How to set boot from a flash drive in old and modern BIOS versions. How to set boot from a flash drive in different BIOS versions How to start booting a flash drive in a laptop

In the previous article I showed how to log in from BIOS to different computers and laptops. But why do they go there? In 90% of cases, in order to change boot disk default and load portable operating system or start new installation Windows. In fact, the principle is the same everywhere, all you need is a little care and logic. And to better understand this, I will show you several videos shot on different computers.

Two ways to boot your computer

There are two options. The first is to set the default boot device in the BIOS (aka SETUP). This will mean that every time you turn on the computer will boot from the specified device. If it turns out to be inaccessible or not bootable, then it will try to boot from the second device in the list, which you can also specify. If it doesn’t work, then the computer will move further down the list.

The second method is supported by almost all modern computers and laptops. When you start your computer, you need to call up the boot device selection menu. This way you can choose what to boot from one time, it’s very convenient.

To select a boot device in the BIOS, the first way is to go into it and look at its interface. If these are blue windows, then most likely it’s an Award, if they’re gray, then it’s AMI, if it’s a graphical interface, then it’s UEFI. There are other options. In general, just look at the screenshots or videos and compare it with what you see.

How to boot from a device without entering BIOS

To do this, just press a button when you start your computer or laptop. For example, this BIOS Award suggests pressing "F9" to bring up the boot menu:

It will say something similar to “Press F9 to Select Booting Device after POST”, i.e. press "F9" to select boot device. Click and see the following:

This is a list of discovered devices. Select a flash drive, CD/DVD disk or something else and press “Enter”. In AMI BIOS it may be different:

It says "Press F8 for BBS POPUP". This means that you need to press “F8” so that the selection menu appears. On laptops this may be the “F12” key, and the menu will be like this:

We just choose what we want and wait for it to load. Here's a video of that moment:

And this clear example BIOS EFI (UEFI) with graphical interface and even a working mouse! If you have a computer with UEFI, then when you get into the BIOS you will see the following picture:

At the bottom of the screen there is a section Boot Priority, where you can use the mouse (by dragging) to set the desired boot order. You can also:

• Click the “Exit/Advanced mode” button in the upper right corner
• select Advanced mode in the window that appears
• go to the “Boot” tab
• in the Boot Option Priorities section in the “Boot Option #1” field, set the default boot device to be a flash drive, DVD-ROM, HDD or other available device.

Owners of Hewlett-Packard computers will probably find the following picture in the BIOS:

In the “Storage –> Boot order” menu, select the desired device, press “Enter”, then move it to the very top and press “Enter” again. Save the settings in the menu “File -> Save and Exit”.

Consider the option with Award BIOS

How to choose what to boot from in AMI BIOS

AMI BIOSes look different than Award ones. After entering SETUP, go to the “Boot” section using the “right” button. There you will find two important points:

Hard Disk Drives - will be needed to boot from a flash drive or hard drive. We go there and select our USB device (flash drive) in the line “1st Drive” (may be called “First Drive”) and go to the previous menu with the “ESC” button

Please note that if we had selected a hard drive in the previous step, then in this list instead of a flash drive there would only be a hard drive!

To boot from a CD/DVD disk, you need to select “ATAPI CD-ROM” (or simply “CDROM”) in this menu; there is no need to go to the “Hard Disk Drives” menu. Now we save the results with the “F10” button or go to the “Exit” section of the BIOS and select “Exit Saving Changes”

We answer the question “OK.” And here is an example of an AMI BIOS that looks like Award. Here everything is the same by analogy, you need to go to the “Hard Disk Drives” submenu

and select your flash drive in the “1st Drive” item, and then select it in the “1st Boot Device” line in the previous screenshot instead of the hard drive

On computers and laptops everything is approximately the same. For example, on a regular Lenovo laptop, all devices are listed at once in the “Boot” section, which is very convenient. There is no confusion with priority and no additional menu items. You just need to set the boot order of the devices using the “F5/F6” buttons. That is, to boot from USB you just need to move the flash drive to the very top:

Just in case, I'll give you a transcript:

• USB HDD: flash drive or external hard drive
• ATAPI CD: this is a CD or DVD-ROM
• ATA HDD or simply HDD: hard drive
• USB FDD: external floppy drive
• USB CD: external disk drive

Watch the video on how to enter the AMI BIOS and set the boot device https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WojKPDi6a74

On some laptop models, such as the Lenovo G500, you need to press the OneKey Recovery key when the laptop is turned off.

Problems booting from USB devices

Where would we be without them? What to do if the computer does not boot from a flash drive? Let's look at the main problems. First, check if the USB controller is disabled in the BIOS. In Award, this can be checked in the “Advanced Chipset Features” or “Integrated Peripherals” section. Look for the “USB Controller” option, it should be in the “Enabled” state

In AMI, in the “Advanced” section, the “USB 2.0 Controller” option should be “Enabled” and “USB 2.0 Controller Mode” should be in the “HiSpeed” state

There may also be problems with the sockets on the front panel system unit– try connecting to the USB at the back of the computer.

If you have SETUP as in the photo, then on the “Startup” tab switch the “UEFI/Legacy Boot” value to the “Legacy Only” position

Then the reason may be in the flash drive itself or in the disk. They must definitely be bootable! You can check this on another computer where everything works.

On very old computers there is no way to boot from USB flash drives at all. If there is no newer BIOS available, then the PLOP project will help you. You need to download the latest version of Plop Boot Manager and unpack the archive. There are files there: plpbt.img - an image for a floppy disk, and plpbt.iso - an image for a CD.

Accordingly, if you have a floppy disk, then write the image for the floppy disk onto it, and if you have a CD-R/RW disk, then write the image for the disk. You can’t just copy the file onto the media, you need to use special programs. Next, boot from this disk and in the menu that appears you need to select your USB device. This way you can boot from flash drives even on very old computers.

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.

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 installed memory or the logo of the computer or motherboard manufacturer, press the desired button on the keyboard - the most common options are Delete and F2.

Press the Del key to enter the BIOS

Usually this information is available below home 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 item “Hard Disk Drives” ( Hard disks) 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 indicate DVD drive ROM. 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

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 CD 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 with the required 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 Windows versions, A motherboard with 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 to somehow change the settings and boot from desired device. In this case, I can offer two solutions.

Second, try disabling fast loading Windows, 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.

In instructions for installing and restoring the operating room Windows systems on various websites, experienced advisers recommend loading from USB flash drives. But few people explain how to do this, especially for inexperienced users! But in vain! This raises quite a few questions. I will try to fill this gap.

To begin with, I would like to note that very old PCs (“dinosaurs” that are 12-15 years old or more) may not have this function at all and you will not find it in the BIOS. Such specimens, although rare, are still found in nature.

Secondly, the flash drive itself must be made. That is, using a special program, a special bootloader is written to a USB disk, which subsequently starts the installation of the operating system.

When these two conditions are met, you can connect the removable drive to the connector of your computer or laptop. But then everything is not so simple - you must tell the device to boot from a flash drive. To do this, when loading, you need to click on the “Delete” button to enter the .

On a regular desktop PC, you usually need to go to the “Advanced Settings” section:

In most cases, the line for the first device in the boot order is First Boot Device. We stand on it and press the Enter button to open the menu available options. In order for the computer to boot from a removable drive, you need to install the USB-HDD option.
To apply and save configuration settings, press the F10 button.

In the dialog box that appears, place the cursor on “OK” and press the “Enter” button.

How to boot a laptop from a flash drive

In case of mobile computers- laptops, netbooks and ultrabooks - in order to boot from a flash drive or USB drive, you also need to go into the BIOS. Only, unlike regular PCs, you don’t need to press “Delete”, but usually “F2”.

The BIOS itself on a laptop also differs from a computer: first of all, it has a much smaller set of available options.
To boot a laptop from USB disk, select the “Boot” section.
Here you need to select the “1st Boot Priority” option and press “Enter” to get a list of available parameters.

We put the point USB Storage Device and press “Enter”. In some cases, on older laptops, in order to boot from a flash drive, you need to select the option External Device, if there is no option with USB.
Now you need to press F10 to exit the BIOS. The “Save and Reset” window will appear:

Select the “Yes” option and press “Enter”. Let's check the result.

Note: On some laptop models there is no device priority selection at all. In this case, in the “Boot” section there should be an item USB Boot:

It needs to be set to “Enabled”, then save the changes and reboot.

Computer boot menu

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that on modern PCs and laptops, when turned on, the user is prompted to use the quick boot menu - Boot Menu. It is usually assigned to the F12 key or one of a number of function buttons. After clicking on it, a menu similar to this will appear, in which all available boot devices will be displayed.

Hi all! Today I want to tell you how to set boot from flash drive in BIOS. Why this might be needed, for example, you made a bootable USB flash drive and want, for example, to install Windows 10. It may also be useful: when necessary, set to boot from DVD and CD in the BIOS. Many administrators who are just encountering this for the first time, for example, when restoring a system, may lose a lot of time due to ignorance, not understanding what they are doing wrong. I hope that this instruction will be useful to you and you will once and for all understand the principle of this action,

Via 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 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 Windows installation, you press the desired key, select the connected USB drive with the system distribution, begin the installation - setup, copying files, etc., and after the first reboot occurs, the computer will boot from hard drive and will continue the installation process as normal.

I wrote in great detail about entering this menu on laptops and computers of various brands in the article How to enter the Boot Menu.

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. 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.

I would like to give you a summary table of all the buttons for entering the BIOS from different manufacturers.

Changing the boot order in UEFI BIOS

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.

Menu for BIOS boot settings

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 that 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 Windows, 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.

Almost all laptop models produced today come without a built-in CD/DVD drive. Lenovo laptops are no exception. Bootable USB drive in this case, it is a useful tool for diagnosing and restoring the operating system or for installing a new OS.

There are several ways to boot Lenovo laptops from a bootable USB drive.

Booting from a USB drive (flash drive) by changing the priority is the best option when you need to unlock your PC using the Windows password recovery tool or fix a boot problem such as blue screen, failure to start the OS, etc.

To download you need:

BIOS Boot

1. When the BIOS menu appears, go to the “Boot” section using the left-right arrows on the keyboard.

   

2. Using the up and down buttons, select the “USB HDD” drive and use the “F6” and “F5” buttons to install it in the “Legacy” list above “SATA HDD”.

   

3. In addition to Legacy boot, the BIOS can support EFI boot. If there is an MBR table on the HDD, you need to select “Boot Priority” with the arrows, press “Enter” and instead of “UEFI First” set the arrows to “Legacy First” by pressing “Enter”.

   

   Reference! If there is an MBR partition table on the hard drive (an old version of HDD partitioning that works with partitions of no more than 2 TB), then the “Boot Priority” set to “UEFI First” may lead to a Windows installation error.

4. Press the “Esc” button to exit to the main page BIOS menu, and press the “F10” button to save the BIOS exit parameters. After restarting the laptop, it will start booting from the USB drive.

   

   

Phoenix – Award BIOS

If the Phoenix – Award BIOS is installed on the laptop, after entering the BIOS as standard, you must:

To boot Lenovo from a USB drive, you do not need to do so through BIOS Setup. Lenovo laptops have a special “Boot Menu” for this purpose.

To go to boot menu, necessary:

If you can’t enter the “Boot Manager” boot menu using the “F12” key, in this case on Lenovo laptops there is a special button with an arrow. This button is present on many Lenovo laptops and is called “Novo Button”.

To activate downloading using the “Novo Button” button:

Sometimes the laptop boots up so quickly that you cannot enter the BIOS by pressing the “F1”, “F2+Fn”, or “F12” button. If the laptop does not have a “Novo Button” button, but it can normally boot the operating system from the hard drive, then you can enter the UEFI BIOS boot menu directly from Windows 8/8.1/10.

How to enter the UEFI menu

For Windows 8/8.1

1. Move the mouse pointer to the upper or lower right corner of the display, and move the mouse up or down. The “Charm” panel will appear, where you need to click “Options” (gear icon).

   

2. In place of the “Charm” panel, the “Settings” panel will appear, at the bottom of which you need to select “Change computer settings”.

   

3. In the “PC Settings” window that appears, select “Update and Recovery.”

   

4. In the next window, select “Recovery” – “Restart now”.

   

For Windows 10

The last steps are the same for Windows 8/8.1 and 10:

As you can see, download options Lenovo laptop There are quite a lot of options from a USB drive, and each option offers its own solution, which is most suitable for the user in a particular case.

Read more detailed information with instructions in our new article -

Lenovo IdeaPad Z580 laptop: a home machine at the right price

If you're planning on purchasing a laptop that combines style and entertainment at an affordable price, Lenovo IdeaPad The Z580 is a great choice for this. Attractive appearance, good ergonomics, durable body, excellent performance - a laptop from Lenovo has all these qualities.

The build quality of the Z580 is also good, and despite some give in the plastic panels (the laptop comes in both aluminum and plastic casings), the chassis of the model is quite durable. The laptop offers bold, glossy lines and is one of the brightest budget laptops on the market.

Hidden under the attractive appearance of the IdeaPad Z580 are:

• processor: Intel Core i3/i5/i7, 2200–2900 MHz;
• core: Ivy Bridge/Sandy Bridge;
• RAM: 2-8 GB RAM;
• HDD: 320-1000 Gb;
• video HD Graphics 4000 plus GeForce GT 630M–645M.

Lenovo's glossy display is also impressive. With a screen diagonal of 15.6″, the matrix resolution is standard and is 1366×768 pixels. The monitor's brightness is also average, but the contrast reaches an impressive 260:1, which, along with good color reproduction, provides vibrant colors and makes it one of the best displays in its price category.

The laptop, while not lightweight, is 33 mm thick and weighs about 2.5 kg. Battery life – 5 hours.

Important! Based on real-world gaming tests, this is one of the fastest budget laptops around. If a buyer needs a fast laptop for everyday tasks without breaking the bank, the Lenovo IdeaPad Z580 will not disappoint.

Lenovo S920 smartphone, characteristics of the fast IdeaPhone

Another interesting solution from Lenovo - Lenovo smartphone IdeaPhone S920.

Phone characteristics:

• screen: IPS 5.3″, 16 million colors, 1280×720, touch, capacitive, multi-touch;
• Processor: 4-core MTK 6589, 1.2 GHz, PowerVR Series5XT video;
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• phone type: monoblock, 159 g, 154×77.7×7.9 mm;
• phone charging connector: micro-USB;
• communication type: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G;
• navigation: GPS, A-GPS;
• interfaces: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB;
• platform: Android 4.2 with ideaDesktop proprietary shell;
• Battery: Li-Pol 2250 mAh, 25 h rpm. (GSM), 12 h up. (WCDMA);
• camera: front 2 MP, rear 8 MP, flash, face and smile detector.

The IdeaPhone S920 boasts two SIM cards, but it is equipped with one radio module, which, for example, does not allow it to download a file on the Internet during a phone call.

The S920's photo quality is very good, but the ideaDesktop doesn't shine with its design. The battery allows the smartphone to work intensively for a day on one charge, which is a very good indicator. The speaker of the phone is high quality and loud.

The Lenovo IdeaPhone S920 isn't an outright bestseller, but it's a good choice for an all-in-one device, highlighted by its good camera, long battery life, and dual-SIM capabilities.

Video - How to boot from a flash drive or disk on a Lenovo laptop