. An overview of the BCD store, and how Windows Vista boots
Click “Manage OS Entries” to get to the most important part of VistaBootPRO. Here’s where you can change the order of the boot menu that appears when your PC starts, set one of the operating systems to be the default, rename any of your operating system list entries, and change the amount of time the menu displays before you boot into your default operating system. As you can see in Figure 1-24, the use of this screen is quite straightforward. Make your changes and click Apply, and the next time you restart your PC, your new boot settings take effect.
The Advanced Settings button contains mainly esoteric options, but it’s the place to go if you want to debug the boot process, enable or disable the boot GUI mode, allow or disallow the use of unsigned drivers in the 64-bit version of Windows Vista, along with similar options.
The final button, Bootloader, will let you uninstall the Windows Vista bootloader, in case you have a dual-boot system, and want to revert to the boot loader of the previous version of Windows.
See Also
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“The Secrets of Windows Vista’s BCDEDIT” [Hack #10]
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For another good tool for multiboot and editing BCD, get the free EasyBCD (neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1)