CD-ROM... Insert the boot disk into optical drive CD-ROM. Restart your computer. At the beginning of the download, immediately press the Delete key, or F2 in the case of a laptop. The main BIOS menu will open. The mouse does not work in it, all actions are performed with the arrow keys, Enter and Escape. Select with arrows boot menu and press Enter. Then select Boot Device Priority. A submenu with a boot list will open, select CD-ROM in the 1st Boot Device line using the arrows and press Enter. To save the settings and exit the BIOS, press the F10 key and confirm the exit by pressing Enter.
Step 2
Flash drive... If you need to select a USB flash drive as a boot device, do the following. Go to BIOS, select the Hard Disc Drives menu item, install the USB flash drive in the first place. In some cases, the flash drive is identified by the BIOS as a hard drive. If you have this option, then open the Boot Device Priority menu and install the hard disk (with the name of your flash drive) as the first boot device.
Step 3
Quick way... There is another way to choose bootable media... Press (hold) the F8 key while turning on the computer. As a result, a small window will pop up with a list of boot devices, select the one you need with the arrows and press Enter. Press F8 until the screen appears windows boototherwise you will be taken to the OS boot options menu.
In this article we will tell you about how to boot from USB disk, and some of the problems associated with it.
Attention! For settings Computer BIOS to boot from a USB flash drive, it is necessary that the flash drive is connected to the computer. Connect the USB flash drive to the USB port, restart the computer, and only then enter the BIOS or call the Boot menu.
When you need it
In most cases, booting from USB is required for:
- operating system installation;
- diagnosing problems;
- hardware testing;
- remove viruses on the computer.
In order to boot from a USB flash drive, you do not need to go to bIOS settings, change parameters and save them. It is often enough to bring up the Boot menu while the POST screen is displayed and select Boot from USB.
One-time boot from USB stick
Depending on the laptop manufacturer or motherboard stationary computer, different keys may be responsible for calling the boot menu. Most often it is F8, F10, F11, F12 or Esc... Look for a prompt on the screen when booting up your computer. It usually sounds like Boot Menu or Press .. to select boot device:
IN Boot Menu, select USB-HDD:
If you cannot boot from a USB flash drive, enter the BIOS settings and set the following parameter values:
USB-HDD: Enabled
USB-Floppy: Enabled
Legacy support: Enabled
External device Boot: Enabled
Secure Boot: Disabled
In different bios, different manufacturers have different parameters... Do not think that all these parameters will necessarily be found on one computer. We have just listed the names of all possible parameters that can affect booting from USB flash.
Configuring boot from a flash drive in BIOS settings
This method is useful if:
- you frequently boot from USB or constantly work in an OS booted from USB:
- you don't want to bring up the Boot menu every time you need to boot from USB.
1. When the computer boots up, press the key to enter BIOS setup. Most often it is Del, F2 or F10... If you cannot enter the BIOS using these keys, read the manual for your computer or your motherboard and find out which key allows you to enter the settings.
2. If you have AMI BIOS, go to the section Boot \u003d\u003e Boot Device Priority and select the USB flash drive as the first boot device.
If you have AWARD BIOS, enter the section Advanced BIOS Features and in setting First Boot Devicechoose USB-HDD.
Save the settings.
You have a bootable DVD-ROM or USB flash drive, now you need to make sure that the computer can boot from them.
There are 2 ways to boot your computer from a DVD or USB flash drive:
- Selecting a device in the boot menu
- Change boot priority in BIOS
Each method has pros and cons.
If you need, for example, to install Windows, then it is more convenient to choose the first method. And if you constantly work with boot disksthen more convenient way second.
Features of choosing a device in the boot menu
- On older computers (motherboards) the function is missing. In this case, you will have to change the priority in the BIOS.
- When you select a device in the menu, the computer boots from this device 1 time. This is convenient when windows installation - no need to return the boot from the HDD after the first reboot.
Features of changing the priority in BIOS
- Works on both new and old computers.
- The priority is constantly changing, i.e. valid until the next change, and not one download as is the case with the menu. This is not very convenient when installing Windows from a USB flash drive, you have to return the boot from the HDD after the first reboot.
How do I enter the boot menu or BIOS?
There is no universal button for entering the boot menu or entering the BIOS. It all depends on the manufacturer of the computer (motherboard), they are all different - the keys are also different. Most the right way find the right key - read the instructions from the computer (motherboard). For some of the most common boards - the keys are listed below.
There is only one time when you need to press these keys - during the self-test immediately after turning on the computer (English - Power-On Self-Test or POST). If you do not go into details, POST lasts from turning on the computer until the operating system starts loading (the appearance of a logo or OS selection menu). The POST pass looks like this:
The screen displays a prompt: Press DEL to run Setupwhich means - press DEL to enter BIOS Setup ... DEL is the most common key, but there are many others - more on that below.
During POST, a graphical splash screen may appear with the name of the manufacturer of the computer or motherboard.
Boot menu keys and quick instructions
As noted above, each manufacturer has its own key to enter the boot menu. Here is a small list of the most common ones:
The boot menu looks like this:
You just have to choose desired device from the list. If everything is done correctly, the disk or flash drive is written correctly, the download / installation should start.
BIOS keys and quick instructions for changing boot priority
To enter BIOS Setup, use the key corresponding to the manufacturer of the computer or motherboard, here is a small list of them:
Acer (Aspire, Altos, Extensa, Ferrari, Power, Veriton, TravelMate): | F2 or Del |
Acer (old models): | F1 or Ctrl+Alt+Esc |
F2 or Del |
|
Compaq (Deskpro, Portable, Presario, Prolinea, Systempro): | |
Compaq (old models): | F1, F2, F10, or Del |
Dell (Dimension, Inspiron, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision, Vostro, XPS): | |
Dell (old and rare models): | Ctrl+Alt+Enter or Fn+Esc or Fn+F1 or Del or Reset twice |
ECS (Elitegroup) | Delor F1 |
eMachines (eMonster, eTower, eOne, S-Series, T-Series): | Tab or Del |
eMachines (some older models): | |
Fujitsu (Amilo, DeskPower, Esprimo, LifeBook, Tablet): | |
Hewlett-Parkard (HP Alternative, Tablet PC): | F2 or Esc or F10 or F12 |
Hewlett-Parkard (OmniBook, Pavilion, Tablet, TouchSmart, Vectra): | |
Lenovo (3000 Series, IdeaPad, ThinkCentre, ThinkPad, ThinkStation): | F1 or F2 |
Lenovo (older models): | Ctrl+Alt+F3, Ctrl+Alt+Ins or Fn+F1 |
MSI (Micro-Star) | |
F2, F10 or Del |
|
Sony (VAIO, PCG-Series, VGN-Series): | F1, F2 or F3 |
Toshiba (Portege, Satellite, Tecra): | F1 or Esc |
You will find less common hotkeys for entering BIOS.
In addition to the fact that there are several major BIOS manufacturers (AMI, Phoenix - Award), so also computer (motherboard) manufacturers modify BIOS for specific model... As a result, you cannot create universal instruction even by changing one function (boot priority), there will be differences on each computer. You can only roughly show how this is done, and look for exact instructions in the documentation for your computer (motherboard).
To navigate the BIOS and change settings, use the arrows on the keyboard, the Enter and + \- .
AMI
Move the arrows to the tab Boot, go to Boot Device Priority:
In the following figure, we see that the boot is sequentially performed: from the floppy drive (Floppy Drive), hard disk (Hard Drive), and the third device is not used (Disabled).
If we want to boot from a DVD, we need to change the priorities so that the first device is the DVD drive. Use the arrows to switch to the first device ( 1st Boot Device), press Enter and select in the menu that appears CDROM... With a flash drive, everything is the same.
Push F10 and confirm the exit with saving (Save and Exit) by choosing .
Phoenix-Award
We enter Advanced BIOS Features:
If we want to boot from a DVD, we need to change the priorities so that the first device is the DVD drive.
Use the arrows to switch to the first device ( First Boot Device), change to CDROM... With a flash drive, everything is the same.
Push F10 and confirm the exit with saving (Save and Exit).
Do you know other keys or want to clarify? Comments are open!
Enjoy your use!
Not everyone, even quite experienced users, knows about the presence in their computer or laptop of the so-called boot menu, or boot menuthat can be called when the system boots. And if you have heard about it, they do not always know what it is.
Please note that the concept of boot menu should not be confused with the OS boot manager, with which you can choose the one you need operating systemset in any of logical partitions disks. Boot menu is a BIOS-integrated boot selection menu with physical devicewhere the operating system resides.
Why do you need a boot menu ordinary user? After all, as a rule, most users have computers with a preinstalled operating system that ensures their performance.
However, in the course of working with a computer, the user is often faced with the need to use various options for booting the system. And the computer BIOS provides ample opportunities for this. You can boot the operating system from both hard disk (or from several, if you have system unit installed more than one hard drive), and from a floppy drive, and also use a CD or DVD drive as a boot device. As a rule, there is in the boot menu and the option of booting the system through the network. In addition, due to the widespread use in recent times USB flash drives have also become extremely popular as boot devices.
The reasons for using the boot menu can be varied. Let's say that your operating system has crashed and you want to boot from a portable device to restore it. Or you are going to install the operating system on a clean hard drive.
How to get to the boot menu
First of all, do not forget that the order of boot devices can be set in the menu bIOS programs Setup. It is worth remembering about this possibility also because some motherboards, especially on older computers, simply do not have a boot menu. Typically, a list of boot devices can be found in the Boot section, where you can set their priority, that is, arrange the devices in such an order that the system would one by one look for the operating system on each of them.
But suppose that for some reason you cannot go into the BIOS and install the necessary device there, or you simply do not want to waste time on it. Then you have the opportunity to select the boot device right at the time of computer boot.
Entering the boot menu is quite simple - all you need to do is press a certain key during boot, just like you do to enter BIOS Setup. Usually different manufacturers assign different keys for this. This can be the key and F8, and F11, and F12, and Esc. It all depends on the specific motherboard manufacturer as well as the BIOS. Therefore, it is best to look at the documentation for your particular motherboard or laptop. Or view the required key during bIOS boot on the screen.
But similar way It is unlikely to work in the case of a laptop, because the boot screen on a laptop flashes very quickly, and the user, as a rule, does not have time to notice what is written there. The only thing that can be advised in this case is that on laptops, as a rule, the F12 key is used. So if possible, try F12 first and then the other function keys.
Also keep in mind that in different systems The boot menu is denoted in different ways - it can be called BBS Popup, MultiBoot Menu, Boot Agent, or something else.
Below we give a list of the main keys used to call the boot menu, depending on the manufacturer. motherboard and BIOS.
Desktops
- MSI (motherboard) - AMI (BIOS) - F11
- Gigabyte - Award - F12
- BioStar - Phoenix-Award - F9
- Asus - AMI - F8
- Intel - Phoenix-Award - Esc
- AsRock - AMI - F11
- ChainTech - missing
- ECS - AMI - F11
- FoxConn - Esc
- GigaByte - F12
Laptops
- Asus - Esc
- Acer - F12
- Asus AMI - Esc
- Asus Phoenix-Award - F8
- Dell - F12
- Fujitsu - F12
- HP - Esc, then F9
- Lenovo - F12
- MSI - F11
- Samsung - Esc (note - press only once during the startup screen!)
- Sony - F11
- Toshiba - F12
Conclusion
So, in this article, you learned how to invoke the boot menu - a handy built-in BIOS option that helps the user choose a boot device. Of course, the boot menu cannot replace OS boot managers such as ntldr in Windows, but its advantage is that it is independent of the specific operating system.
Most often, we remember about BIOS ( Basic System I / O) only when we need to reinstall the operating system and need to somehow set it to boot from a disk or flash drive. I often wrote about this in articles like:, and others. Now I want to put together and refer only to this article when necessary. This article will be useful for all versions of BIOS and for different companies. A kind of unified directory
The first thing you need to know is that BIOS is divided by manufacturer and version.
To change boot method in BIOS - you must first enter it.
You can, of course, find out which version and manufacturer of your BIOS, from the manual that comes with the computer.
You can also find out by looking at the line at the top on the black screen at boot (the manufacturer will be indicated there).
Well, then enter the BIOS, knowing what kind of BIOS you have.
In some versions of the BIOS there is no such screen showing lines. There simply is a logo and at the bottom it says something like "Press F2 to enter SETUP" and then press F2. If there is just a logo and there are no inscriptions - press ESC, and then del or f2
Here is a small list of manufacturers and keyboard shortcuts for entering BIOS:
Also, at the bottom of the black screen, keys are written to enter the BIOS and to display a list that contains available devices for loading and so that you can boot from it. But about him at the end of the article.
As you can see - most often you need to press a key F2 or Del.
Now you need to put a USB flash drive or disk in the boot.
Let's take a look at a few examples that differ from the BIOS manufacturer.
Setting up Award Bios to boot from a USB stick or disk:
The main window looks like this, in which we need the second item:
Further depends on the firmware version. In one case, you will need to go to an item similar to "Boot Seq & Floppy Setup"
otherwise, you don't need to go anywhere - everything will be right before your eyes
Click on First Boot Device (First boot device), click Enter and such a window will appear
in which you need to select the disk or flash drive that will be launched first. You can specify the Second boot device, for example, but usually the BIOS fills in this data itself.
On a note:
If you choose a flash drive, then, among other things, you also need to go to the "Hard Disk Boot Priority" item and move our flash drive to the very top using the "+" and "-" or "PageUp" and "PageDown" buttons:
It is also worth remembering that in order for the BIOS to see the USB flash drive, it must be connected before turning on or before rebooting
Then press "F10" (for the exact key, see the prompt at the bottom of the screen with the name "Save", "Exit") or go to the main BIOS menu and select the item "Save and Exit Setup". In the red window, select "Yes" with the "Y" button on the keyboard and press "Enter"
The computer will reboot and when booting from installation disk with Windows, you may be prompted for a few seconds "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD ..."
Which translates as "Press any button to boot from CD or DVD".
This means that if at this moment you do not press any button on the keyboard, the computer will continue to boot from the next device in the list.
Another version of this bios:
I only met this on old computers ten years ago until 2003. The main menu looks like this:
To customize the boot order, you need to go to the menu BIOS FEATURES SETUP:
At this point, we select with the PageUp and PageDown buttons (or Enter and arrows) what to put first - CDROM or USB flash drive. Don't forget about the second and third device
And further:
How to choose where to boot from in AMI BIOS
If, entering BIOS, you see such a screen, then you have AMI BIOS:
Use the "right arrow" button on the keyboard to move to the Boot tab:
Go to "Hard Disk Drives" and in the line "1st Drive" (may be called "First Drive") select a disk or flash drive:
Next, go to "Boot Device Priority", go to "1st Boot Device" and select from the list what you have selected in the previous tab (ie if you have selected a USB flash drive in Hard Disk Drives, then you need to specify it here too. This is important! )
To boot from a CD / DVD disk, you need to select "ATAPI CD-ROM" (or simply "CDROM") in this menu, and there is no need to go to the previous menu "Hard Disk Drives".
Now we save the results by pressing "F10" or go to the BIOS section "Exit" and select "Exit Saving Changes".
Another AMI BIOS, but everything is clear here:
Configuring Phoenix-Award Bios to Boot from a USB Flash Drive
If, after entering Bios, you see such a screen, then you have Phoenix- Award BIOS:
We go to the “Advanced” tab and opposite the “First Boot Device” set what you need (USB flash drive or disk):
Save with F10
EFI (UEFI) Bios setup with graphical interface to boot from a USB stick
Now you won't surprise anyone with this. Almost all new computers come with this kind of shell. You can read more about it in the article.
When loading, at the bottom of the screen there is a section "Boot Priority", where you can use the mouse (drag and drop) pictures to set the desired boot order.
You can also click the "Exit / Advanced mode" button in the upper right corner and select Advanced mode in the window that appears.
Next, go to the "Boot" tab and in the section Boot Option Priorities in the "Boot Option # 1" field, set boot device by default USB flash drive, DVD-ROM, hDD or another available device.
How to boot from a USB flash drive or disk without entering BIOS
This is what I wrote about almost at the very beginning of the article.
This is when you need to press a key once and a window with a choice of loading will appear. This method does not change the BIOS settings.
Usually Award BIOS offers to press "F9" to call the boot menu, and AMI asks to press "F8". On notebooks, this may be the "F12" key.
In general - look at the bottom line and look for items like "Press F8 for BBS POPUP" or "Press F9 to Select Booting Device after POST".
Why can't I boot from a USB flash drive in BIOS?
Possible reasons: 
On ancient computers, there is no way to boot from USB sticks at all. If there is no newer BIOS, then the project can help.
1) Download from the link above latest version "Plop Boot Manager" and unpack it.
2) The archive contains files: plpbt.img - an image for a floppy disk, and plpbt.iso - an image for a CD-disk.
3) We write the image to disk and boot from it (or from a floppy disk).
4) A menu will appear in which we select our USB flash drive and boot from it already.
Small decoding of drive designations when choosing:
Do not forget after you have done what you wanted (namely, why did you change the boot in the BIOS) - return the boot settings back so that the computer boots from the hard drive.
