How to Build Your Own PC - Save A Buck And Learn A Lot  9  Chapter 11: Installing A Dual Boot Operating System (Linux And Windows XP)       9  Working With and Modifying the GRUB Bootloader

Changing the Timeout Value 1 Restarting with the New GRUB Options

The default operating system value is set at 0 (default=0). This means the first operating system on the list will be booted to by default, after the timeout has expired. Here, the default is Linux.

Each operating system is listed starting with the word “title.” The first on the list is Red Hat Linux. When dealing with computers, counting often starts at 0 rather than one. The second operating system is titled “DOS.”

You can change the DOS title to “Windows XP” if you wish. The title says what words will display on the Grub boot screen. We’ll leave DOS. But, we’ll change the default to the number one (default=1). This will select Windows as the default operating system to boot.

Many people start up their computer and walk away. If you have a dual boot system, it’s easy to forget that you wanted to boot to one operating system and not another. When you come back with your cup of coffee, or Pepsi, or whatever, you find the wrong operating system has booted. And, you need to restart. So, it’s best to have the operating system you use most commonly set as the default.

Changing the Timeout Value 1 Restarting with the New GRUB Options