Visual BCD Editor is an advanced GUI version of Windows bcdedit utility.
It is the first GUI tool to implement full editing of Windows 7/Vista Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store.
(For Windows 10/8.x on BIOS or UEFI we recommend version 0.9.0.1 of the tool as later versions can edit only objects which have a description element - boot manager and loader objects.)
The tool gives a structured view of Windows BCD store with its explorer like interface and allows easy editing of all BCD objects and elements by novice or advanced users.
Visual BCD Editor allows complete editing of boot menu. Display order of loaders is only one characteristic. Windows 8 introduced graphical(metro) or text style boot menu which depends on numerous elements and other BCD tools hardly can edit all possible combinations of elements in boot manager, loader and settings objects which influence boot menu style. See details about text or graphic style boot menu.
Visual BCD Editor implements unique automatic creation of loaders for Windows 7/Vista/XP and VHD installations in dual or multi boot systems (since version 0.9.2 of the tool) and so is the ultimate Windows 7/Vista/XP dual/multi boot editor. Update of the tool will follow for this functionality to cover Windows 8.x and Windows 10 loaders.
A boot sector loader (for booting Linux, Mint, Ubuntu, Fedora, Mac OS X) is created with one click but needs manual creation of one additional boot related file with corresponding MBR/PBR boot code for chain loading the non-Windows OS. In development is automatic creation of GRUB based loaders for Linux descendants like Mint, Ubuntu, Fedora.
New in version 0.9.3 of the tool is handling of Custom Bootstrap Actions - boot-time keyboard shortcuts to loaders which allows activation of (eventually hidden) boot menu items on special keyboard keys from boot menu.
In the latest version of the tool the user can create and change the value of more than 140 properties/elements of BCD objects. Other similar utilities give access to not more than 20 properties.
All used constants, names, objects and elements are as defined by Microsoft. There is no difference if you use bcdedit utility or Visual BCD Editor for creating, changing or deleting objects or elements in BCD store as the tool uses standard Microsoft programming interface for BCD access.
Runtime requirements: .NET Framework 2.0 (and/or .NET 4 with simple fix of configuration file).
The tool has not been fully tested on GPT/UEFI and Windows 7/8 but editing should be possible on all elements. Repair and export/import of BCD should work as well.
Accompanying Dual-boot Repair tool is part of Visual BCD package(also available as separate download) and needs .NET Framework 2.0 and Windows XP as minimum.
It can repair the MBR, partition boot records (PBR), Windows BCD and the disk structure by simple selections and clicks. The tool offers automatic one-click dual-boot repair for non-booting Windows 10/Vista in the scenario of a dual or multi boot system with Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP. Windows bootmgr problems are fixed as well.