Dual-boot users of Windows are likely intimately familiar with the Boot Menu, the menu that appears early on in the boot process before the operating system loads. It’s function is quite simple – display a list of installed operating systems so that the user may choose which to load. Unfortunately, the methodology of adding, deleting, or otherwise maintaining the boot menu list is generally cumbersome and painful – at least using the native tools provided by Microsoft.

If you are feeling adventurous then Microsoft’s msconfig utility might be of some assistance but it’s certainly not for the faint of heart. That’s where a tool like EasyBCD becomes a godsend. EasyBCD is a highly regarded boot menu manager for Windows Vista and 7 from the folks at NeoSmart. Logically, EasyBCD allows the user to manage their boot entries, either by addition or removal or what have you – easily. What I appreciated the most from the free utility is it’s ability to also manage some of the advanced options that are traditionally only accessible through msconfig. It’s possible to configure the bootloader timeout, the number of CPUs or memory used during the boot process, to things such as application security parameters like DEP and /NoExecute. Additionally you are able to make backup and restores of your entire bootloader and it’s settings.

For users that have many operating systems installed and use the Windows boot loader, EasyBCD is a tool you likely can’t afford to live without – and it’s free.