Occasionally Windows users use an active operating system and boot on the primary hard drive. But sometimes it needs to run the boot for a different drive like USB, CD, DVD etc. You can change the BIOS command for booting in two different ways. One of them is a permanent solution, you can change the boot order directly or a temporary solution, you can access a boot menu when a device startup. If you don’t know how to change BIOS to boot from USB or CD/DVD drive, this article will guide you on how to change BIOS to Boot from an indifferent driver.
What is BIOS?
BIOS stands for Basic Input & Output System, which starts the computer system after it is powered. BIOS is also called Firmware. BIOS works to make collaboration between the computer operating system and computer hardware when a device is switched on. BIOS also manages all the data flow between computer devices and operating systems. The combination workflow is also known to us as the boot process. The BIOS function locates all the computer software on your device and completes the boot process.
Why You Need To Change BIOS to BOOT on a Different Drive
Usually you don’t need to change the BIOS to boot on a different drive, USB or CD/DVD. If you installed an operating system but want to install another one, you can change the boot option in BIOS. You can also use this to reinstall the OS or test software. If you don’t change the boot option in BIOS, the system boots from BIOS by default. It then loads the operating system and software from the hard drive. So if you want to install software or an OS safely, you first need to change the BIOS to BOOT from a different space. You can easily change the order of the discharge process whenever you want to boot your computer.
How To Get Access To Your Device BIOS
Before changing the BIOS setting, you need access to the BIOS. You can access your BIOS in different ways on different operating systems. Other manufacturers set unique hotkeys to get access to the BIOS. For example, the keys to accessing the BIOS are F1, F2, F10, F11, etc. Below is the list of manufacturer-based hotkeys for accessing the BIOS interface.
Manufacturers Base Hot Keys to Get Access to the BIOS:
- Acer: F2 or DEL
- ASUS: F2 for all PCs, F2 or DEL for motherboards
- Dell: F2 or F12
- HP: ESC or F10
- Lenovo: F2 or Fn + F2
- Lenovo (Desktops): F1
- Lenovo (ThinkPads): Enter + F1.
- MSI: DEL for motherboards and PCs
- Origin PC: F2
- Samsung: F2
- Sony: F1, F2, or F3
- Toshiba: F2
- Microsoft Surface Tablets: Press and hold the volume up button.
You can use the keyboard keys during the booting process to get to the BIOS. Follow the manufacturer's base keys and press and hold when you are going to reboot. If the key works, you will see the BIOS screen on the monitor.
How to Change BIOS to Boot from USB or CD/DVD
Thus, you get the BIOS access; now we will change the BIOS to the BOOT option; you can follow some popular processes.
- Changing The Boot Order On The BIOS
- Accessing A Boot Menu During Startup Time
1. Changing The Boot Order On The BIOS
If you successfully press the correct key, you must get BIOS access and the entire BIOS utility settings.
Remember, every BIOS interface has a different look for its different build manufacturers. All the scenes inside the BIOS are almost identical. So don’t get panic; look over the option and layout carefully to get your set. Here are the most common BIOS we see often.
You can see the menu is located at the top of the screen. Hardware is other system information shown on the display.
How to change BIOS to boot from a USB Drive:
Before starting the process, you must select Legacy Support and press the F5 key on the keyboard to change the setting.
If Legacy support is disabled, BIOS will automatically boot in UEFI mode, and you can also enable and disable secure boot. Change the location to the Disabled way. Then select the Safe Boot option and change it to enabled.
- Find and click on the boot menu from the BIOS
- Then select how you want to boot your device. You will get a different option to take action.
- Select the USB drive or CD/DVD drive according to your choice. ( Nowadays most use USB)
- Then press the Esc/Exit button and a new pop-up will show, hit the Enter button to save the settings. Restart the computer.
- Your computer will successfully change the boot order from BIOS to USB or CD/DVD driver.
2. Accessing A Boot Menu During Startup Time
Another way you can change the boot order on your system is by accessing a boot menu on startup, and it will work for one time. You need to access the BIOS while rebooting your computer. This action provides you with boot permission from a fixed hardware device. In this process, you don’t need to change your boot order for a lifetime.
On a Windows device, you can take action by holding the Shift Key + pressing the Restart Button from the start menu. This command will take you to the boot menu option. During this session, you need to select a drive under the option of “Use a device”, and you can choose here DVD/CD or USB drive to boot your computer device.
Note: Different devices have different manufacturers. So the process to access the BISO interface is different for every device. Similarly, the BIOS interface was different for every device.
How to Boot from USB in BIOS
You can easily update Windows by using a USB drive. If you want to boot from USB, follow the process:
- Change the BIOS sequence to the USB drive on your device.
- Plug the portable USB drive on your computer to select that option.
- Before Input, Download the ISO file and make a bootable USB drive.
- Use third-party tools like Rufus and Etcher to boot your USB drive
If you want to know the whole process of how to boot a USB drive, read our relevant article: How to Create a Bootable USB using Rufus for Windows
Conclusion
You have several storage options if you want to run different operating systems or other software on your computer device. You can do the process by changing the BIOS settings. Usually, the process can be done in two different ways. You will get the permanent solution to install the software by changing the BIOS to the booting command. Besides, you can choose for individuals every time, which drives you to want to install the software. We discussed in detail how to change the BIOS To BOOT From a CD/DVD Drive.
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