How to change Windows 7 boot timeout from Linux Ubuntu-windows Dual Boot: Changing Os Name In Boot-up Menu

[iGuest 3]

How to change Windows 7 boot timeout from LinuxUbuntu-windows Dual Boot: Changing Os Name In Boot-up Menu

I did a stupid thing: I have Windows 7 and Linux Ubuntu installed on a laptop with a dual-boot menu from Windows 7. And after awhile I wanted the menu to wait for my keyboard action on boot and so I stupily set the timeout in Windows to "0" and achieved the absolute opposite from what I wanted, namely: Now the boot seqpuence almost ignores the menu and only Linux can be started. Since the zero-option does workthis way, it seems to me absolutely ridiculous from Microsoft to have this zero or 0 option placed there because they should have known that this option more or less deletes at least 1 item in the menu. My question: Is there a way to change the boot option from Linux since that is the only OS still working?

-question by Rudolf Kahl

[rayzoredge 2]

How to change Windows 7 boot timeout from Linux

Ubuntu-windows Dual Boot: Changing Os Name In Boot-up Menu

 

I did a stupid thing: I have Windows 7 and Linux Ubuntu installed on a laptop with a dual-boot menu from Windows 7. And after awhile I wanted the menu to wait for my keyboard action on boot and so I stupily set the timeout in Windows to "0" and achieved the absolute opposite from what I wanted, namely: Now the boot seqpuence almost ignores the menu and only Linux can be started. Since the zero-option does workthis way, it seems to me absolutely ridiculous from Microsoft to have this zero or 0 option placed there because they should have known that this option more or less deletes at least 1 item in the menu. My question: Is there a way to change the boot option from Linux since that is the only OS still working?

 

-question by Rudolf Kahl

First off, what you're about to embark on is potentially dangerous and doing anything as root may consider YOU as a WMD to your computer. Keep that in mind.

 

Anyway, when you get into Linux, open up a terminal and type in the following and press Enter:

 

sudo cp /boot/grub/grub.lst /boot/grub/grub-backup.lst

This will back up your current GRUB bootloader file. Then continue with:

 

sudo nano /boot/grub/grub.lst

If you don't have nano (i.e. if the terminal returns a bash error), then use kate if you have Kubuntu (KDE), or use gedit if you have Ubuntu (Gnome), or just use vi, although I think that the former suggestions would be easier for you.

 

After entering in your root password, this will bring up the infamous grub.lst file. Look in this file for a line with something that looks like:

 

timeout 0

It's probably set at 0 at the moment because you accidentally set it at that value. Replace 0 with the number of seconds that you want the bootloader to give you before selecting the default choice.

 

Save and quit, then restart the computer and see if it works.

 

If you somehow screwed something up and you don't even get the GUI anymore for Linux, during boot up, hit Alt+F2 to bring up the command-line interface (since the GUI display might be screwed up or whatever), log in, then type:

 

sudo mv /boot/grub/grub-backup.lst /boot/grub/grub.lst

This should help you out. If not, maybe you have Windows 7's bootloader working against you instead of GRUB? If so, try this:

 

Put in your Windows 7 DVD. After selecting your language, choose to Repair Your Computer. Go to the command prompt and type in each command, hitting Enter after each one:

 

bootrec /fixmbrbootrec /fixboot

Restart your computer, and your Windows 7 bootloader should have its default settings back.

[iGuest 3]

First off, what you're about to embark on is potentially dangerous and doing anything as root may consider YOU as a WMD to your computer. Keep that in mind.

 

Anyway, when you get into Linux, open up a terminal and type in the following and press Enter:

 

sudo cp /boot/grub/grub.lst /boot/grub/grub-backup.lst

This will back up your current GRUB bootloader file. Then continue with:

 

sudo nano /boot/grub/grub.lst

If you don't have nano (i.e. if the terminal returns a bash error), then use kate if you have Kubuntu (KDE), or use gedit if you have Ubuntu (Gnome), or just use vi, although I think that the former suggestions would be easier for you.

 

After entering in your root password, this will bring up the infamous grub.lst file. Look in this file for a line with something that looks like:

 

timeout 0

It's probably set at 0 at the moment because you accidentally set it at that value. Replace 0 with the number of seconds that you want the bootloader to give you before selecting the default choice.

 

Save and quit, then restart the computer and see if it works.

 

If you somehow screwed something up and you don't even get the GUI anymore for Linux, during boot up, hit Alt+F2 to bring up the command-line interface (since the GUI display might be screwed up or whatever), log in, then type:

 

sudo mv /boot/grub/grub-backup.lst /boot/grub/grub.lst

This should help you out. If not, maybe you have Windows 7's bootloader working against you instead of GRUB? If so, try this:

 

Put in your Windows 7 DVD. After selecting your language, choose to Repair Your Computer. Go to the command prompt and type in each command, hitting Enter after each one:

 

bootrec /fixmbrbootrec /fixboot

Restart your computer, and your Windows 7 bootloader should have its default settings back.

 

Unfortunately he didn't understand what you wrote. He didn't understand you want to change the boot timer *****"INSIDE WIN7"******

 

Instead he gave you options to make Windows the boot loader, which it already is, with a 0 (zero, NIL, NO ZERO, nothing) timeout.

 

Sorry, but when I read these types of threads and the guy responding gives you something way out there as a response, well, I have to reply once in a while.

 

His response simply changes the boot choice back to windows.