Remove/Repair Dual-boot (Multi-boot) Configuration: Guide for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10

paptwa - how_education - July 19th, 2020

If you have multiple versions of Windows installed on the same PC, your dual-boot (or multi-boot) configuration may cease to work.

The most common cause of a dual-boot or multi-boot configuration error (to stop working) is when reinstalling the older version of Windows before the newer version of Windows.

Windows XP and Windows 7, for example, were already configured as dual-boot and Windows XP was then reinstalled again. Windows Vista overwrites the MBR at the second launch, and Windows 7 does not accept the latest MBR.

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What is dual-boot/multi-boot

Dual-booting or multi-booting means installing multiple Windows versions (or other operating systems) on the same computer and being able to choose which operating system you’d like to boot into.

It’s very common to see this kind of configuration on Windows computers:

Windows XP with Windows Vista
Windows Vista with Windows 7
Windows 8 with Windows 7
For more information on how to setup a dual-boot system, go to our guides from EasyBCD.

If you’re dual-booting Windows 8 with Windows 7, the boot options menu will look like this:

How to Remove Dual Boot :

1. Select the operating system that you want to RUN.
2. Open RUN with the Keyboard shortcut Window + R.
3. Type “msconfig”.
4. Select “Boot”.
5. Select the operating system that you want to delete or remove.
6. Click on Delete and Press OK.
7. Restart your computer and Check.

Repair Windows 7 on a dual-boot system

In order to have Windows 7 back in your dual-boot options menu, use the bootsect utility to restore Windows 7’s MBR.

Boot from the original Windows 7 installation DVD
At the System Recovery Options screen, click Command Prompt
Type:
```
diskpart
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
select disk 0
```
Replace 0 with the disk available on the hard disk, where Windows 7 is installed on. To have the full list of disks from your computer, type list disk.
Press Enter
Type:
```
list volume
```
Press Enter
Look for the drive’s letter of your optical drive (where the Windows 7 installation DVD is now running). This usually has “CD-ROM” mentioned in the Type column.
Type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
D:
```
Where D: is the optical’s drive letter.
Press Enter
Type:
```
cd boot
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
dir
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
bootsect /nt60 SYS /mbr
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Restart your computer

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Repair Windows 8 or 8.1 on a dual-boot system

Using the bootrec utility you can repair Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 on a dual-boot system and boot into your Windows.

Using bcdboot, attempt to fix your computer and have the boot menu back:

Insert the Windows 8 DVD or Windows 8.1 USB and restart your computer to boot from the media
Go to Command Prompt (click Troubleshoot > Command Prompt)
Type:
```
bcdboot C:\windows
```
Where C:\ is the drive’s letter where Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 is installed on.
Press Enter
Remove the DVD or USB
Type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Restart your computer

Fix #2: Use diskpart, then bootrec

Insert the Windows 8 DVD or Windows 8.1 USB
Restart your computer and boot from the media
Click Repair your computer at the Welcome screen
Go to Troubleshoot > Command Prompt
Type:
```
diskpart
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
sel disk 0
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
list vol
```
Press Enter
Determine which volume has FAT32 mentioned at the Fs column. This would be the UEFI/EFI partition with Windows 8/8.1
Type:
```
sel vol 2
```
Where 2 is the volume with the FAT32 format.
Press Enter
Type:
```
assign letter x:
```
Where x: is the partition’s letter. The letter must be unique.
Press Enter
Type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
cd /d x:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\
```
Where x: is the letter you used.
Press Enter
Type:
```
bootrec /FixBoot
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
ren BCD BCD.backup
```
This would create backup of the BCD.
Press Enter
Type:
```
bcdboot c:\Windows /l en-us /s x: /f ALL
```
Where c:\ is the drive’s letter where Windows 8 is installed on.
Press Enter
Remove the DVD or USB
Type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Restart your computer

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Repair Windows 10 on a dual-boot system

Using the bootrec utility you can repair Windows 10 on a dual-boot system and boot into your Windows.

Using bcdboot, attempt to fix your computer and have the boot menu back:

Insert the Windows 10 media and restart your computer to boot from the media
Go to Command Prompt (click Troubleshoot > Command Prompt)
Type:
```
bcdboot C:\windows
```
Where C:\ is the drive’s letter where Windows 10 is installed on.
Press Enter
Remove the DVD or USB
Type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Restart your computer

Fix #2: Use diskpart, then bootrec

Insert the Windows 10 media
Restart your computer and boot from the media
Click Repair your computer at the Welcome screen
Go to Troubleshoot > Command Prompt
Type:
```
diskpart
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
sel disk 0
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
list vol
```
Press Enter
Determine which volume has FAT32 mentioned at the Fs column. This would be the UEFI/EFI partition with Windows 10
Type:
```
sel vol 2
```
Where 2 is the volume with the FAT32 format.
Press Enter
Type:
```
assign letter x:
```
Where x: is the partition’s letter. The letter must be unique.
Press Enter
Type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
cd /d x:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\
```
Where x: is the letter you used.
Press Enter
Type:
```
bootrec /FixBoot
```
Press Enter
Type:
```
ren BCD BCD.backup
```
This would create backup of the BCD.
Press Enter
Type:
```
bcdboot c:\Windows /l en-us /s x: /f ALL
```
Where c:\ is the drive’s letter where Windows 10 is installed on.
Press Enter
Remove the DVD or USB
Type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Restart your computer