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Dual boot screen at PC startup for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 10

Anonymous
2024-08-14T20:06:25+00:00

Hi.

I have windows 10 32-bit installed on a drive and windows 10 64-bit installed on another drive. Both drives are on the same PC.

I'm using both versions.

The 64-bit version runs automatically when the PC is turned on.

Right now and when I want to run the 32-bit version, I enter the Boot Options at the PC startup and select the drive that contains that version. That works fine.

I'd like, if possible, to create a dual boot screen at the PC startup to make switching between the two versions more convenient.

Thanks.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Settings

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-08-15T07:27:30+00:00

    Dear Manerr

    Thank you for posting in the Microsoft community.

    Typically, if you have created multiple instances of WINDOWS bootstrapping

    You can press WIN+i to go to Settings - System - About.

    Advanced System Settings on the right.

    On the Advanced tab-Booting and Failure Recovery-Setup-

    It allows you to set the default operating system, check the time to display the list of operating systems for 30 seconds.

    In addition you can create multiple WINDOWS boot with the following scheme.

    To create a dual boot menu at boot time to choose between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 10, you can do so by configuring Windows Boot Manager. Here are the detailed steps:

    1. Determine the installation location

    Make sure you know the installation drive for both operating systems. For example:

    • 32-bit Windows 10 is installed on the D: drive.
    • 64-bit Windows 10 is installed in the C: drive.
    1. Use BCDEdit to create startup entries

    Open Command Prompt (CMD) and run as administrator:

    Press Win + X and select “Command Prompt (Administrator)” or “Windows PowerShell (Administrator)”.

    View the current startup items:

    bcdedit

    Take note of the startup entries that already exist. This information will help you better manage the startup menu.

    1. Add a new startup item for 32-bit Windows:

    Use the following command. we assume that the path to 32-bit Windows is D:\Windows. please adjust the command to your specific path:

    bcdedit /copy {current} /d “Windows 10 32-bit”

    After running this command, you will get a new GUID (something like {xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxx}), make a note of this new GUID as it will be used later.

    1. Set the device and path of the new startup item:

    Assuming the new GUID is {new-guid}, you need to execute the following command:

    bcdedit /set {new-guid} device partition=D.

    bcdedit /set {new-guid} osdevice partition=D.

    bcdedit /set {new-guid} path \Windows\System32\winload.exe

    Make sure the startup items are in the correct order:

    You can set the default startup items and timeout settings, for example:

    bcdedit /default {current} # Set the default boot entry to 64-bit.

    bcdedit /timeout 30 # Set the timeout to 30 seconds.

    1. Reboot and test

    Reboot your computer and a startup menu with Windows 10 32-bit and 64-bit options should appear.

    TIPS:

    1. Backup data: Before making changes to your system settings, it is recommended that you back up your important data in case something happens.

    2. System Recovery: Make sure you have a way to be able to recover your system, such as creating a Windows installation media or recovery drive.

    Best Wish

    Shawn.Z-MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-08-14T21:02:22+00:00

    Boot into the 32-bit version. Run cmd as an administrator and enter

    bcdboot ?:\Windows

    Replace the question mark by the 64-bit version's drive letter.

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-08-17T01:15:49+00:00

    I did that.

    The BIOS has two separate boot options configurations. The first for the legacy boot and the second for the UEFI boot, as shown in the screenshot below.

    SATA0 is the 32-bit drive and SATA2 is the 64-bit one.

    I also put the 32-bit drive (SATA0) first in the UEFI boot order.

    Still, no changes.

    IMG20240816012834.jpg

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-08-15T22:00:03+00:00

    Tried to set the machine to boot automatically into the 32-bit version in the BIOS, as this is going to be a solution, but I couldn't find how to do that.

    You need to put the 32-bit disk first in the boot sequence.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-08-15T21:53:47+00:00

    Command executed.

    The 64-bit version still runs automatically at the startup.

    When launching the 32-bit version through the Boot Options, as usual, a dual boot menu now appears and it gives access to both versions.

    So I still go through the Boot Options to get the 32-bit version running.

    Tried to set the machine to boot automatically into the 32-bit version in the BIOS, as this is going to be a solution, but I couldn't find how to do that.

    I also tried to execute this command under the 64-bit version and that created a dual boot menu as well. But the 32-bit version can't run due to corrupt or missed files, reported by the system.

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