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September 23rd, 2025 09:05
Win 10/11 dual boot on Precision 5530 with BT keyboard
In transition to W11 I'm dual booting my Precision 5530 (I want to keep the W10 partition available for some time).
My system is used most of the time 'like a desktop', i.e. closed and behind my screen & TB dock; keyboard and mouse are BT wireless, which means I have no way to select the desired OS during boot, as the BT keyboard isn't active until the OS has started and the laptop keyboard isn't accessible.
Current workaround: an old USB keyboard is connected just to allow the OS selection during boot....rather cumbersome.
Does anyone have a better idea ?
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anne_droid
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September 23rd, 2025 09:35
Hi
Not an elegant solution, but W11 boots, and surely all the W10 User data is visible, and you run W10 in a hypervisor/virtual box (VirtualBox) if you need something that W11 can't or wont do?
PapaPee
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September 23rd, 2025 17:13
I have a couple of dual boot systems with wireless keyboard & mouse and have no problem - the key difference is they are 2.4Ghz wireless rather than Bluetooth and use a tiny USB dongle (even works for pre-boot/BIOS etc.)
e.g. the Logitech MK270 keyboard & mouse combo
benoitm
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September 24th, 2025 09:44
OK this is a good suggestion....(simple) USB devices are initialized during boot, while BT only works inside an OS session...
I'm using a Logitech M+K combo too, it supports both USB dongle and BT. I opted for BT a.o. because the devices are shared between multiple computers....I need to figure out if I can share the kb between this device with USB dongle and another with BT...
PapaPee
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September 24th, 2025 10:38
@benoitm not a problem, I do the same with laptop & PC in my study
I use one of these simple USB switches https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MXXQKGM
Laptop & PC have USB cables into the rear, the Logitech dongle goes in the front, and can be switched between the two at the press of a button. The PC/Laptop USB connection provides enough power to run the switch plus things like thumb drives. From an off state it will always default to 'Device 1' but I've never found that to be an issue.
It has a rear socket for a USB power power adaptor but it's not really required unless you're connecting devices that take a fair amount of additional power such as phones when charging, or if you want it to remain on all the time.
I also have one of the (front) USB-A connections from the USB switch connected to one of my monitors which has a built-in USB hub. The monitor has a Sennheiser speakerphone and a Logitech webcam connected via USB and both of these devices switch easily between PC and laptop along with the keyboard and mouse.
(edited)