When you turn on your computer, a set of instructions called the bootloader is loaded, which provides the machine with the data it needs to properly access the installed operating system. The boot instructions of the computer are kept in the so-called MBR ( Master Boot Record ) which is located in the first 512 Kb of the hard disk or of the drive used as a system disk.
When you install Windows the first time it also installs its bootloader, which will ensure the correct boot of the system.
Each operating system has its own bootloader: for example, Linux installs a program called Grub to manage the startup of the computer.
But what can we do if we want to install two operating systems together "> EasyBCD, really good if they want to install two systems or more on the same PC and solve problems related to the bootloader.
Once the page is open, scroll down to find the Download Now button, then start the installer to be able to add the program to our operating system.
The interface is presented in Italian as visible in the image below.
EasyBCD is compatible with any version of Windows still supported by Microsoft, so we can use it on Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 without problems.
2) How to add a new Windows operating system on startup
To install a second operating system on the computer we must first create a disk partition .
Partitioning a disk means preparing a separate environment on the hard disk on which another system can be installed without affecting the original operating system.
In another article, we have seen the best free programs to create disk partitions for the dualboot, we advise you to read it carefully before continuing.
After creating the disk partition, we restart the PC with the CD or USB stick with the operating system installer (Windows) inside and we follow the guided procedure, choosing at the right time, the partition prepared previously (being careful to do not choose the one where the primary operating system is present).
After installing a second operating system, it will overwrite the boot loader and it will be impossible to access the old one, until we install EasyBCD.
Once the program is installed on the new operating system, let's open it and go to the Edit start menu .
If the two or more systems are Windows, just check that all the related items are present in this menu, also choosing the default system by setting the check mark next to the desired item.
After completing the changes, click on Save settings at the bottom and restart the PC for the changes to take effect.
If the menu does not have any additional items, we can add the new operating systems to the booloader by going to the Add a new item menu.
The program will show us a window where you can add Windows systems; to use it, all we have to do is indicate the drive where the other operating system is present, indicate the type of system, choose a name and, at the end, click on the + button to add it to the bootloader.
Now all we have to do is go to the Edit Start menu and act from there to better manage all the installed Windows operating systems.
3) How to add a new Linux operating system on startup
If we want to add a GNU / Linux distribution to our PC, the procedure to follow is very similar to when seen with Windows, we will only have to pay attention to what to choose immediately after installation.
We then proceed by obtaining a USB stick or a CD with Linux (for example we can try Linux Mint) and installing the system, following the instructions provided on the screen.
At the end of the installation we restart the PC and see what happens: if the procedure went correctly, we will see the GRUB appear, that is the Linux bootloader, which makes us choose between Linux and Windows.
We can also be satisfied with this bootloader but, since it must be configured by Linux, it is better to replace it with that of Windows; then choose Windows in the GRUB and wait for the operating system to start, then start EasyBCD.
From the program, go to the BCD Path menu, select the item Install the Windows BCD bootloader and bootmanager and click on Write the MBR .
We have restored the Windows bootloader, now all we have to do is bring the Edit boot menu and check if Linux is present as a secondary operating system; if it is not present, click on Add a new item, go to the Linux / BSD tab, select the partition where the Linux system is present (we pay particular attention to what we select!) and finally click on the +-shaped button.
We will have to be able to access Linux or Windows in the boot screen, so that we can choose according to our needs which operating system to start on the PC.
4) Solve common problems
We have installed Linux and are no longer able to access Windows "> Install multiple operating systems on a multi-boot USB stick
