Startup prompt with dual Windows 11 setup with two drives?

[Gabe]

I have an NVMe and SATA drive in their respective m.2 slots in my N95 based S1. The NVMe drive has Windows 11 23H2, and the SATA drive has Windows 11 24H2.

I was expecting it to give some kind of prompt on startup asking which Windows to boot to, since they both drives have Windows 11, but it's not doing that. I have the 24H2 set as the first boot option in the BIOS, and if I want to boot into the other I can use the F7 Boot Menu, but does anyone know if there is a setting in the BIOS that will make it so there is a prompt on startup that asks which one to boot to?

[rrredlin]

this is what ChatGPT says about this....

to set up your PC to give you a choice between two operating systems installed on separate drives, you need to configure a dual-boot system. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you achieve this:

Prerequisites:
Two separate drives (e.g., two SSDs or HDDs).
Two operating systems (e.g., Windows 10 and Windows 11, or Windows and Linux).
Backup your important data before proceeding, as modifying partitions and drives can sometimes lead to data loss.
Steps to Set Up Dual-Boot:
1. Install the First Operating System (OS)
If you haven’t already installed one of the operating systems, start with the first one.
Install it on Drive 1 (e.g., C: drive).
Complete the installation and ensure that the OS is working correctly.
2. Install the Second Operating System on the Other Drive
Power down your computer and disconnect Drive 1 temporarily to avoid any accidental modifications.
Install the second operating system on Drive 2 (e.g., D: drive).
If you're installing Windows, you will be asked which drive to install it to. Select Drive 2.
If installing Linux, you’ll also choose Drive 2 during installation (make sure the Linux bootloader is installed on this drive, not the first one).
Complete the installation of the second OS.
Once the installation is complete, power off the PC.
3. Reconnect the First Drive
Reconnect Drive 1 to your PC, ensuring both drives are plugged in.
Power on the PC.
4. Access BIOS/UEFI Settings
Upon booting, enter your system’s BIOS/UEFI by pressing the relevant key (usually F2, Del, or Esc depending on your motherboard).
Go to the Boot menu.
Ensure both drives are detected. If necessary, change the boot priority to boot from the drive that has your primary OS installed (usually your first OS).
5. Configure the Boot Manager
If both operating systems are properly installed, Windows Boot Manager should automatically detect the second OS and give you an option to choose which OS to boot into when the system starts.
If you installed Windows first and then Linux (e.g., Ubuntu), the Linux bootloader (GRUB) should detect the Windows installation and allow you to choose between Windows and Linux at boot.
6. Manually Configure the Bootloader (If Needed)
If your system does not automatically detect both OSes or you don't see a boot choice, you may need to manually add the OS to the bootloader:
Windows Boot Manager:
Use EasyBCD (a free tool) to add the second OS to the boot menu.
Linux (GRUB):
You can run sudo update-grub to update GRUB and detect the Windows installation.
7. Reboot and Select OS
Once everything is configured, restart your computer.
The boot manager (Windows or GRUB) should now give you a menu to choose between the two operating systems.
If you're using Windows Boot Manager, you should see both Windows OS versions.
If you're using GRUB, you'll see both Linux and Windows as boot options.

[dragonpoo]

Umm, rredlin's post was a lot too much for me to read. No offense.

I was going to suggest BCDedit, but it's a command line tool, and easyBCD that rredlin mentioned has a GUI. Basically, Windows boot manager is automatically configured for one of your OS images, and you're asking for it to prompt you. I've used bcdedit from a CMD prompt to list the boot config data, but editing it isn't painless. Go the UI route, it'll be much simpler.

As always, share what you find out! I'm sure others could use the help, too.

[Gabe]

Thank you both for the info. Everything appears to be as it should be, but it still doesn't prompt for the choice. However, I'm a bit hesitant about using a 3rd party program to change it so that it does, so I think I'm just going to stick with what I have now and continue to use the F7 Boot Menu when I need to boot into the other OS. I currently have the 24H2 set as the 1st boot device, as it's the problem one.

Unfortunately, I can't do the same with the T8 Plus, or at least not in the same way, as it has only the one drive. I'm thinking about seeing if it can boot to an external USB SSD. If it can, I'll install 23H2 on that and keep 24H2 on the internal drive. A few of my older minis could boot to an external USB HDD/SSD, so I'm hoping that this one can too. I have a 256GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD and a USB 3.0 external enclosure to try it with.

[dragonpoo]

BCDedit is first party Microsoft, if you want to figure it out. It's not simple, sadly, which is why many opt for a third party UI route.

I've booted the T8 from USB when reinstalling the OS, so that should work. What will you use to make an external USB drive the boot device? Rufus works well for that, if you haven't used it yet.

[Gabe]

What will you use to make an external USB drive the boot device? Rufus works well for that, if you haven't used it yet.

I was just going to open the T8 Plus up, remove the internal drive, connect the external drive and install Windows on it as if it was an internal drive. Then reinsert the internal drive and do the same as I'm doing with my S1, as in using the F7 Boot Menu to choose which one to boot to, keeping the internal as the first boot, as there will be times I won't have the external drive connected.

I'm hoping that it recognizes the external drive connected via USB in the same way as an internal drive like my AK3 did. If it doesn't, I'll have to do it some different way.