How do you manage BIOS settings when multi-booting with Windows 10?

[HackinMax]

I installed Windows 10 on a new SSD. I now have Monterey on its own SSD for the same system. (I pulled it out to avoid damaging it with Windows.)
So... If I put BOTH of those back in, I am assuming that the Windows Boot Loader and my OC EFI will leave each other alone.

And, when selecting the Monterey boot EFI/Drive as default in BIOS, OpenCore 'should' recognize the Windows Boot Loader as well...Right?

But, with the required BIOS settings for Monterey and Windows being so different, how do we manage the situation without changing the BIOS settings each time we want to switch?

 

[Yomiro]

You dont need any changes. I dual boot all the time.
Make sure you can boot MacOS first. Make sure Opencore detects your Windows OS.

That's all. It depends more on what and how you *Installed* Windows 11.

 

[HackinMax]

You dont need any changes. I dual boot all the time.
Make sure you can boot MacOS first. Make sure Opencore detects your Windows OS.

That's all. It depends more on what and how you *Installed* Windows 11.

I think I may have screwed up then... I installed Windows 10 with secure boot enabled.

 

[Yomiro]

I think I may have screwed up then... I installed Windows 10 with secure boot enabled.

If that's the case. Then you need to get MacOS working with Secure Boot. Makes it more complicated, but not impossible. Personally, I would rather not use it.

Enable BIOS Secure Boot with OpenCore

macOS on Huawei Matebook X Pro 2018. Contribute to profzei/Matebook-X-Pro-2018 development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[HackinMax]

If that's the case. Then you need to get MacOS working with Secure Boot. Makes it more complicated, but not impossible. Personally, I would rather not use it.

Enable BIOS Secure Boot with OpenCore

macOS on Huawei Matebook X Pro 2018. Contribute to profzei/Matebook-X-Pro-2018 development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

OK. Thanks for the heads-up on that.

I think it would be easier to just erase that SSD and reinstall Windows. A lot of words in that article. I could easily miss some important ones.

 

[trs96]

I think it would be easier to just erase that SSD and reinstall Windows.

Not necessary. You can boot into Windows 10 whether Secure Boot is on or off. Makes no difference. Windows 11 now has the Secure Boot requirement but not 10. You may also be confusing booting UEFI with Secure Boot. They are two different things. Windows 10 must be installed UEFI if you want to dual boot with macOS.

 

[HackinMax]

... Windows 10 must be installed UEFI if you want to dual boot with macOS.

Thank you both for pointing me in the right direction. No problem, it seems. It looks like I accidentally did it correctly. I just put the Windows 10 SSD back in, turned off secure boot using Windows UEFI troubleshooter, and the OC boot loader recognized it right away.

Really cool thing is that all of my CAM and LED settings from Windows seem to have been retained as well. Definitely didn't see THAT coming.

So, from what you stated in the previous comment... when Windows 11 comes around, we will need to configure OC for secure boot as well... I assume.?.

 

[trs96]

So, from what you stated in the previous comment... when Windows 11 comes around, we will need to configure OC for secure boot as well.

I applied this microsoft approved method to a Haswell desktop: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/how-to-install-windows-11-on-unsupported-hardware.316257/

And I could dual boot macOS and 11 with secure boot disabled. Whether that holds up longer term IDK. MS can do most anything they want to force end users to comply.

 

[trs96]

Here's a video on the whole topic. Just published today.

 

[Yomiro]

Not necessary. You can boot into Windows 10 whether Secure Boot is on or off. Makes no difference. Windows 11 now has the Secure Boot requirement but not 10. You may also be confusing booting UEFI with Secure Boot. They are two different things. Windows 10 must be installed UEFI if you want to dual boot with macOS.

Whoa!. I completely missed the part about Windows 10.

My brain thought Secure Boot ===> Windows 11.