Windows Boot Manager

If you have more than one operating system installed on your computer, you'll have to deal with the Windows Boot Manager installed by Windows 7. By default, the Windows Boot Manager gives you 30 seconds to select an operating system before it reverts to the default operating system. The only way not to wait 30 seconds is to select the operating system you want to use right away. If you use one operating system the majority of your time, you will definitely save time if you set that operating system as the default and lower the Timeout value to 1 or 2 seconds. That way, you will not have to select an operating system every time you turn on your system or wait 30 seconds before your computer actually starts to load the operating system.

Tip Before you make any changes to the Windows Boot Manager (WBM), it is a good idea to back it up using the Boot Configuration Data Editor (bcdedit.exe) so that you can easily revert to an earlier version should you have any problems. At a command prompt run as the Administrator account, type bcdedit /export "C:\Backup File". This will save the WBM to a file that you can use to import using the /import flag.

Lowering OS Timeout Values

As mentioned earlier, if you have multiple operating systems installed on your computer and the Windows Boot Manager is installed, the default selection timeout is often way too high. It is much better to set a lower timeout so that if you do not make a selection, it quickly reverts to the default OS, making your boot time much faster.

Changing the Timeout value is simple with the System Configuration utility. Follow the steps here to use the System Configuration utility to lower the OS Timeout value:

1. Click the Start button, type msconfig in the Search box, and press Enter.
2. When the System Configuration utility loads, click the Boot tab.
3. Locate the Timeout box and replace 30 with a much lower value. I recommend you use between 2 and 5. I use 2 because that gives me just the right amount of time to hit a key on my keyboard when the Windows Boot Manager is displayed on the screen.
4. After the value has been updated, click OK to exit.

Now that the Timeout value has been updated, the boot menu will no longer increase your system startup time. Even though this is a simple tip, it really helps a lot on systems that have multiple operating systems installed. Look at setting the default operating system on the Windows Boot Manager.