Dual Boot - No timeout in Legacy Bootloader?

[boyans]

@Saltgrass your observations are correct - the BCD is altered who knows how.

SiPolicy (Integrity Services) is missing from bootmgr and Windows 8 loader ?
Some device elements are "unknown"....

I would run this command when booted to Windows 8:
bcdboot c:\windows

Yet better "Dual-boot Repair" tool -> "Automatic Repair" from Visual BCD package.

This would at least reset Windows 8 entry to default and fix {bootmgr} elements (30 sec. boot delay).

Then I would delete all loader entries except Windows 8.
Then I would add Windows 7. (Visual BCD -> "Create missing Windows loaders").


Fixing Advanced Boot Options when in Windows 8 (and when Win 7) is done using
ReAgentC utility:
ReAgentC /disable
ReAgentC /enable

Hope this helps.

 

[Rob]

This is a new machine that came pre-loaded with Win 7

I installed Win 8, when it first booted in gave me the GUI boot screen, I changed the timeout to 5s and default OS to win 7.

The next time it booted it gave me the text boot screen with no timeoutdespite the timeout being set for 5s.

I changed the bootmenupolicy for Win 8 from Standard to Legacy to see if that would enable the timeout - it makes no difference.

I have tried Bootrec /rebuildbcd - no difference.

 

[Rob]

Thanks for your reply boyans, tried your suggestions - no joy.

When I tried ReAgentC /disable ReAgentC /enable it returned an error, is there something I'm missing? should it be ReAgentC /disable something?

 

[NiFu]

I think the problem is the "identifier {default}" - I never heard of an identifier with name "{default}".

Try this:

• Make a copy of the identifier "{default}":
  bcdedit /copy {default} /d "Windows 7 new"
  You will get a new long identifier No.
• Set this identifier to default:
  bcdedit /set {bootmgr} default {new long identifier No.}
• Test this. You should get a menu with "Windows 7", "Windows 7 new" and "Windows 8". If timeout is now working you can delete the identifier "{default}":
  bcdedit /deletevalue {default}

 

[Rob]

Thanks for you reply, if I had used the /v switch on bcdedit it would have shown the full identifier number instead of default, that's all.

I have done a bit more investigation and found that the timeout works if there is a single OS listed in the BCD and displaybootmenu is on.

As soon as a second OS is entered, the timeout stops appearing for some reason

 

[boyans]

Thanks for your reply boyans, tried your suggestions - no joy.

What do you mean ?
That bcdboot is not working ?
This is a MS-utility which has been proven to work on "zilions" of systems.

ReagentC comes last after you have fixed all other inconsistencies in BCD
ReagentC hadles install/deinstall of recovery environment.

 

[Rob]

The probem is not with the BCD, it is configured correctly - the exact same BCD shows the timeout when on another machine.

There must be something in the makeup of this particlar machine that is suppressing the timeout.