Boot selection key on a laptop. Hot keys (buttons): BIOS boot menu, Boot Menu, Boot Agent, BIOS Setup. Laptops and computers

What is boot menu

Probably everyone knows that in order to boot from a disk drive or flash drive you need to set the order of devices to boot in the BIOS. For example, to install Windows XP from a disk onto a computer, you first need to boot from this very disk. To do this, you need to set the disk drive as the first boot device in the BIOS.

However, you don’t have to go into the BIOS and change nothing there. All you need to do is immediately after turning on the computer, press the boot menu key and in the list of devices that appears, select the one from which to boot. Selecting a boot device in the boot menu has no effect on BIOS settings. That is, this menu affects specifically a specific boot, and if you do not call it afterwards, the computer or laptop will boot as configured in the BIOS.

How to call the boot menu - keys for calling the BIOS boot menu

So, we figured out what the boot menu is in BIOS. Now I’ll tell you what hotkeys you use to call it. There is no standard here. It all depends on the manufacturer of the PC or laptop motherboard and on the version of the BIOS installed there. For example, calling the boot menu asus is different from calling the boot menu on an acer or sony vaio laptop.

In most cases, the key to call up the boot device selection menu is F12 , but some manufacturers use their own key combinations. Particular attention can be paid to the boot menu Samsung and HP. To get to the boot menu of a Samsung laptop you need to press Esc (only once!). If you click on Esc at least twice, the boot menu will close before it can open. Therefore, you need to calculate and clearly hit the time by pressing hotkey calling boot menu. This can be quite difficult to do without some skill.

Calling the boot menu on HP laptops is also specific. To do this, you first need to press Esc , after which it will appear service menu laptop. In it we already select the desired item (by pressing the hot key). To call the HP boot menu, press F9 .

For some manufacturers, the device to be loaded into the menu is selected using the cursor keys; for others, you need to press a key with a number indicating serial number devices in the list.

Below is a table that is easy to understand. This is a table of correspondence between hotkeys for calling up the menu for selecting the boot device, motherboard manufacturer and BIOS.

Yes, and one last clarification. In some cases, boot menu hotkeys are disabled by default in the BIOS. To be able to use the boot menu, you need to enable it in the BIOS settings. Typically this function is called F12 Boot Menu . To enable this feature, you must set its value to Enabled .

In addition to the keys for calling the boot menu, the table shows keys for entering the BIOS.

What happens when the computer is turned on is that it checks the functionality of its components and determines the priority of the operating system boot source.
BIOS contains settings related to basic program files and drivers

You can enter the boot menu when you turn it on computer equipment, pressing at this moment one key or a certain combination of them, which in most cases the system warns about at the moment the table appears on the screen.

However, few users can catch the information that appears on the screen due to the high-speed loading of pages, which creates a flickering effect. The necessary data can be found in the instructions for the motherboard or equipment. On laptops, the F 12 key is mainly used. And, in the absence technical documentation on the equipment, you should try to enter the program from it. In some cases, simultaneous or step-by-step activation of keyboard buttons is used. For example, to enter the boot menu in an HP laptop, as in many modifications of similar equipment, you need to press the ESC key, followed by F9.

They go into the BIOS to make a choice boot disk or change software settings.

Boot menu is a specific section built into Bios with which you can easily select boot media for installing Windows the required version. One of the flash media objects can be assigned a priority status that will be accessed boot programs first of all. If the request is not confirmed, the applications will be redirected to additional objects, according to the settings in the BIOS.

How to enter the Boot Menu of devices 8, 8.1 and 10 versions of Windows

When purchasing laptops with already installed Windows 8, 8.1 or 10, you will not be able to enter the boot menu by pressing a key. The reason is that in these versions of operating systems, turning off computer equipment involves the hibernation process. In order to get to the Boot menu by pressing a key combination, you must provide complete shutdown operating system. This can be achieved in several ways:

• To completely shut down computer equipment, hold down the “Shift” key while selecting the “Shutdown” function in the “Start” menu.
• Instead of the “Shut down” functions of the laptop, start the reboot mode, during which you activate the keys.

Calling the boot menu on laptops and motherboards of Asus computer equipment

On computers with components manufacturer Asus To open the boot menu, press the F8 or ESC button when turning on the equipment.

ESC is capable of bringing up the boot menu in modern models laptops. On other models, you can call the menu using the F8 key.

The principle of working with such laptops is simple. To enter the boot menu in an Asus laptop from previous production releases, you first need to boot it by pressing ESC keys. Reloading with the F8 key is necessary if the first attempt was not successful.

Technology for working with the download menu on Lenovo laptops

Before starting operations with computer equipment the power cord should be connected. If, while working in the boot menu, the Lenovo laptop runs out of charge and it suddenly stops performing assigned tasks, this will negatively affect its technical condition.

When you hold down the F12 button while turning on the technology, the user is taken to the QuickBoot section, which is responsible for determining boot priority. In the device table, you can configure sections for sources of installation information that the laptop will access during the process of restoring or reinstalling Windows.

You can enter the boot menu in Lenovo using the F2 button. In the main menu, settings for the parameters of various devices are available.

BIOS Lenovo laptop unlike computers, it allows execution additional functions including:

1. Setting up security system functions;
2. Battery calibration
3. Obtaining information regarding serial number computer equipment, motherboard and all connected equipment;
4. Changing touch screen characteristics;
5. Adjusting the appearance of the image on the screen.

Features of entering the Boot menu in Acer computer products

In equipment Acer key f12 to enter the boot menu is disabled initially. The specificity of the configuration lies in the specific settings.

You can enter the boot menu in the usual way after making the settings, saving them and exiting the BIOS.

Logging into the Boot service on computer equipment models from various manufacturers

Entering the Boot function of computer equipment is possible in several ways:

1. as part of the BIOS;
2. separately.

The advantage of logging in using the BIOS is the ability to select the download source. Without using the BIOS service, booting occurs only from a specific bootable media.

To log into the Boot service in desktop computer the F8 or F 8 keys are used. Manufacturers use different models computer technology functions Esc, Del, Alt, F2, F8, F11 and their combinations.

Each manufacturer produces computer equipment with parameters for logging into windows boot menu.

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All more or less experienced computer users know that when installing an OS or using a tool with disk media or flash drives, you need to set the priority of these devices in the BIOS, in simple words– what will be loaded first when the PC starts.

Boot Menu, also called the boot menu, is intended to simplify the selection of devices from which it is possible to boot. You turn on the computer, go to the boot menu, using special keys, and then use the arrows to select a boot device, for example, a flash drive or disk drive. This makes it easier for inexperienced users to perform many actions.

Now we will learn how to enter the Boot Menu using regular keyboard shortcuts. And also how to do it on laptops.

How to enter the Boot Menu - BIOS boot menu

When we enter the BIOS, we press a certain combination on the keyboard. The same is true for the Boot Menu. In many cases, the following methods are relevant for laptops and motherboards: Esc, F11, F12, however, there are other options for logging into Boot.

It makes sense to use this feature if you do not need to change any parameters in the BIOS, except for setting the boot order.

So, if you have a laptop with Windows 8, and now with Windows 10, the above keys are not guaranteed to work. In some models, when you turn off the laptop, the device can be considered to go into hibernation mode, and not turn off as usual, so an attempt to enter the Boot Menu is unsuccessful.

To get rid of this problem you can use the following methods:

How to enter the Boot Menu from an Asus laptop

Most possible options The input keys for Asus are the following keys:

• ESC - for many brands;
• F8 – for devices where names can begin with the letters X and K, if it doesn’t work, then use Esc.

Logging into the Boot Menu from a Lenovo laptop

In these models it is even simpler, you press the F12 key and get to Boot. Also, many laptops of this brand have a special arrow button that allows you to select the boot type, for example, BIOS, Boot Menu, or recovery mode.

Here is the entrance to boot menu seems possible using the F12 key.

If it doesn’t work, then you need to translate the option there F12 Boot Menu to the on position – Enabled. Then we save the applied actions, reboot and try to log in again using the F12 key.

Go to the Boot Menu on HP laptops

I have a laptop of this brand, so I know a lot about it. You can enter the boot menu from this device like this:

• Esc is a fairly common option;
• F9 – when you press the Esc key.

Logging into the Boot Menu on other laptop models and motherboards

• Dell devices - F12 key;
• Toshiba devices – F12 key;
• Samsung devices – Esc key;
• Intel board – Esc key;
• Board from Gigabyte – F12 key;
• Board from Asus - F8 key, as on laptops;
• MSI board - F11 key.

Here, I described most of the models. If you are unhappy that your laptop or motherboard model is not listed, please leave a comment and I will try to help you.

Not everything is even enough experienced users They know that their computer or laptop has a so-called boot menu, or boot menu, which can be called up when the system boots. And even if they have heard about it, they don’t 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 select the one you need operating system installed in any of logical partitions disks. Boot menu is a boot selection menu built into the BIOS with physical device, on which the operating system is located.

Why is a boot menu needed? to the average user? After all, as a rule, most users have computers with a pre-installed operating system, which ensures their functionality.

However, while working with a computer, the user is often faced with the need to use various options to boot the system. AND Computer BIOS provides ample opportunities for this. You can boot the operating system from either hard drive(or from several, if you have system unit more than one hard drive installed) and from a floppy drive, and also use a CD or DVD drive as a boot device. As a rule, there is also an option in the boot menu to boot the system via the network. In addition, due to the widespread use in lately USB flash drives have also become extremely popular as bootable devices.

The reasons for using the boot menu can be varied. Let's say 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. This feature is also worth remembering because some motherboards, especially on older computers, simply do not have a boot menu. Typically a list of boot devices can be found in Boot section, where you can set their priority, that is, arrange the devices in such an order that the system alternately searches for the operating system on each of them.

But suppose that for some reason you cannot go into the BIOS and install there required device or you just don’t want to waste time on it. Then you have the opportunity to choose boot device right when the computer boots.

Entering the boot menu is quite simple - you just need to 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 F8, F11, F12, or Esc key. It all depends on the specific motherboard manufacturer, as well as the BIOS. Therefore, it is best to look at the documentation for a specific motherboard or laptop. Or watch the desired key during BIOS boot on the screen.

But this method is unlikely to work in the case of a laptop, because the screen loading 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 I can recommend is in this case, this is what the F12 key is typically used on laptops. So, if possible, try F12 first and then other function keys.

Please also keep in mind that in different systems boot menu is designated differently - it can be called BBS Popup, MultiBoot Menu, Boot Agent or some other way.

Below we provide a list of the main keys used to call the boot menu, depending on the motherboard manufacturer 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 – absent
• 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 1 time when the boot screen appears!)
• Sony - F11
• Toshiba-F12

Conclusion

So, from this article you learned how to call the boot menu - a convenient built-in BIOS option, which helps the user select a boot device. Of course, the boot menu cannot replace OS boot managers, such as ntldr in Windows, but its advantage is that it does not depend on a specific operating system.

Good day everyone.

At Windows installation(for example), very often it is necessary to choose bootable media, other than the hard drive. This can be done in two ways:

1) Go into the BIOS and change the boot queue (i.e. put the flash drive in the boot queue before the HDD - this way the PC will first check the flash drive for boot records, and only then the hard drive);

2) Call the Boot Menu and select the specific media to boot into at the moment. In my opinion, this option is even better than the first: it’s faster and you don’t need to go back and forth into the BIOS to change the boot queue.

To enter the BIOS (call Boot Menu) in most cases the following keys are used: F2, Del, Esc, F12 (depending on the device manufacturer). The button must be pressed immediately after turning on the computer (you can do it several times so as not to miss the right moment.

By the way, if you look closely at the first screen, which is visible immediately after turning on the computer, then there is often a button written on it to enter necessary settings(call menu). An example in the screenshot below.

Rice. 1. Dual Bios. DEL button - enter BIOS settings, F12 button - Call Boot Menu.

Table No. 1: hot keys for computers

To use the table, you need to know what motherboard you have, BIOS version. There are several ways to find out, here are the fastest:

Simple free program, which will tell you quite a lot about your hardware. For example, you can find out information about: processor (CPU), RAM(Ram) motherboard(Motherboard), video card (Graphics), HDD drives, SSD (Storage), etc. In addition, you can find out and control in the mode online temperature main components: hard drive, video card, processor.

A screenshot of the operation of this utility is shown in Fig. 2.

Rice. 2. Speccy - obtaining information about the motherboard

Table No. 1

Table No. 2: hot keys (Bios/Boot Menu, etc.) for laptops

Note: on modern laptops the key combination in Windows also works: hold down SHIFT button+ select the reboot button with the mouse.

The Boot Menu is a small window in which, using the mouse (arrow keys on the keyboard), you can select the device from which to boot. An example of such a menu is shown in Fig. 3.

Depending on the manufacturer of your device, the menu may differ slightly, but the principle of operation is the same everywhere.

Table No. 2

Table No. 3: recovery from a hidden partition (for laptops)

Most modern laptops have a built-in hidden section with the ability to restore Windows OS using a “pair” of keys (no need to prepare bootable USB flash drive, download ISO images with Windows, etc.).

As a rule, to launch the recovery function, after turning on the laptop, just press one key (F9, for example, on Asus laptops). Next, a window will appear in which you need to follow the instructions of the recovery wizard.

Note: when restoring information, system disk"C:\" is often formatted and all information from it is deleted. Make a copy of important data from it in advance.

Rice. 4. ACER laptop- service recovery utility

Table No. 3

PS

The tables will be updated (over time). For additions on the topic of the article - thank you very much in advance. Good luck everyone!