Solved Windows 11 Dual Boot with two (2) Windows Boot Manager

Hi and thanks for your time!

As you can clearly understand from the title, I would like to have two installations of Windows (including Windows Boot Manager) in two different SSDs: one for a Nomal Windows, and the second Windows to test the new insider patches. I don't like having just one Windows Boot Manager and managing everything from this screen.



Usually, once the first Windows 11 is installed, I remove the M2 SSD and repeat the installation. I wish I could do this without having to shut down the computer and disassemble everything.

How could I do this with Diskpart (GPT Disk)? Assuming I already have Windows installed in the first M2 SSD. For the second, can I do the following?

Example:

List Disk

Select Disk 1

Clean

Convert GPT

create partition efi size=500

By doing this, can I ensure that a second Windows Boot Manager will be installed?

Thank you

I don't dual-boot [have 4 computers Win7, Win10, Win11, Linux Mint on a KVM] but it generally is all done on one drive hence the need for the boot manager process and different partitions. The physically changing of one drive for another requires the boot process be on each drive, no way to store it on the motherboard. During the 'old' PATA/IDE drive days there was available internal racks for 2 drives with a switch to change to and boot different drives without having to open the case each time.

If I kept the SSD with the Windows 11 installation I just made, the other installation on the other M2 SSD would avoid installing the Windows Boot Manger, because it would already see it on the other M2 SSD; I would like to install the Windows Boot Manager on two different SSDs, without having to disassemble the first SSD (which has already been formatted and has its own Windows Boot Manager). By doing so, the installation, seeing only one SSD, installs the Windows Boot Manager there too. I think with Diskpart it can be done, but I don't know the right process (the right command that avoids this)

imanub said:

I think with Diskpart it can be done, but I don't know the right process (the right command that avoids this)

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I don't see how either.

What a shame! I thought it could avoid having to disassemble and reassemble the M2. With Sata SSDs, it was enough to disable everything on the motherboard, but with M2s this cannot be done, unfortunately. If anyone has an idea on this, I'm happy to listen. Thanks anyway

Not knowing anything about the computer I'd say the OEM/Brands are not as customizable as a custom-built model, not really intended to be 'messed' with by the 'masses'/end users. Having motherboards mostly assembled by robots doesn't help with customization. My latest Desktop with Win11 has an NVMe 512GB drive and I've added a 2TB HDD on the SATA port and upgraded RAM from 8GB to 16GB, about the only things I needed to do, more than sufficient for my need since I am not a gamer.

Post a screenshot of Boot tab at msconfig.

FreeBooter said:

Post a screenshot of Boot tab at msconfig.

Click to expand...

I currently have two Windows 11, but installed independently, with 2 Windows Boot Managers. I wanted to format, because I haven't formatted in a long time and I'm having problems. I'm waiting, because I wanted to know if by first creating an efi partition (ESD) with diskpart, I could avoid unmounting my current SSD (to avoid, as written at the beginning of this topic, having only one Windows Boot Manager).

By the way, the picture I posted is taken from a friend's computer.

create an esp partition on the second disk and populate it with bcdboot command.

then you can choose which disk in bios. or using the one time boot menu.

Please edit your profile with ALL your hardware specs. It will help us to help you

If the installation wizard finds another EFI partition on another drive, with a boot manager, from another installation it will put the new boot manager on it.
The best way to warranty that each windows is independent and in its own drive is to detach the other drive during installation. If possible you can disable the drive (that has the Win 11) on BIOS.

You can fix the installation you did but the EFI partition will be out of the normal order. I suggest you start over and do a clean install detaching or disabling the old drive and deleting ALL partitions on the new drive.

I have a custom built computer with internal nvme. I also have several portable ssd external Windows To Go (Hasleo) drives, which work well. So I really don't need a boot manager, I can simply plug and unplug which drive I want to use. Except for the internal nvme of course. And that is my problem. By itself, with no other portables pluged in, all is good. But, as I can't take the internal out everytime I use a portable SSD, the bootup has a message for me. "Choose an operating system". There are two drives (internal & portable), so you would think there would be two choices. But there is only the one message. Can this be fixed?

Kim Parker said:

I have a custom built computer with internal nvme. I also have several portable ssd external Windows To Go (Hasleo) drives, which work well. So I really don't need a boot manager, I can simply plug and unplug which drive I want to use. Except for the internal nvme of course. And that is my problem. By itself, with no other portables pluged in, all is good. But, as I can't take the internal out everytime I use a portable SSD, the bootup has a message for me. "Choose an operating system". There are two drives (internal & portable), so you would think there would be two choices. But there is only the one message. Can this be fixed?

Click to expand...

Not sure what the problem is -- If you use a Windows to go system (you don't need hasleo) at PC boot the firmware bios will give you the option of which disk to boot -- and if it's the external one its own boot manager should give you the choice of which windows ON THE EXTERNAL device to boot.

In any case

Ensure on the external device you have an EFI partition defined. Create vhdx files for your windows installs - these should be just files on the exyernal drive. Copy / install windows to these (select vdisk, attach vdisk, create partition primary etc and install via dism /apply-image or clone from another windows install), then assign the EFI partition (ON THE EXTERNAL device) to say S then simply bcdboot w:\windows /s S: /f UEFI where w is the windows install disk.

Seemples -- no need for hasleo or any other software -- works for as many windows systems as you can fit on the external device. I've got amongst others a 2 TB external nvme drive attached via usb->nvme adapter with 9 different W11 systems.

To make the boot manager also easier to manage you can add description == bcdedit /set {device_id} description"your description" too.

in any case if you only want ONE boot manager you can still use the other options and it should come up on the next screen with use a device - which will boot your external one - and the external device will then prompt you for which OS on THAT device.

for example on this external device I've 3 windows systems - Win 2022 LTSC server and 2 Win 11's.


boot manager example


Finally to install a build via dism and create boot manager - simple :



not sure why more don't use this method - no Hasleo or rufus needed - bog standard windows.

Above example shows installing Win 11 PRO from insider preview -- in this case index is 6 but usually it's 1 for ISO with UUPDUMP or you want Windows HOME.

Cheers
jimbo

This is so far above my head I might have to get a ladder to understand :) I do like the Hasleo Win to Go, all of my Sandisk portable SSD drives are made with that.

I only have one OS on each drive. Tried more than one many years ago, gave that up and with these wonderful SSD portables, I don't need more than one OS on a drive.

Let's say I have my nvme internal and one portable SSD plugged in. When the computer boots, I don't get the selections that your boot example shows. The screen just says "choose an operating system" and it is in text form. White text on black screen. There is only one to choose from and it says Windows 10. I don't have Windows 10 installed on either one. Both are Windows 11.

The answer is in Post #9.

NavyLCDR said:

The answer is in Post #9.

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That is just above my head. My older computer stops at boot on the bios screen while booting and I can select a drive from that. My new computer stops with select an operating system which I don't even have.

I would like to make my new computer like my old. That is, without pressing any keys just boot up and stop on the bios screen. But how do I do that?

Kim Parker said:

without pressing any keys just boot up and stop on the bios screen. But how do I do that?

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Don't know as that will work, even entering the BIOS when it's password has been set still needs F2 pressed to get there.

SIW2 said:

create an esp partition on the second disk and populate it with bcdboot command.

then you can choose which disk in bios. or using the one time boot menu.

Click to expand...

For the sake of the topic, so as to set the Solved tag, could you list the steps, or post a link? Thank you!

esp partition is 100mb minimum size.
therefore at least 100mb unallocated space is need with which to create the esp partition.

If there is already unallocated space it can be used.
if there isnt any unallocated space an existing partition can be shrunk.

esp partition can be created using diskpart commands or any decent partition manager

for example with diskgenius

rt click unallocated space and select "create esp/msr"



Click OK at the next window



Do you want to format the esp partition immediately? YES



Save partition table

Thank you so much, SIW2. I appreciated it!

Berton said:

Don't know as that will work, even entering the BIOS when it's password has been set still needs F2 pressed to get there.

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There is just me and my computer so I don't use passwords. I have discovered my Asus motherboard has a screen just for drives that I can boot from. At boot up, if I press and release F8, this screen will appear and wait for me to select a drive. Doesn't include the Bios Screen, just the drives. When the computer is powered on, is there a way or a setting to make the screen of drives appear and then stop without pressing F8? I checked the motherboard manual, nothing in there. Couldn't find a contact for Asus.