How to Change the Boot Menu Style in Windows 10

If you have used Windows 7 before switching to Windows 8 or Windows 10, then you might have noticed the difference in the boot menu that usually appears after pressing the F8 key or if you have installed two or more operating systems on the same PC. In Windows 7 and before that, the boot menu used be classic text mode menu. But starting with Windows 8, the default style of the boot menu was changed into a Modern or Metro style menu where you can use mouse to choose various options.

For example, when I installed Puppy Linux in dual boot configuration with Windows 10 a few months earlier, it changed the boot menu into the classic old style text-mode boot menu. It also changed the count down timer to just 5 seconds, but that is not relevant here. You can alter the BCD settings manually, but for quick and neat job, you can use the EasyBCD application.

Dual Boot Windows 10 and Puppy Linux

If you do not like the new Metro or Modern style of the boot menu then you can use the EasyBCD to make these changes. Here is how:

  1. Download and install EasyBCD community edition in Windows from http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/EasyBCD.shtml.
  2. Launch EasyBCD and then select the Edit Boot Menu category from the left side.
  3. Select Use Metro bootloader to switch to modern style boot menu. Or deselect Use Metro Bootloader to switch back to the classic text mode boot menu.EasyBCD Metro Boot Menu
  4. Click on the Save Settings button to finalize these settings.

Now when you reboot your PC and try to access the boot menu, it will display the new style of boot menu as you have selected in the EasyBCD. In the program, you can also select various other options for the boot menu like the language used to display these entries, the count down timer, and rename the boot menu entries themselves.