Windows 10: Update to build 9860 messes up dual-boot setup

Perhaps this was already discussed in other threads, but I decided to post that as a general warning: if you are using Win10 in a dual boot configuration on a separate drive, make sure you physically unplug all other hard drives before updating to a new build. Failure to do so may mess up your boot sequence! Win10 Build 9860 insists on being the default OS, I had to physically disconnect the SSD with Win10 before I even got to see an option (at the bottom of the screen with catastrophic failure message) to boot to another OS.

:)

 

How to: 10 Tips before installing the latest Windows 10

Successfully updated from 9860 to 9879 on 12/01/14. Don't know why it worked this time, since Win10 has not been booted since the failure on 11/25/14.

BTW, after the failure, it automatically reverted back to 9860.

 

Windows 10 upgrading builds -- is it a complete reinstall? [Not about Upgrade Reservation]

-- THIS IS NOT A QUESTION ABOUT WINDOWS 10 RESERVATION. IT ONLY SAYS THAT BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ONLY OPTION. --

When upgrading builds in Windows 10, does it simply upgrade files or do a complete Windows reinstall?

I'm asking because I want to dual-boot Windows and Linux, but I hear that Windows needs to be installed first. I also want to get build updates, so if they do a complete reinstall, this may mess up my dual-booting.

Thanks for any help.

 

The builds are full installations. It has always been, that, when installing an OS, it takes boot precedence.

 

This is more than simply taking precedence. It appears to rewrite something in the bootloader, such that the option to boot to another OS is no longer there! Without unplugging the Win10 SSD I wasn't even given a choice, the thing would simply boot to Win10 no matter what I did.

 

This is more than simply taking precedence. It appears to rewrite something in the bootloader, such that the option to boot to another OS is no longer there! Without unplugging the Win10 SSD I wasn't even given a choice, the thing would simply boot to Win10 no matter what I did. I found that using EasyBCD after I did the update I could easily change my boot order to my previous one. IE, I could boot either Win8 or Win10TP first and I could set the timer to launch the boot from 30 seconds to any time I would want.

EasyBCD Community Edition Free Download - Softpedia

HTH,,
Jeff *Smile

 

So System/ Advanced system settings/ Advanced/ Startup and recovery/ Settings did not show another os ?
That kind of wrenched my last dual boot I didn't think to look in this area :/
Attachment 7430

 

removed my comment, it was already posted about EasyBCD

but this link the direct site to NeoSmart the makers

EasyBCD

 

Windows 10 has more advanced security, and as such it replaces the boot loader with a new version that supports the new security.

Windows has always basically blown away the boot loader when you loaded the OS. Ask users of Linux, and other OS's.. Microsoft's position is.. you're installing this OS, they need to make sure it boots and runs correctly. You're free to change it after the fact, but they're going to make sure everything is defaulted after install.

Only when you install Windows to a second disk (ie, your installing to a disk that is not your boot disk) has Windows ever kept the existing boot configuration.

 

Yep an irritating trait it also reset to 0 seconds too just to irritate a person
Essentially the setting is useless,
Feedback left *Wink

 

I am installing it on a separate disk. I just haven't realized that "upgrading" to the new build behaves similarly to a new install. And so while upgrading I did not unplug all other drives. What the upgrade did, was to change the bootloader *on another drive*, setting Win10 as a default OS and getting rid of the time delay, such that no choice of the OS was visible. As a result, I could not boot to Windows 7 anymore.

Previously, I had Windows 8 installed on that separate disk and I never run into that problem.

 

Run into that myself, SSD is first boot device with W 8.1 on it, Separate HDD for W 10TP is what it was when 9841 was installed. Boot menu was installed on both of them. So, I booted of that boot menu from HDD and after updating TP to 9860 only that installation was available so it must have changed something on that SSD and it had business doing that, should have done it on HDD only. I was able to get boot menu back but this I didn't expect from just an update otherwise I would have disconnected other drives while doing it.

 

Hi there

Some of these boot issues are probably due to UEFI. For testing I'd switch back to thestandard NON UEFI BIOS. Since most here are using SSD's or Dual boot shouldn't be a problem.

UEFI boots tend to write stuff to the HDD -- a BIOS boot simply restricts activity to the Disk's MBR which is easy to fix if it gets hosed up via FIXMBR command.

Cheers
jimbo

 

No UEFI here, plain old BIOS, it's windows that wrote something on the wrong HDD, had no business doing that.

 

I have a triple boot, Win 7, Win 8.1 and Win 10. I use EasyBCD to keep things organized. After reading this thread I set my Win 10 partition for default boot. The update when without incident. When it was complete I set the default boot to Win 8.1 since that's where I do most of my work.

Its interesting that while the update did the "windows.old" thing similar to a refresh or upgrade it kept all my programs active like a Service Pack. It would be really nice if the upgrade from Windows 8.1 would work that way with the final release of Windows 10. Perhaps it could include some winged pigs too *Wink