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rEFInd with Multiple Windows 10 Installments

Walter
2017-12-28
2018-01-08
  • Walter

    Walter - 2017-12-28

    I have an iMac running High Sierra. Currently, I have 4 OSs installed (macOS, Fedora, and two Window 10 installments). Before doing some rEFInd configuration changes to remove excess icons for various efi files, there were three icons for Windows 10. One for the Windows Boot Manager and the two winload.efi located on the two Windows partitions.

    When either of the two icons for the Windows installments were selected, the OS would not load, saying an OS could not be found,,,

    When the icon for the Windows boot manager is selected, I cannot select between the two Windows installments. Instead the screen goes blank (black) for about 10 or 15 seconds and the second Windows installment loads. I was able to use msconfig to modify which of the two Windows installments is loaded; however, I would love to be able to select from the two Windows installments from the rEFInd menu.

    Is it possible to bypass the Windows Boot Manager to use rEFInd to select between the two Windows installments and (of course) the other two installed OSs (macOS and Fedora)?

     
  • biuro74

    biuro74 - 2018-01-08

    Hi,

    I've got similar problem with my PC using very popular config of SSD + HDD. Both drives have EFI partition as both can be used independently as lone/main boot drive.
    But what Windows Boot Manager is doing = equals some kind of joke. EasyUEFI (PC soft - try to find out if there's a Mac version) can ammend pointing each of WBM to correct drive/partition, but it changes nothing in terms of booting. By the way you can't mount another EFI partition (to pick proper bootloader from another drive) as by default program uses boot drive's one. Sometimes another WBM is self-deleting from NVRAM, like Windows doesn't tolerate another one.

    I'm not sure if it's rEFInd weakness, or Windows issue, but my refind.conf doesn't want to boot second Windows, altough it seems like both entries are correct:

    menuentry "Windows 10 SSD" {
    volume 1A68CA2F68CA0A09
    loader \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi
    }

    menuentry "Windows 10 HDD" {
    volume 01D38881A2229350
    loader \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi
    }

    Volume is given by UUID (nothing else, like label or PartUUID, works), and both drives do have correct EFI partition and boot files.... and only first works fine. Choosing second one = boots first Windows :/
    So far only modifying Windows boot menu (via msconfig, as you wrote, or via EasyBCD software) gives me the option AT ALL to boot all Windowses, however using two-stages menu. Or using bootable DVD with rEFInd.

     

    Last edit: biuro74 2018-01-08

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