As we mentioned earlier, the
specifics of the Windows Boot Manager menu are determined by the BCD,
which offers the following features:
• It can be used with both BIOS-based
systems and EFI-based systems. BCD creates a common store for both
types of operating systems.
• It supports boot applications,
which refers to any process that runs in the boot environment that the
Windows Boot Manager creates. The main types of boot applications are
Windows 8 partitions, legacy installations of Windows, and startup
tools. In this sense, Windows Boot Manager is a kind of miniature
operating system that displays an interface (the Windows Boot Manager
menu) that lets you select which application you want to run.
• Boot options are scriptable. The BCD
exposes a scripting interface via a Windows Management Instrumentation
(WMI) provider. This enables you to create scripts that modify all
aspects of the BCD.
Windows 8 gives you five methods to modify some or all the data in the BCD store:
• Windows Boot Manager
• The Startup and Recovery feature
• The System Configuration Utility
• The BCDEDIT command-line utility
• The BCD WMI provider
Using Windows Boot Manager to Modify the BCD
You can use the Windows Boot Manager to
modify just a couple of BCD options: the default operating system and
the maximum time the Windows Boot Manager menu is displayed. Here are
the steps to follow:
1. Display the Windows Boot Manager, either at startup or from within Windows 8.
2. Click Change
Defaults or Choose Other Options. (If you invoked Windows Boot Manager
from within Windows 8, this command is called Just Change Defaults.)
3. To change the time
that elapses before Windows Boot Manager selects the default OS, click
Change the Timer and click the time you want to use (5 Minutes, 30
Seconds, or 5 Seconds).
4. To change the default OS, click Choose a Default Operating System and then click the OS you want to use as the default.
5. Click the Back arrow to return to the Choose an Operating System screen.
6. Click the operating system you want to boot.
Using Startup and Recovery to Modify the BCD
You can modify a limited set of BCD options
using the Startup and Recovery dialog box: the default operating
system, the maximum time the Windows Boot Manager menu is displayed,
and then maximum time the Windows 8 startup recovery options are
displayed. Here are the steps to follow:
1. In the Start screen or Run dialog box (press Windows Logo+R), type systempropertiesadvanced and then press Enter. The System Properties dialog box appears.
2. In the Advanced
tab, click the Settings button in the Startup and Recovery group.
Windows 8 displays the Startup and Recovery dialog box, shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Use the Startup and Recovery dialog box to modify some aspects of the Boot Configuration Data.
3. Use the Default
Operating System list to click the operating system that Windows Boot
Manager highlights by default at startup. (In other words, this is the
operating system that runs automatically if you do not make a choice in
the Windows Boot Manager screen.)
4. Use the Time to
Display List of Operating Systems spin box to set the interval after
which Windows Boot Manager launches the default operating system. If
you don’t want Windows Boot Manager to select an operating system
automatically, deactivate the Time to Display List of Operating Systems
check box.
5. If Windows 8 is not
shut down properly, Windows Boot Manager displays a menu of recovery
options at startup. If you want the default options selected
automatically after a time interval, activate the Time to Display
Recovery Options When Needed check box and use the associated spin box
to set the interval.
6. Click OK in all open dialog boxes to put the new settings into effect.
