How to start a computer from an installation flash drive. What is BIOS and UEFI

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You have bootable DVD or a flash drive, now you need to make sure that the computer can boot from them.

There are 2 ways to boot your computer from a DVD or flash drive:

Selecting a device in the boot menu
Changing boot priority in BIOS

Each method has pros and cons.

If you need, for example, to install Windows, then it is more convenient to choose the first method. And if you constantly work with boot disks, then the second method is more convenient.

Features of selecting a device in the boot menu

On older computers (motherboards) the function is missing. In this case, you will have to change the priority in the BIOS.
When you select a device in the menu, the computer boots from this device 1 time. This is convenient when installing Windows - there is no need to return booting from the HDD after the first reboot.

Features of changing priority in BIOS

Works on both new and old computers.
The priority change is constant, i.e. lasts until the next change, and not one load as in the case of the menu. This is not very convenient when installing Windows from a flash drive; you have to return booting from the HDD after the first reboot.

How to enter the boot menu or BIOS?

There is no universal button for entering boot menu nor to enter the BIOS. It all depends on the computer manufacturer (motherboard), they are all different - the keys are also different. Most The right way find the desired key- read the instructions from the computer (motherboard). For some of the most common boards, the keys are listed below.

The only time when you need to press these keys is during self-test immediately after turning on the computer (English - Power-On Self-Test or POST). Without going into details, POST lasts from turning on the computer until the operating system starts loading (the logo or OS selection menu appears). The POST pass looks something like this:

A prompt appears on the screen: Press DEL to run Setup, which means - click DEL to login BIOS Setup. DEL is the most common key, but there are many others - more on that below.

During POST, a graphical splash screen may be displayed with the name of the computer or motherboard manufacturer.

Keys to enter the boot menu and brief instructions

As noted above, each manufacturer has its own key to enter the boot menu. Here is a short list of the most common ones:

The boot menu looks something like this:

All you have to do is choose required device from the list. If everything is done correctly, the disk or flash drive is written correctly, the download/installation should begin.

Keys to enter BIOS and brief instructions for changing boot priority

To enter BIOS Setup, use the key corresponding to the manufacturer of the computer or motherboard, here is a small list of them:


Acer (Aspire, Altos, Extensa, Ferrari, Power, Veriton, TravelMate):	F2 or Del
Acer (older models):	F1 or Ctrl+Alt+Esc
	F2 or Del



Compaq (Deskpro, Portable, Presario, Prolinea, Systempro):
Compaq (older models):	F1, F2, F10, or Del
Dell (Dimension, Inspiron, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision, Vostro, XPS):
Dell (old and rare models):	Ctrl+Alt+Enter or Fn+Esc or Fn+F1 or Del or Reset twice
ECS (Elitegroup)	Del or F1
eMachines (eMonster, eTower, eOne, S-Series, T-Series):	Tab or Del
eMachines (some older models):

Fujitsu (Amilo, DeskPower, Esprimo, LifeBook, Tablet):

Hewlett-Parkard (HP Alternative, Tablet PC):	F2 or Esc or F10 or F12
Hewlett-Parkard (OmniBook, Pavilion, Tablet, TouchSmart, Vectra):

Lenovo (3000 Series, IdeaPad, ThinkCentre, ThinkPad, ThinkStation):	F1 or F2
Lenovo (older models):	Ctrl+Alt+F3, Ctrl+Alt+Ins or Fn+F1
MSI (Micro-Star)
	F2, F10 or Del

Sony (VAIO, PCG-Series, VGN-Series):	F1, F2 or F3
Toshiba (Portege, Satellite, Tecra):	F1 or Esc

You can find less common hotkeys for entering the BIOS.

In addition to the fact that there are several main BIOS manufacturers (AMI, Phoenix - Award), computer (motherboard) manufacturers also modify the BIOS to suit specific model. As a result, it is impossible to create universal instructions Even by changing one function (boot priority), there will be differences on each computer. You can only roughly show how this is done, but look for exact instructions in the documentation for your computer (motherboard).

To navigate through the BIOS and change settings, use the arrow keys on your keyboard. Enter And + \- .

AMI

Use the arrows to move to the tab Boot, let's go to Boot Device Priority:

In the following figure we see that loading is performed sequentially: from a floppy drive (Floppy Drive), hard drive ( Hard Drive), and the third device is not used (Disabled).

If we want to boot from a DVD, we need to change the priorities so that the first device is the DVD drive. Use arrows to switch to the first device ( 1st Boot Device), press Enter and select from the menu that appears CDROM. Everything is the same with a flash drive.

Click F10 and confirm the exit with saving (Save and Exit) by selecting .

Phoenix Award

We enter Advanced BIOS Features:

If we want to boot from a DVD, we need to change the priorities so that the first device is the DVD drive.

Use arrows to switch to the first device ( First Boot Device), change to CDROM. Everything is the same with a flash drive.

Click F10 and confirm exit with saving (Save and Exit).

Do you know other keys or want to find out more? Comments are open!

Enjoy using it!

If you need to install Windows 7 from a flash drive via BIOS, then our article will be a great help for you.

Installing a new operating system on your computer is enough common problem, which can occur due to the slightest malfunction of the system or the actions of an inept PC user.

This issue also became relevant in connection with the statement by official representatives of Windows about the suspension technical support XP operating system.

Today, almost all users have completely switched to the so-called seven.

Our step-by-step instructions will help you quickly and easily bring your computer back to life.

Preparing the computer to reinstall Windows

Before you start working on new software, you need to properly prepare your PC. First you need to remember what important information stored on your computer and save it to a portable storage device.

Particular attention should be paid local disk C, this is where it is saved greatest number information. Almost all users store their media files (photos, videos) in the “My Documents” folder or directly on the desktop.

These files are often located on the disk along with the already installed OS. You can also use the free space of another local drive to save information.

Very important before reinstalling Windows check if the PC has drivers for network card.

If you install new system via USB, and then it turns out that the distribution does not have drivers for the network card, then you will not be able to configure the drivers and Internet connection.

For your own confidence, it is better to once again make sure that the drivers are available. Also, be sure to check if you have drivers for sound card, audio cards, video cards, etc.

Preparing a flash card for software installation

To install an operating system from a flash drive, we recommend following these rules:

The minimum size of the flash drive must be 4 GB. This is the amount of space required to save all important components and files;
Mandatory training Windows 7 distribution for recording and saving its image (*iso format);
Selecting a program to create a disk image.

Advice! One of best utilities UltralSO is considered to create a disk image. Latest version located on the developer's website

We install and run the utility on the PC, and then select a pre-selected disk image from it. Step-by-step instruction using the program will help you quickly understand all the intricacies.

Launch

2. Now the main working window opens in front of you

3. Let's move on to recording the image hard drive

4. Now you need to connect the flash memory and enable formatting. When the flash drive formatting process is completed, you can start recording.

5. After recording is complete, the space on your flash drive will contain Windows, with which you will perform the reinstallation.

Comment! To create a flash drive for installing the system via BIOS, you can use the toolsWindows.

Setting up Bios to work with a bootable USB flash drive

One connection installation flash drive to a PC to install new software is not enough; preliminary configuration of the computer is required so that when it is turned on, it starts to boot from it.

All settings are made in Bios. Any laptop or computer has a Bios that stores important settings, including remembering the order in which devices should boot. It is this setting that we now need for further fruitful work.

To start the Bios, you need to hold or press a certain key on the keyboard when you turn on the computer.

You can find out which key we need from the information on the monitor. Typically these keys are Esc, Delete, F2. If you have entered Bios, one of the following screens will appear in front of you:

If your login attempt fails, restart your computer again and try starting the BIOS again. To make things easier for you, we have placed a table with the main options turning on Bios.

Keyboard combinations for logging inBIOS depending on manufacturerBIOS

Basic key combinations for launchingBIOS depending on laptop and computer manufacturers

After you get into the Bios, you need to find the option that is responsible for loading devices. Usually it is in the menu and its name contains the word BOOT. Other options are not excluded; you may even have to look.

Here are some examples:

As a rule, selecting the main device to boot is done by pressing the arrows on the keyboard, although sometimes there are other control methods. If you can’t figure it out yourself, then refer to the help that appears in the BIOS.

In our case, in the role of the first boot device acts as USB-HDD (there may be another name). After selecting it, you need to exit the Bios and save all settings using the Save and Exit Setup item.

After this step, the computer should reboot and we will move on to the main stage for which we are here.

Installing Windows 7 using a bootable USB flash drive

If everything was correctly written to the flash drive space, and the correct settings were made in the BIOS, then you will see the following message on the monitor screen, which says that you should press any key to activate the boot.

If there is no such inscription, then you will have to check your actions. To do this, go to Bios and make sure that the boot from flash drive setting is saved. If there are no errors in the Bios, then most likely you were unable to create a bootable USB flash drive and you need to repeat the whole process again.

If there is an inscription, then congratulations, your installation Windows new The version via BIOS has started. Some installation images in addition to the operating system itself, they also contain various additional programs, then you will have to select the required item from the menu.

It is also worth saying that some disks perform most of the settings described below by default. There is no need to worry about this, since all settings can be changed after the software installation process is completed.

A welcome screen appears in front of you, on which you select the necessary data. After the setup has been completed, click on the “Next” button, and then “Install”.

Conditions appear in a new window license agreement, which you, of course, read very carefully, and then agree by checking the box in the specially designated box and clicking the “Next” button.

The final stage of installation

In a new window you will have to select what type of installation we require. We need full type. Next, you will have to do a little work with the disk on which the new version of the software will be written.

To do this, select the required disk partition in the menu and click on the “Disk Setup” button, after which we start formatting.

We have already described how this is done above. Here you just need to change from USB-HDD to the name of your disk. This is a very easy action that should not cause you any difficulties.

Once the reboot is complete, Windows installation will continue.

Enter names for the computer, laptop and users.
Set a password, if necessary.
Enter the name of the license key, if you have one (you can skip this step).
Selecting security settings (“Recommended settings”).
We set the date and time.
We configure the network.

Thanks to these simple steps, you can install Windows 7 through the BIOS using a flash drive.

In the last article we talked about that. Now I'll tell you how to set it up Computer BIOS to install Windows from a disk or flash drive.

1. What is BIOS and UEFI

Each motherboard has special program to boot your computer and configure settings various devices. This program is flashed (programmed) into a special chip on the motherboard and is therefore called firmware.

Previously, all motherboards had firmware called BIOS, which had a simple graphical interface with white letters on a blue background and was limited in functionality. For example, in the BIOS it was impossible to use the mouse, select a language, and there were no graphic elements(pictures) due to the limited volume of the chip BIOS memory. Also, motherboards with BIOS did not support disks larger than 2 TB due to limitations of the old disk partitioning system (MBR).

Nowadays, many motherboards have a new type of firmware called UEFI, which has improved graphical interface using beautiful background, hand-drawn buttons, the ability to select a language (including Russian) and some improvements. For example, support for a new type of disk partition (GPT), which allows you to use hard disks volume more than 2 TB.

What type of firmware your motherboard has can be found in its manual, on the website of the motherboard or laptop manufacturer, and also visually when entering the Setup configuration program. The Setup program is also flashed into the motherboard and is used to change BIOS or UEFI settings.

2. How to enter BIOS Setup

To enter the Setup program, immediately after turning on the computer, press the “Delete” button on the keyboard. On some motherboards and laptops, the “F2”, “F10” or “Esc” keys are used for this. You can read which button to press in the messages that appear immediately after turning on the computer.

In text form

Graphically

If you don’t have time to read, then press the “Pause” button on your keyboard to pause the download. You can continue loading by pressing any key. If you press the key designated to enter Setup, you will immediately be taken to the motherboard setup program.

Classic BIOS

UEFI interface

3. Basics of working in Setup

3.1. Control keys

The Setup program is a set of various parameters, grouped on separate tabs, depending on their purpose. On the right or below there will be a description of the keys with which all actions are performed.

To navigate between tabs, you usually use the “right” and “left” arrows on the keyboard. To move between lines within one tab, use the down and up arrows.

To change values, use the arrows to navigate to the required field, press the Enter key, and then use the arrows to select a new value from the drop-down menu. For this, the “+”, “-” or “Page Up”, “Page Down” keys can also be used.

To return up a level or to the previous page, press the Esc key. The “Esc” key on one of the main tabs will mean exiting the BIOS without saving the settings, which you will need to confirm or refuse to exit.

In the Setup program with the UEFI interface, you can perform all actions using the mouse.

3.2. Saving settings

This is very important point. After completing all necessary settings go to the “Exit” tab, select the “Exit and Save Changes” item using the arrows (“Exit and Save Changes”, the word order may be different), press “Enter” and confirm saving the settings by selecting the “OK” or “Yes” arrows and again "Enter".

You can save the settings much easier and faster by pressing the “F10” key on the keyboard and confirming your decision. This key works in many versions of BIOS, UEFI and is often indicated in tooltips (bottom or right).

3.3. Cancel Settings

If you accidentally changed something or are not sure about the correct settings, then go to the “Exit” tab and select “Exit and Discard Changes” or press the “Esc” key until a message appears about exit without change settings and confirm the action (“OK” or “Yes”).

3.4. Restoring settings

To restore all settings to optimal values By default, go to the “Exit” tab and select “Load Setup Default”. After this, you can immediately change other settings or simply exit the BIOS and save the settings (“Exit and Save Changes” or “F10”).

4. Download options

Insert a bootable disk or flash drive into the computer on which you plan to install Windows. Now to get started Windows installation, you need to configure the BIOS (or UEFI) using the Setup program to boot from a disk or flash drive. You can also use the special boot menu of the motherboard (Boot Menu) for this. The last option is simpler and more convenient, but we will consider both methods.

5. BIOS setup

5.1. Changing boot priority

Go to the "Boot" or "Download" tab.

Install your DVD drive or flash drive first in boot device order.

If you install Windows from a disk, then the first item is to select a device like “ATAPI CD-ROM”, a name indicating the manufacturer or model of the drive. For example, “CDROM:PM-HL-DT-STDVD-RAM GH22NP” (this is an LG DVD drive).

If you plan to install Windows from a flash drive, then first choose something like “Removable Dev.” or the name of the flash drive indicating the manufacturer. For example, “USB: Patriot Memory” (this is a “PATRIOT” flash drive).
Transcend JetFlash 790 8Gb

The second one should be HDD, which is designated as “Hard Drive”, “HDD” or the interface to which it is connected, the manufacturer and model of the disk. For example, “SATA:3M-SAMSUNG HD502HJ” (this is a 500 GB Samsung hard drive with a SATA interface).

Please note that in the “Boot” section there may be other items responsible for boot priority, such as “ Hard Disk Drives" or "Removable Device Priority".

They also need to check that the DVD drive or flash drive comes first.

If you have two hard drives, then the one on which you install the system should be higher. But in this case, I recommend disconnecting one of the disks to avoid confusion and possible errors in installing the system. It can be connected after installation.

In the Setup program with the UEFI interface, everything is done similarly. Look for the “Boot” or “Download” section, find your DVD drive or flash drive there and move it to the very top of boot priority. Plus, you can use a mouse for this, which is easier and more convenient.

5.2. SATA controller operating mode

In principle, this is not so important, but many people are interested in this issue, so I decided to clarify it a little. SATA drives can operate in compatibility mode with more old IDEs disks and in more modern AHCI mode. AHCI gives a small increase in hard disk performance when multiple simultaneous accesses are made to it. This mode of disk operation occurs mainly on servers and for ordinary home computer practically useless.

When setting up the BIOS, you can select the mode SATA work controller.

These settings may be located in different places and have slightly different names, but the principle is the same everywhere. You are offered IDE compatibility mode or new mode AHCI.

In general, IDE compatibility mode is recommended for Windows XP, since it does not natively have SATA drivers and simply will not see the hard drive, which will not allow Windows to be installed. Drivers can be built into the Windows installation distribution, but this makes no sense, since it will not affect the speed of operation and may add problems.

There is an easier and more convenient way to boot from a DVD or flash drive for both BIOS and UEFI - boot using the “Boot Menu”.

To call the boot menu, the “F8”, “F10”, “F11”, “F12” or “Esc” keys can be used. They can often be seen in tips on home screen computer boot. You can also find out this information from the instructions, on the website of the motherboard or laptop manufacturer, by searching on the Internet, or at random.

Immediately after turning on the computer, press and hold the “Boot Menu” key until the boot device selection menu appears.

Use the down and up arrows to navigate to the DVD drive or flash drive and press Enter.
Sandisk Cruzer

The advantages of this method are obvious - no need to delve into the BIOS, no need to return it later BIOS settings back (although this is not always necessary) and it is enough to call this menu only once, since after the start of Windows installation it will no longer be needed. Additionally, using the "Boot Menu" does not change the BIOS or UEFI settings.

7. Download problems

Friends, due to the fact that many people had problems with loading when installing Windows and some wrote about it in the comments, I decided to do separate section, where I collected the methods known to me to solve these problems.

If the computer stops booting at the very beginning and asks you to press F1, after which it enters the BIOS, then you most likely either have a low battery on the motherboard (the timing may be off), problems with the processor cooler (failure, not connected there) or hard drive (errors in SMART).
If the message “Reboot and Select proper Boot device or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key" this means that the boot area on the disk or flash drive is not found or is damaged. Try booting from the installation disk or flash drive with using Boot Menu (section 6 of the article), if it doesn’t help, do it bootable media again using the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool.
If, after restarting the computer, the Windows installation starts from the beginning, then remove the boot disk or flash drive and restart the computer, the installation should continue from the hard drive.
Disconnect all unnecessary USB devices (flash drive, 3G modem, smartphone, printer) from the computer. You only need to leave the mouse, keyboard, DVD or flash drive from which you are installing Windows.
If you have several hard drives, then disconnect all drives from the motherboard, except the one on which Windows will be installed.
Reset BIOS settings to default (described in this article).
If the installer does not see the disk or error 0x0000007B appears at the end, change to BIOS mode SATA controller from AHCI to IDE or vice versa.
If every time you boot your computer or laptop itself enters the BIOS or opens the boot menu, then set the Boot Pop Menu option in the BIOS to Disable (if any).
Disable Fast Boot in the Advanced section of the BIOS, and in the Boot section set the Launch CSM option to Enable (if available).
In the Boot section of the BIOS, change the boot mode from EFI (UEFI) to Legacy (if available).
Set the Secure Boot option in the BIOS to Disable (if available).
Select in BIOS version installed Windows (if any).
If you have a laptop, one Windows version is installed, but the other one is not and the BIOS setup tips did not help you, then contact support or the manufacturer’s forum. Updating the BIOS may also help, after which it may appear additional options(clauses 8-12).
If possible, from a DVD, since there are many different problems with flash drives.
Make from .
Insert the flash drive into the USB 2.0 connector on the back of the computer (motherboard) or the USB 2.0 connector of the laptop. Booting from USB 3.0 does not always work.
Try using the Boot Menu, as described in paragraph 6 of this article. This method is simpler and more reliable than setting boot priority in the BIOS and you can determine whether the computer sees your flash drive.
An underscore on a black screen indicates that the computer freezes while accessing a flash drive or hard drive. If the download continues without a flash drive, then that’s definitely the problem.
If the computer does not see the flash drive or does not want to boot from it, use a DVD or other flash drive for installation.
If this is not possible, then change the type of flash drive from “removable media” to “hard drive” using the “BootIt Next Generation” utility, format it with the “HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool" and make it bootable again using the "Windows USB/DVD Download Tool". You can download all these utilities below in the “Links” section.
If the problem occurs after selecting the Windows installation partition, then use the tips for setting up the BIOS (sections 7-12). When installing, remove old partitions from the disk or do it using boot disk Acronis Disk Director.
If the installer reports that it cannot install Windows on the disk, then try running it or back.

Let me remind you that to exit the BIOS and save the settings, use the F10 key.

8. Links

In the following articles we will look at how to install, and.

Sandisk Cruzer
Transcend JetFlash 790 8Gb
Sandisk Cruzer

Hello dear readers of the site, I continue how to set boot in bios, just now I'll tell you how to boot windows from flash drives .

It happens that for some reason the CD-ROM does not work or you have a netbook and there is no seedrom. Therefore, you don’t have to do anything like boot Windows from a flash drive. And cleaning the computer no longer helps, neither with nor with. And the biggest snag comes in installing how to boot a flash drive into the BIOS from USB. Now let's look at the methods.

Now I will give examples of how you can boot into the BIOS from a flash drive. But also, if something is not clear, you can look at the article, maybe there I explained in more detail about the process itself.

How to set boot from flash in BIOS

A window like this appears or see below if different:

We go to the selected item.

In point First Boot Device choose Hard Disk(or maybe USB-HDD or USB-FDD) and press Enter.

We put it there boot from flash drive to the first place, sometimes by simply pressing the Enter key, and sometimes by pressing + or -, or maybe F5 or F6, usually it is written on the bottom right.

Select and save F10 and Enter.

There is such a BIOS, it’s even easier with it, but you may need to find the menu again Hard Disk Boot.

Modern Bios

In modern BIOS everything is simpler. There are several options to choose from. The first one is when the BIOS is loaded, you can simply drag the flash drive to the first place with the mouse and save the changes by pressing F10. But if you don’t have such a function, then go to advanced settings (Advanced Mode) or if there is a boot tab.

In the advanced settings, go to the boot tab and go down until you see the device boot lines. We go to point number 1 enter.

Download options will appear. Select the flash drive and save with F10.

You may also have USB disabled and then you will not be able to boot. To do this, enable it, usually these are the following items:

I gave an example of common cases booting windows from flash drive. If something doesn’t work out, write, I will always answer, good luck =)

P/S: Read the next article detailed installation Windows XP and 7 version. Let's look at the installation in detail in pictures, both for beginners and experienced users. And that’s all for this article on how to install a flash drive in the BIOS =)

There are sometimes quite unpleasant situations when operating system"flies away." And to restore you need the original disk. If one is not available, you can record the image on regular flash drive. But here's the problem - what to do when the BIOS does not allow booting from a flash drive? Many users simply do not know what to do and are lost in this matter. Let's try to dot all the i's.

How to enable it in BIOS using the simplest method?

To set these parameters, you must first decide how exactly you will enter the BIOS. The most common way is to use the Del, F2, F12, etc. keys.

However, on the same laptops Sony Vaio access is carried out using special button ASSIST, located on the keyboard panel. On some laptops, the BIOS can only be accessed by calling the primary boot menu using the Esc key.

How can I set the BIOS to boot from a flash drive? Yes, very simple. After calling the I/O system, you need to go to the boot section. Here you need to find the boot priority line, which may have different names, depending on the developer and manufacturer of the BIOS (Boot Device Priority, Boot Sequence, etc.). In any case, something like this will be present. But that's not the point.

What to do if the BIOS does not allow booting from a flash drive?

It also happens that bootable flash drive is not recognized by the primary I/O system. With what it can be connected? There are usually several reasons for this:

incorrectly recorded image or installation distribution;
damage to the USB drive itself.

To make sure that all the steps for booting from a flash drive are completed correctly, there are several steps you need to take. For now, let’s leave the question of how to enable booting from a flash drive in the BIOS in the background, and move on to pressing problems.

Checking in Device Manager

Let's start with the last point. When checking the device itself for its functionality, there can be two options: either it is faulty itself, or the accompanying driver responsible for recognizing the flash drive by the operating system is missing or incorrectly installed.

In case of malfunctions everything is clear. The device will simply have to be replaced. But here's what to do when it is in working order (according to at least, is detected on another computer or laptop)? We need to check its functionality. And to do this, in the simplest version, you just need to insert it into the appropriate USB 2.0/3.0 port, and then call the standard “Device Manager” through the “Control Panel” or use the devmgmt command in the “Run” menu bar (Win + R).

Let's assume that after inserting into a port, it may either not be displayed in the manager or be displayed with yellow icon, on which it is present. In the second case, everything is simple: you need to install or produce re-installation drivers. It may very well be that the system itself does not find a suitable driver, although it should do this automatically. But this mostly concerns non-standard devices. Flash drives like Transcend are usually recognized immediately.

If the device is not displayed in the corresponding manager, there may also be two reasons: either the corresponding universal USB controller driver is not installed, or the port itself is faulty. Again, you should install the driver (the controller is indicated yellow or is not in the manager at all), or try to plug the flash drive into a different port. It is worth considering that if the device is designed exclusively for data transfer only with USB 3.0 support, when connected to standard port 2.0 it will not be determined.

Formatting USB device partitions

Let’s leave aside the question of how to boot from a flash drive in the BIOS for now, and let’s move on to the procedures, without which even recording an image to install the system on the device may be in vain.

First of all, if the device has problems in operation or no action can be taken with it, you should first format it. In this case, it is not advisable to quickly clear the table of contents, but it is better to full formatting. Only in this case will the file system contained on it ensure correct data transfer and reading.

This operation is performed in standard Explorer. On the device you just need to right-click and select the appropriate line from the menu. In the new window, be sure to uncheck the quick formatting line, and then activate the start of the process. Depending on the total volume, this may take a long time.

Creating a bootable distribution

If we consider the question of how to set boot from a flash drive in the BIOS even more broadly, we cannot ignore the issue of creating a boot image and transferring it to the drive. This can be done using UltraISO utilities or something similar.

However, the original installer must be used as the source. Windows disk. Actually, it’s not that difficult, so there’s no point in dwelling on this in detail. And if the BIOS does not allow booting from a flash drive, in the future it all comes down to correctly transferring the image or unpacked distribution files to the drive. Here you will have to tinker a little.

Media preparation

In case of use own funds system, even after formatting with a USB device, you still need to perform a series of additional actions(assuming the image has already been created with original disc using the same UltraISO programs or even 7-Zip, and the flash drive is in working condition and connected to a computer or laptop).

First we call command line(cmd in the “Run” menu), always on behalf of the system administrator. In the console that appears, enter and press the enter button.

After this, use the list disk command, again, followed by pressing Enter keys, after which we look through the available disks and remember the number of the USB device. To accurately check the USB drive number, you can use the diskmgmt.msc command entered in the Run menu.

Now in the console you need to enter select command disk and specify the number of the disk you are looking for, separated by a space. Next, the device should be cleared of its contents using the clean command.

The next step is to create a primary boot partition. This is done using the create partition primary command followed by entering. After confirmation of a successful operation appears on the screen, use the select partition 1 command, then - active (to activate the selected partition) and finally - format fs=ntfs quick for formatting with selection If you need to create a file FAT systems 32, a similar one is used format command fs=fat32 quick.

The next step is to assign a name to the device using the assign command (the name will be assigned automatically). Finally, enter exit and finish the job. The bootable USB device is ready to use. All that remains is to correctly transfer the distribution files to it.

Transferring data to a flash drive

On at this stage no more configuration required. We don’t yet need a BIOS to boot from a flash drive, but we will need the 7-Zip program. In the very simple version with its help you can correctly copy installation files to the media (roughly speaking, extract them from the image).

Let's launch Zip utility File Manager from the standard “Explorer”, then select the installation distribution image previously created or downloaded from the Internet, specify the USB flash drive as the final device and confirm the actions by pressing the OK button. At the end of the process, the media will be completely ready for use.

Start download

Now let’s move on to the question of how to set the BIOS to boot from a flash drive directly. We reboot the system and at the initial stage press a key or key combination to enter the BIOS settings. Usually these are Del, F2, F12 (for ASUS laptops, BIOS loading from a flash drive is done this way), but other keys or combinations described above can also be used. Depending on the manufacturer of the equipment, you may first need to call up the main menu. This situation is typical for laptops like HP - booting from a flash drive (BIOS) is installed somewhat differently, although the operations themselves are very similar.

In the boot section, look for the Boot Device Priority item and look at the line 1-st Boot Device. By pressing the PgDn key, we select the desired device, after which we exit and save the parameters (as a rule, this is done using the F10 key). This is followed by a reboot, and the installation starts automatically.

However, it is not enough to know how to select boot from a flash drive in the BIOS. It is important to remember that you should call up the settings of the primary I/O system only when a USB device is connected before starting to boot your computer or laptop. Otherwise, the flash drive simply will not be detected.

How to fix problems?

Now let's look at a situation where the device seems to be working, since all the steps described above were supposedly performed correctly, but in fact there is still no boot from a flash drive in the BIOS. What to do in this case?

We use the same command line. Let's assume that the USB device in the system is designated by the letter F, and optical drive- E. Now you need to enter the command E:\Boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 F: (F is a flash drive in our case, and E is a disk drive).

Alternative method

If this does not work, enter the following one by one:

F:\Boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 F:

After this, everything will definitely work as expected.

Compatibility issues

If none of the above methods help, first you should pay attention to the state of the drivers. In the very optimal option you can use programs like Driver Booster, which are able to update drivers automatically.

If everything is fine with them, the reason may be that the user is trying to install a 32-bit system over a 64-bit one. In addition, the file system on the USB drive and the installation distribution may also differ in terms of bit depth. Actually, the flash drive itself may not support USB ports 3.0, in which it is included. Here you need to be very careful.

Instead of a total

That, in fact, is all that concerns how to set boot from a flash drive in the BIOS. Of course, many users may have questions about the advisability of using the system’s own tools for preliminary actions, after all automated programs make it much faster and easier. But here I would like to note that such knowledge is extremely important, and programs in case of failures in Internet access are also not always available.

But prerequisite, as is already clear, is a disk image that is created based on the original or downloaded from the Internet. You can't go anywhere without him. It remains to add that attention should also be focused on the bit depth of the installed system, since the 32-bit version is on top of the 64-bit version without formatting system partition will not install. This is only due to the fact that OS versions require 32 bits and 64-bit modifications require at least NTFS. And the flash drive itself must contain the corresponding file systems FAT or NTFS, not UDP, as is sometimes the case. As for the volume, 4 GB will be quite enough for any system, including even the tenth modification that is gaining popularity.