If you have recently installed a new OS on your system then, you would have to change the boot order of the OS, to set the default OS on your system. However, before going into the details about changing the boot order, first, let’s understand what is a boot order.
What is Boot Order?
When you boot or start your system, the system will look for the boot order to refer to the device or OS information to boot. That means the boot order is the order of devices listed in BIOS from which the computer looks for the information about the Operating system to load at the start-up. The one which is set as default will be loaded first.
Hard drives, flash drives, floppy drives, optical drives, and network resources are all typical devices that are listed as boot order options in the BIOS. After the POST, BIOS will attempt to boot your system from the first device or OS that is listed in the boot order.
If that device is not bootable, BIOS will attempt to boot from the second device listed, and so on. Similarly, in the case of OS, the one which is made as default will appear first in the boot order, and thus the BIOS will boot from this default OS.
Why do you need to change the Boot order?
When you installed a new OS on your system which already contains an operating system, then your computer contains multiple operating systems. Now, if you wish to make this new OS the default among the others then you will have to change this boot order.
In case you are wondering about finding the easiest way to change the boot order, there is no need to worry and your search ends here. This page illustrates to you the easy way to change the boot order without manually changing any settings under boot(dot)ini or any other file.
Ways to Change the Computer's OS Boot Order
Method 1: Using Control Panel
- First Click on the Start button and then hit the Control Panel button on your computer. Then select the System and Maintenance option, followed by System
- Now click on “Advanced System Settings” which is located under the Tasks menu situated on the left side of the window. First Click on the Start button and then hit the Control Panel button on your computer. Then select the System and Maintenance option, followed by System
- In case you are prompted for an administrator password or any confirmation, then just provide the password or answer the confirmation message
- Click on the Advanced tab, and then, under Startup and Recovery option, click Settings
- You will receive a System and Recovery menu.
- Then, under the System Startup menu, in the Default Operating System list Select the operating system you want to boot first from the list or for which you want to change the boot order
- Click OK and save your settings.
Method 2: BIOS/UEFI settings
- Restart your computer and access the BIOS/UEFI settings. The key to enter the BIOS/UEFI varies depending on the brand of computer (common keys are F2, F10, Del, or Esc).
- Once you are in the BIOS/UEFI settings, navigate to the Boot or Boot Order section.
- In the boot order section, you will see a list of available boot devices. Use the arrow keys to move your desired operating system to the top of the list. This will set it as the first boot option.
- Save the changes and exit the BIOS/UEFI settings. The computer will restart, and the selected operating system will boot first.
Now, you have changed the OS boot order on your computer. Additionally, you can also change the time duration for which it shows to change the booting OS. Just restart your system and now the boot order should have changed. It’s very simple, isn’t it??
One important point, before beginning with the process takes the backup of the data from your hard drive. This is because in case you face any interruption like power failure in the midst or you encounter errors, then you might lose your vital data from the system.
A single mistake will result in a huge loss of data. Thus, if such instances occur and you don’t have the data backup you will lose your entire data. Scared!! Don’t panic, there is a remedy for this situation also.
As soon as you lose your data, make use of the Remo Recover Windows software, and you will easily get back your entire lost files. Remo Recover Windows is the best application available in the market in order to perform unbootable hard drive data recovery. However, take data backup and follow the above-explained steps to change an operating system boot order.
Conclusion
The process of changing the boot order is straightforward, especially when using more than one operating system on your device and preferring a specific one during startup. However, making any mistakes without having a backup puts your system data at risk.
Ensure you follow the steps correctly, but in case you make any mistakes, you can recover your data using efficient data recovery software like Remo Recover.
