TechXplored Windows utility
Inspect first. Change second.
Windows · Boot evidence · Alpha

Phantom Boot
Entry Inspector

A PowerShell utility for examining the extra “Choose an operating system” entry that can survive a failed Windows upgrade—without treating deletion as the first step.

Public downloads are currently unavailable.

What it does

The inspector enumerates Windows Boot Configuration Data and firmware entries, then looks for evidence associated with temporary setup or rollback environments. That includes references to $Windows.~BT and suspiciously similar Windows loader entries.

Its main output is a redacted HTML report you can review before touching the boot menu. It is aimed at one narrow problem: an unwanted boot choice after an interrupted or failed Windows update.

If that sounds like your machine, read Why Windows Keeps Showing “Choose an Operating System” for the full troubleshooting context.

Using an existing copy

If you already have the alpha, open an elevated PowerShell window in its extracted folder. Before running an unsigned script, inspect its signature status and hash, then unblock it only if you intend to proceed.

Get-AuthenticodeSignature .\PhantomBootEntryInspector.ps1 Get-FileHash .\PhantomBootEntryInspector.ps1 -Algorithm SHA256 Unblock-File .\PhantomBootEntryInspector.ps1 .\PhantomBootEntryInspector.ps1

Start with the default inspection. Read the generated report and confirm that the evidence actually points to a stale entry. Do not delete an entry merely because its name looks redundant.

The optional repair path

Removal is deliberately separate from inspection. You must supply the exact boot-entry GUID. The script checks that the identifier appears in the display order, is not the current or default loader, is not infrastructure, and that Windows Setup is not active. It also requires a successful BCD export and typed confirmation.

.\PhantomBootEntryInspector.ps1 -RemoveIdentifier "{GUID}" -WhatIf .\PhantomBootEntryInspector.ps1 -RemoveIdentifier "{GUID}"

Use -WhatIf first. Keep the exported BCD backup. If the evidence is ambiguous, stop and investigate instead of forcing a change.

Requirements and limits

The packaged alpha targets Windows 10 or 11, PowerShell 5.1 or later, an elevated terminal and English-language BCDEdit output. The alpha is unsigned. This is a focused diagnostic tool, not a general boot-repair suite, and it cannot decide whether an entry is safe to remove without evidence from the affected system.