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10 January 2024  Ashley S. Miller  Specialist of Customer Service Dept.
 

Summary
Learn how to enter bios and change boot order for tasks like replacing a hard disk or migrating the system. Discover BIOS shortcut keys and brand-specific instructions.



Table of contents

table iconI. How to enter the BIOS and change the boot order of each brand of PC/mainboard?
table iconII. Summary of shortcut keys for accessing BIOS of various brands of PCs/mainboards

I. How to enter the BIOS and change the boot order of each brand of PC/mainboard?

IBM

To start the computer, press the F1 key to enter the BIOS. Some models are F2 key.
1. On the System Configuration and Boot Management interface, use the up/down arrow keys to select (Boot Manager), and then press the (Enter) key.
ibm boot manager
2. Use the down arrow key to select (Change Boot Order), then press the (Enter) key.
ibm change boot order
3. Use the +/- key to move the CD/DVD Rom to the first position in the boot sequence, press the (Enter) key, and then hit the (Esc) key to exit.
change the order

Dell

To start the computer, press the F2 key and enter the BIOS.
DELL press F2 key
Select Boot Sequence and start by using the (-/+) keys to move the CD-Rom to the top, then press the space bar on the keyboard. Finally, press (ESC) key to save and exit BIOS.
DELL change boot order

Phoenix

To start the computer, press the F2 key to enter the BIOS.
1. Use the left and right arrow keys to select the Boot menu, and change the boot sequence on the Boot interface.
Boot from USB: Change the first boot device to Removable Devices, USB device.
Boot from CD/DVD: Change the first boot device to CD-ROM.
2. Please press F10 on the keyboard to save and exit the BIOS.
Phoenix bios

Lenovo

After starting the computer, press the F1 or F2 key to enter the BIOS.
1. Use the left and right arrows to select the (Startup) menu, use the up and down arrows to select (Primary Boot Sequence) and press the (Enter) key.
Lenovo bios select Primary Boot Sequence
2. Use the up and down arrow keys to select the USB disk or CD/DVD in (Primary Boot Sequence), and then use the +/- key to move them to the first place in the boot sequence.
3. Press F10 to save and exit.
Lenovo bios

HP

Please turn on your computer and use either the F1, F10, or F11 key to access the BIOS. If your computer model allows, you can also use the F2, F6, or Escape key to reach the BIOS menu.
1. For laptops: select the (Storage) tab, then select (Boot Options).
For desktops: Select the (System Configuration) tab, then select (Boot Order).
2. Change the startup sequence in Boot Order.
Boot from CD/DVD: select from Boot Order CD-ROM .
Boot from USB: Select the corresponding USB disk in Boot Order.
3. Press F10 to save and exit BIOS.
Kind tips The choice between UEFI boot and Legacy boot is determined by the operating system version and the format of the hard disk partition table. UEFI is a newer BIOS mode that offers faster startup speeds and compatibility with 64-bit operating systems. If the hard disk partition is formatted in GPT (please refer to information on GPT and MBR partition format), then UEFI is the only option for installing the system. This is especially true for newer models that use m.2 solid-state drives with NVME protocol.
hp bios

SONY

After starting the computer, press the F1, F2 or F3 key, F10 key to enter the BIOS.
1. Change the status of (External Device Boot) under Boot Configuration to (Enabled).
2. In Boot Priority, use the ↑↓ arrow to select (External Device), and then press the F5 button to move it to the primary boot position.
3. Click F10 to save and exit BIOS.
SONY bios

NEC

Press and hold the F2 key and start the NEC computer, or after pressing the power button, press the F2 key once every second until it enters the BIOS interface.
1. Use the left and right arrow keys to select the Boot menu.
2. Set 1st Boot Device as CDROM or USB disk in Boot Device Priority
3. Press F10 to save and exit BIOS.
nec pc american bios

TOSHIBA

When the TOSHIBA startup screen appears, press the F2, F8, F12 or ESC Go to settings.
1. Use the left and right arrow keys to select the Boot menu.
2. Use the up and down arrow keys to select the CD-ROM or USB device, and press F5/F6 to move the target boot device to the primary position.
3. Press F10 to save and exit BIOS.
TOSHIBA bios

ASUS

When the computer startup screen appears, press the F2 or ESC Enter the BIOS.
1. Use the left and right arrow keys to select the Boot menu
2. Set Boot Option #1 in (Secure Boot)>(Boot Option Priorities), select USB disk or CD-ROM.
3. Save and exit BIOS.

ASUS bios

ACER

After starting the computer, press the F2, Del . The shortcut keys for some models are F1 or Ctrl+Alt+Esc.
1. Use the left and right arrow keys to select the (Boot Options) menu.
2. Set 1st Boot Device in (Boot Priority Order), and set the CD-ROM or USB disk as the first in the boot sequence.
3. Save and exit BIOS.
acer bios

Gateway

After restarting the computer, press the F1, F2 or F10 .
GatewayClick F1
1. Use the left and right arrow keys to select the Boot menu. Use the up and down arrows to select (Boot Device Priority).
Gateway selects Boot Device Priority
2. Set CD-ROM or Removable Device as 1st Boot Device (the first boot device).
3. Press F10 to save and exit BIOS.
Gateway setting 1st Boot Device
Kind tips

  • If the BIOS boot device list does not include a USB option, it is possible that your device does not support booting from USB. To resolve this issue, you can transfer the files from the USB to a CD/DVD and then change the first boot item in the BIOS from USB to CD/DVD.
  • Be sure to save the changes before exiting the BIOS. It is important to carefully follow the on-screen instructions for saving and exiting, as this process may differ depending on your operating system and computer motherboard.

II. Summary of shortcut keys for accessing BIOS of various brands of PCs/mainboards

HP

hot key

HP Compaq Desktop PC (2006 or later (Windows Vista or Windows 7))

Press the “F10″ key once every second until the BIOS Setup Utility screen opens.
HP Compaq desktop computer (installed before 2006 (Windows XP or earlier)).Press the “F1″ key once every second until the BIOS Setup Utility screen opens.
HP laptop:Press “F10″ repeatedly until the BIOS Setup Utility screen opens, or press “F1″ for help.

Dell

hot key

dell computerAt the first text on the screen or when the Dell logo appears, tap “F2″ until the message appears Entering Setup .Notice: Some older Dell computers use an alternate key sequence instead of “F2″ to enter system setup. These key sequences include:· Ctr + Alt + Enter· Delete· Fn + F1 (laptops only)

· Fn + Esc (laptops only)

Dell 400F1, F3
Dell 4400F12
Dell XPS, Dell Inspiron, Dell Vostro, Dell Dimension, Dell Precision, Dell OptiplexF2
Dell LatitudeFn + F1

Lenovo

hot key

LenovoF2

ThinkPad

hot key

T60/p, T61/p, X60/s, X61, X61 Tablet, Z60m/t, Z61e/m/p/t, Reserve, T400, T400s, T410, T410i, T410s, T410si, T500, T510i, X200 , X200s, X200si, X200 Tablet, X201, X201i, X201s, X201 Tablet, X300, X301, W500, W510, W700, W700ds, W701, W701ds, R51e, R60/e/i, R61/e/i and higher models .When the message “To interrupt normal startup, press the ThinkVantage button” is displayed, press the “ThinkVantage” button, enter the ThinkVantage Productivity Center, and select “Start setup utility” to open the BIOS.
R40, R40e, R50/e/p, R51, R52, G40, G41, T40/p, T41/p, T42/p, T43/p, X40, X41, X41 tabletWhen the message “To interrupt normal startup, press the Access IBM button” is displayed, press the “Access IBM” button to enter ThinkVantage Productivity Center, and then select “Start setup utility” to open the BIOS setup utility.
i-series 1200, i-series 1300, i-series 1400, i-series 1500, i-series 172x, 240 series, 390 series, 570 series, A20, A21, A22, A30, A31, R30, R31, R32, S30, S31, X20 , X21, X22, X23, X24, X30, X31, T20, T21, T22, T23, T30, TransNoteF1
310, 315, 310E/ED, 315EDAfter powering on, when the ThinkPad logo is displayed, press and hold F2 Enter BIOS Utility.
365X/XD, 360, 355 series, 380, 385 series, 560 series, 600 series, 701C/CS, 75x series, 76x series, 770 seriesPower off the device, press and hold F1 key, and then power on the device. Press and hold F1 until “Easy Setup” appears.
Notice : On the TP 701, you can also press the Fn + F1 key to access the Configuration area on the BIOS.
365C/CS, 365CD/CSD, 65E/EDFrom the DOS prompt by pressing CTRL + Alt + F11 Go into settings (you must be in DOS mode, not a DOS session under Windows).
500, 510From the DOS prompt by pressing CTRL + Alt + F3 Go into settings (you must be in DOS mode, not a DOS session under Windows).
700/C, 720/CWhen the cursor moves to the upper right corner of the screen after the memory count, press CTRL + ALT + INS .
710T, 730TWhile turning on the computer, press and hold the Suspend/Resume switch.

Acer

hot key

Aspire, Veriton, Power, Extensa, Ferrari, TravelMate, Altos“Del” or “F2″
Acer Altos 600Ctrl + Alt + Esc
Older Acer“F1″ or “Ctrl+Alt+Esc”

Gateway

hot key

DX, FX, One, GM, GT, GX, Profile, AstroF1
Older ComputerF2

Toshiba

hot key

Portégé, Satellite, Tecra, Equium“F1″ or “Esc”
Toshiba EquiumF12

Fujitsu

hot key

LifeBook, Esprimo, Amilo, Tablet, DeskPowerF2

NEC

hot key

PowerMate, Versa, W-SeriesF2

sharp

hot key

Notebook Laptops, Actius UltraLiteF2

Shuttle

hot key

Glamor G-Series, Prima P2-Series, Workstation, D’vo, X Mini XPC, Surveillance“F2″ or “Del”

BIOS

hot key

ALR Advanced Logic Research, Inc. ® PC / PCIF2
AMD BIOSF1

Award BIOS

DEL, CTRL+ALT+ESC

AMI BIOS

DEL or ESC

Phoenix BIOS

F2 or CTRL+ALT+ESC, CTRL+ALT+S, CTRL+ALT+INS

Data source: https://www.asunsoft.com/bios/how-to-enter-your-bios-setup-via-bios-key.html, if you need more information, please visit the official website of your computer supplier.

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