Dual booting Windows 7 & 8 on separate SSD's

[ChronoDetector]

I want to dual boot both Windows 7 and 8. However, I have two separate SSD's and I have installed both operating systems on either one. Every time I start up my computer, it will automatically boot into Windows 7, and if I want to boot into Windows 8 on my other SSD, I will have to press F12 and select the drive to boot from there. However, I wish to have a boot screen asking me which operating system I want to choose from, is there a way for me to do this, without having to reinstall Windows 8?

 

[MrWizard6600]

Does your motherboard have SecureBoot/UEFI?

I'm not familiar with the specifics of how bootloaders work, but you can almost certainly do this with GRUB (which you can skin with BURG if you want to).

I believe this guide will get you to where you want to be:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic244714.html

 

[yossarian]

Please disregard.

 

[jwcalla]

The downside with using GRUB is that you can't run the Windows Backup program if Windows was booted from GRUB.

Doesn't Microsoft have their own OS chooser?

 

[yossarian]

Maybe this would do it:

http://winsupersite.com/article/windows8/windows-8-tip-dualboot-windows-7-144111

I would think that in Step 2, second image, you could select the drive you want to install to. Not sure if that's what they're saying with the reference to two hard drives in Step 1.

My previous deleted comment was regarding disabling Win 8 Fast Startup when dual booting with Win 7, but since you're already doing that you probably already figured that issue out.

 

[Fooshnik]

Easy BCD should be able to set up what you want.

 

[ChronoDetector]

Thanks guys, I used Easy BCD and its working the way I wanted.