How to make it boot from a flash drive. How to set boot from a flash drive in different BIOS versions

Installing, reinstalling and restoring the operating system, as well as carrying out certain types of diagnostic work, usually require the use of special boot disks or flash drives. But in order for the computer to be able to boot from external media, the appropriate priority must be set in the settings of the basic I/O system or otherwise BIOSa, that is, literally indicate from which source the system should boot.

The procedure for setting up booting from external media is quite simple, however, it raises many questions for many novice users. And this is quite understandable. Firstly, you rarely encounter the need for such a boot, and secondly, in different computer models the procedure for entering the BIOS and changing boot priorities may differ in detail. Let's look at everything in more detail.

At the moment, there are two types of basic input/output system: the classic BIOS and its improved version UEFI. Both of them are special programs recorded on the motherboard chip and designed to configure and check the readiness of hardware components, and transfer control of the PC to the operating system. Unlike BIOS, UEFI is more autonomous, it has a convenient graphical interface with mouse support, allows you to integrate drivers, run executable files in the EFI format, and work with GPT disks without restrictions. In addition, computers with UEFI start up an order of magnitude faster than PCs with a regular BIOS.

How to get into BIOS or UEFI

To get into the BIOS or UEFI, immediately after turning on the computer, press and hold the Del, F2, or Esc button. Which button should be used to enter the BIOS/UEFI on your desktop or laptop model should be indicated in the user manual that came with it. However, new computers running Windows 8.1 may have problems with this. If fast boot technology is activated on the system, you simply will not have time to press Del or F2 in time. In this case, you must perform the following steps:

Open Settings -> Change PC settings -> Update and recovery -> Recovery -> Special boot options, and then click Restart Now. After the reboot, you will be taken to the “Select Action” window. Click Diagnostics -> Advanced Options -> UEFI Firmware Options. The computer will reboot and you will be taken straight to the UEFI interface.

Note

Determining which interface your computer uses is very simple. To do this, press Win + R and in the window that opens, run the msinfo32 command, and then in the system information window, find the “BIOS Mode” item. The old version of the I/O system will be marked “Obsolete”, the new one will be marked “UEFI”.

Setting up boot from CD/DVD/flash drive in BIOS

In most BIOS versions, the Boot section is responsible for configuring boot parameters.

It contains a list of all devices connected to the computer. Since the hard drive and CD-ROM are built-in components, they will be present in the list anyway, but if you want a flash drive to be there, you need to insert it into the USB port in advance, even before entering the BIOS. The first in the list is the device from which the system is currently booting. Using the arrow keys, you can change the boot priority, and pressing the F10 key will apply the new settings.

In some BIOS versions, the Boot section may have additional options, in particular Boot Device Priority, Hard Disk Drives, and so on.

If you boot from a CD/DVD or a regular flash drive, it will be enough to move this device to the top of the list in Boot Device Priority and save the settings. If the flash drive is formatted as an HDD, you will first need to go to Hard Disk Drives, select the first device in the list (1st Drive), press Enter and select the flash drive in the menu that appears. Then the same will need to be done in the Boot Device Priority subsection. Save the settings using the F10 key. This concerns AMI BIOSes.

The procedure for setting up booting from a DVD/flash drive in BIOS AWARD or Phoenix is ​​slightly different. Here in the main BIOS menu you need to find the Advanced BIOS Features section, and in it find the First Boot Device item, which is responsible for prioritizing boot devices. While on First Boot Device, press Enter and in the menu that opens (list of devices) select CD-ROM or, if available, a flash drive. If there is no flash drive in the list, switch to the first item Hard Disk Boot Priority, press Enter, select our flash drive in the list, move it to the top of the list. To save the settings, press Esc twice, and then Save and Exit Setup and confirm saving the parameters with the Y key.

Setting up booting from CD/DVD/flash drive in UEFI

Setting boot priority in UEFI is easier, and not just because you can use a mouse. Most UEFI interfaces have a Boot Priority panel at the bottom of the window, which displays all devices connected to the computer, including flash drives and removable HDDs. To install boot from a particular device, simply drag it with the mouse to the beginning of the panel, and then save the new settings when exiting UEFI.

You can also click the “Exit/Advanced mode” button, go to the Boot tab in the window that opens, select “Boot Option #1” in the Boot Option Priorities list and set a flash drive, hard drive, CD-ROM or other device connected to the boot device as the boot device. computer device.

New settings are saved when exiting UEFI or pressing F10.

Have a great day!

If you decide to install Windows 10 from a flash drive, then one of the steps that you will need to perform is to specify in the boot settings that the computer should boot from the flash drive. So the question is as follows: How can I set the BIOS to boot from a USB flash drive?

In fact, there is nothing complicated here, except that your BIOS may differ slightly from mine and you will have to look for similar buttons.

So, first of all we need to get into the BIOS. To do this, turn on the computer or reboot it if it is already turned on and immediately after the start we begin to press the DELETE key. Click several times until we see the BIOS program. It may look like this:

On different computers and laptops, the button to enter the BIOS may differ. For example, on my laptop you need to use the F2 key. These can also be the F1, F8, ESC and others keys. Of course, in most cases we need to use DELETE or F2. Everything else is less rare cases.

Once the BIOS is launched, you can begin setting up. Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, go to the Boot tab and click Enter. There we will need to select the second item Hard Disk Drives. Open it by pressing the key Enter.

As you can see, we now have the hard drive (HDD) listed in first place.

We go there and indicate your flash drive in the menu that appears. In my case it's USB: Corsair Voyager.

By selecting it, it will appear in first place, instead of the hard drive. Now go back up one level, pressing ESC key.

We are in a familiar window. Here we go to the adjacent Boot Device Priority item and open it.

We go to the first point and click Enter.

We select our USB flash drive again, and it becomes first in the download priority. Great

In others BIOS set to boot from flash drive maybe a little differently. For example, on my laptop, in the BOOT tab, you immediately need to open Boot Device Priority and then use the keys F5/F6 raise the flash drive to first place.

It's even easier on my new computer! Everything there is in Russian and you can use the mouse. In my case, you need to open the SETTINGS section and go to the tab.

In a new window, select your flash drive.

After we have set the boot from the flash drive, all that remains is to save in a way already known to us ( F10 key).

That’s all I have for today, I wish you success in booting from a flash drive and installing Windows 10 or any other system on your computer or laptop.

Update 2016: The guide added ways to boot from a flash drive in UEFI and BIOS on new computers with Windows 8, 8.1 (which is also suitable for Windows 10). In addition, two methods have been added to boot from a USB drive without changing BIOS settings. Options for changing the order of boot devices for older motherboards are also present in the instructions. And one more important point: if booting from a flash drive on a computer with UEFI does not work, try.

Note: The end also describes what to do if you cannot enter the BIOS or UEFI software on modern PCs and laptops. You can read about how to create bootable flash drives here:

Using Boot Menu to boot from a flash drive

In most cases, booting from a flash drive into the BIOS is required for some one-time task: installing Windows, scanning the computer for viruses using LiveCD, resetting the Windows password.

In all these cases, it is not necessary to change the BIOS or UEFI settings; it is enough to call the Boot Menu when you turn on the computer and select the USB flash drive as a boot device once.

For example, when installing Windows, you press the desired key, select the connected USB drive with the system distribution, start the installation - setting up, copying files, etc., and after the first reboot occurs, the computer will boot from the hard drive itself and continue the installation process as usual mode.

I wrote in great detail about entering this menu on laptops and computers of various brands in an article (there is also a video instruction there).

How to get into the BIOS to select boot options

In different cases, in order to get into the BIOS setup utility, you need to perform essentially the same actions: immediately after turning on the computer, when the first black screen appears with information about the installed memory or the logo of the computer or motherboard manufacturer, click the desired button on the keyboard - the most common options are Delete and F2.

Press the Del key to enter the BIOS

Typically, this information is available at the bottom of the initial screen: “Press Del to enter Setup”, “Press F2 for Settings” and similar. By pressing the right button at the right moment (the sooner the better - this must be done before the operating system starts loading) you will be taken to the settings menu - BIOS Setup Utility. The appearance of this menu may vary; let’s look at a few of the most common options.

On modern motherboards, the BIOS interface, or more precisely, the UEFI software, is usually graphical and, perhaps, more understandable when it comes to changing the order of boot devices.

In most options, for example on Gigabyte (not all) or Asus motherboards, you can change the boot order simply by dragging the disk images accordingly with the mouse.

If this is not possible, look in the BIOS Features section, in the Boot Options item (the last item may be located in a different place, but the boot order is set there).

Setting up booting from a flash drive in AMI BIOS

Please note that in order to perform all the described steps, the flash drive must be connected to the computer in advance, before entering the BIOS. To set boot from a flash drive in AMI BIOS:

• In the menu at the top, press the “right” key and select “Boot”.
• After that, select the “Hard Disk Drives” item and in the menu that appears, press Enter on “1st Drive”
• In the list, select the name of the flash drive - in the second picture, for example, it is Kingmax USB 2.0 Flash Disk. Press Enter, then Esc.

Next step:

• Select “Boot device priority”
• Select “First boot device”, press Enter,
• Again, specify the flash drive.

If you need to boot from a CD, then specify the DVD ROM drive. Press Esc, in the menu at the top from the Boot item, move to the Exit item and select “Save changes and exit” or “Exit saving changes” - when asked if you are sure If you want to save the changes you have made, you will need to select Yes or type “Y” from the keyboard, then press Enter. After this, the computer will reboot and begin using the flash drive, disk, or other device you selected to boot.

Booting from a flash drive into BIOS AWARD or Phoenix

In order to select a device to boot into Award BIOS, in the main settings menu, select “Advanced BIOS Features”, then with First Boot Device selected, press Enter.

A list of devices from which you can boot will appear - HDD-0, HDD-1, etc., CD-ROM, USB-HDD and others. To boot from a flash drive, you must install a USB-HDD or USB-Flash. To boot from a DVD or CD - CD-ROM. After that, go up one level by pressing Esc, and select the menu item “Save & Exit Setup”.

Setting up boot from external media in H2O BIOS

To boot from a flash drive into the InsydeH20 BIOS, which is found on many laptops, in the main menu, using the “right” key, you need to go to the “Boot” item. Set External Device Boot to Enabled. Below, in the Boot Priority section, use the F5 and F6 keys to set External Device to the first position. If you need to boot from DVD or CD, select Internal Optic Disc Drive.

After that, go to Exit in the menu at the top and select “Save and Exit Setup”. The computer will reboot from the desired media.

Boot from USB without entering BIOS (Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows 10 with UEFI only)

If your computer has one of the latest versions of Windows installed, and the motherboard has UEFI software, then you can boot from a flash drive without even entering the BIOS settings.

To do this: go to settings - change computer settings (via the panel on the right in Windows 8 and 8.1), then open “Update and Recovery” - “Recovery” and click the “Restart” button in the “Special boot options” item.

On the “Select Action” screen that appears, select “Use device.” USB device, network connection, or DVD."

On the next screen you will see a list of devices from which you can boot, which should include your flash drive. If suddenly it is not there, click “View other devices”. After selection, the computer will reboot from the USB drive you specified.

What to do if you can’t enter the BIOS to boot from a flash drive

Due to the fact that modern operating systems use fast boot technologies, it may turn out that you simply cannot enter the BIOS in order to somehow change the settings and boot from the desired device. In this case, I can offer two solutions.

Second, try disabling Windows fast boot, and then enter the BIOS in the usual way, using the Del or F2 key. To disable fast boot, go to Control Panel - Power Options. In the list on the left, select “Power button actions.”

And in the next window, remove the “Enable fast startup” item - this should help in using the keys after turning on the computer.

As far as I can tell, I described all the typical options: one of them should definitely help, provided that the boot drive itself is in order. If suddenly something doesn’t work out, I’ll wait in the comments.

There are many types of BIOS: Ami, Award, Phoenix Award, UEFI. Let's figure out which buttons to press when booting a computer or laptop so that go to BIOS and boot from a flash drive to install windows. I would like to note that the traditional key delete, F2 to enter the BIOS. Below are button combinations on how to enter the BIOS to boot from a flash drive.

Buttons for entering bios from laptop and computer manufacturers.

Buttons from BIOS manufacturers

How to set the BIOS to boot from a flash drive to install Windows

Let me start with the fact that you don’t always need to go into the BIOS to swap the bootloader to install windows. For this there is a so-called start menu. To go there, you need to turn on the computer, sometimes a key is written. In this case F12. Press the key that is written in the word Boot Menu.

How will we start the computer: USB flash drive or other devices. Next will be the installation of the Windows system.

How to install boot from a flash drive in Ami Bios

• Click Device Priority.

In line 1st Devise set priority from the flash drive. This is usually all, but many people have come across why I did everything correctly, but the computer does not start from the flash drive. Sometimes you just need to specify, in addition to the priority, forced loading in the line Hard Disk Drives.

• IN Hard Disk Drives set a forced launch from a flash drive.
• IN 1st drive select the media.
• Press F10 to save.

It turned out that in the settings of 1st Devise and Hard Disk Drives there is a bootloader with USB Flash i.e. We set the priority option, tried it and it didn’t work. Then we set a forced launch and everything worked out. And so on in all BIOS versions, if priority loading fails.

How to set Award Bios to boot from a flash drive

• Let's go to Advanced Features.

• Click First Device, in the context menu we set which bootloader we will start the computer with. We have chosen the primary device to launch.

• Hard Disk Priority put the flash drive in 1st place. (If in First Device If you choose to start from a drive, then you need to install a flash drive in Hard Disk Priority).
• Award is ready, press F10 to save.

How to boot from a flash drive in Phoenix Award Bios

• Settings Advanced, in line First Boot Device install a flash drive or other device.
• Click F10 to save.

New UEFI BIOS in which you can control the mouse.

• Line Boot Priority, change places by dragging with the mouse. Can be done through advanced settings > Exit/Advanced mode and choose Advanced mode.

• Presses Boot and select in Boot Option #1 loader.

Going into the BIOS and booting from a flash drive to install Windows turned out to be quite simple, you just need to change the boot type. And remember about the priority and forced bootloader.

CD/DVD discs are now outdated. They were replaced by USB drives.

The need to boot from a flash drive may arise when solving many problems:

• installing a new operating system;
• launch in Live CD mode;
• to treat your computer from viruses and malware;
• to correct errors that occur when loading the operating system;
• preliminary installation of additional drivers;
• scanning the hard drive for problem sectors;
• starting the operating system installed on the flash drive.

On many systems, booting from a USB drive is disabled by default. Because of this, a user who wants to use a bootable USB flash drive may have problems changing settings.

Features of booting from a flash drive

The order in which devices are selected for startup is determined by the Bios settings - built-in firmware designed to provide the operating system with access to the device API.

To boot the system from a flash drive, you need to go to Bios and change the startup order, or use a special boot menu. But this is not always easy to do, since firmware versions and types may differ on different motherboards.

If you need to boot from USB or any other storage device, you need to follow these steps:

1. insert a disk or flash drive;
2. turn on the computer or restart it;
3. enter the Bios or Boot menu and select the USB device;
4. if there are several connected devices, the system will automatically offer you a list to select the one you need.

Most modern motherboards work through a technology called UEFI. This is not just a more convenient graphical shell for the Bios firmware, but new software with greater capabilities and flexible settings.

Motherboards that work with uefi have received many new capabilities, for example:

• monitor the temperature of different devices and, in connection with this, increase or decrease the speed of fans;
• regulate the overclocking frequency of the central and graphic processor on those motherboards where this is provided by the developer;
• work with many Bios settings from special software running the Windows operating system.

Video: select boot device in BIOS

Asrock H77M-ITX motherboard

The easiest way to boot the system from a flash drive is to use the Boot Menu. Every modern motherboard has this option. To find out which combination or key you can use to do this, most often it is enough to read system messages. As a last resort, you need to refer to the board documentation.

Asrock H77M-ITX allows you to select the startup option using the “F11” button. On the first try, you may not be able to get to the menu, so you need to press the key several times. If unsuccessful, simply restart your computer and try again.

As a result, you should see a blue background with the words Asrock UEFI setup utility. In the “Please select boot device” menu you need to select the required device to boot.

To configure the startup order of devices in the BIOS of the Asrock H77M-ITX motherboard, you must perform the following steps:

After restarting your computer, you should see the flash drive start to launch.

ASUS P8H77-I motherboard

You can get into the BIOS on computers with an ASUS P8H77-I motherboard in exactly the same way as described in the previous section, using the keys "Del" or "F2". You can get to the menu for selecting devices to boot using the “F8” button.

The firmware interface is very different from the previous version. But the names of the various settings menus are almost identical.

To simplify operations, there is an initial setup mode and an additional one. In the initial setup function, that is, in the main window that you see when loading Bios, you can select the startup priority. In the USB picture it is indicated as with uefi.

If, after restarting the system, booting from the flash drive does not start, you need to switch to “Advanced mode”. This can be done using the "Advanced" button or by pressing the "F7" key.

Photo: advanced UEFI Bios setup mode on ASUS P8H77-I

To set the priority, you must perform the following steps:

The computer will reboot, after which it should start booting from USB. If this does not happen, try changing the port and repeating the operation.

How to boot from a bootable USB flash drive into Award Bios

New motherboards that work with uefi are much easier to configure. However, the need to boot from a flash drive may also arise on older systems. The settings for using a bootable USB drive may differ slightly, although the principle of operation discussed earlier is the same.

One of the most famous versions of Bios is Award. There is no way to call up a menu to select a launch priority. Therefore, we immediately move on to setting up the BIOS.

In order to boot the system from a flash drive on a computer with a motherboard running Award, you need to perform the following steps:

If the launch from the required drive was not performed, you need to check one more parameter: the USB controller must be enabled in the “Integrated Peripherals” menu.

Photo: checking controller activation

AMI BIOS

This firmware management system is more modern, so there is already a menu for selecting the startup order. It is activated by the “F11” button. You can get into the BIOS settings using the “Del” or “F2” buttons.

To select the download priority:

Phoenix-Award Bios

Phoenix-Award Bios is quite rare, and its firmware is a bit unusual. There is support for displaying a menu for quickly selecting a boot drive; it is called up by pressing the “F11” key.

Interestingly, you won’t find a USB-HDD in the Phoenix-Award menu. But you can choose from other gadgets that can be connected in this way, for example Zip, CDROM and Floppy. To run from a flash drive, you need to select Hard Disk, and then the required USB-HDD will appear in the list.

As for managing priorities through Bios, this is done almost identically to AMI.

The difference is that in the “Boot” menu you need to select the following options:

• Using the “+” and “-” keys we change the order. The first one should be the Removable Device;
• by activating Removable Device and pressing the “Enter” button, select the flash drive from the drop-down list.

Photo: We make Removable Device first in the launch order list

Almost any Bios microsystem allows you to boot the system from a flash drive. Knowing the key combinations and the necessary menu items, you can quickly change startup priorities.