A boot device is any storage medium such as a hard drive, USB flash drive, CD or DVD that contains bootable data and files required for starting up a computer or electronic device (Lenovo). When you turn on your computer, it loads the operating system files from the designated boot device in order to boot up. Selecting the boot device allows you to control which device your computer boots from on startup.
There are a few common reasons why someone may want to select their boot device on a Windows 10 computer (Computer Hope):
- Boot from an external device like a USB drive or DVD instead of the main hard drive
- Change the boot order if you have multiple internal drives
- Boot into Safe Mode for troubleshooting
- Recover or reinstall Windows from a recovery drive
Being able to select the boot device provides more control over the startup process.
Viewing Boot Options in Windows 10
There are a couple ways to access the boot menu and view the boot options in Windows 10:
One way is to press the F8 key while your computer is booting up, before the Windows logo appears. This will bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu. From here you can select Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, Safe Mode with Command Prompt, Enable Boot Logging, and other recovery options (Microsoft).
Another way is to press F12 or the proper boot menu key for your computer make and model as the computer is starting up. For Dell computers, it is typically F12. For HP, it can be F9 or F12. This will bring up a boot menu where you can select the device to boot from, like your hard drive, a USB drive, or recovery media (WikiHow).
So in summary, pressing F8 during startup will lead you to the Advanced Boot Options menu, while pressing F12 or the designated boot menu key will let you select the boot device on your computer.
Change Boot Order in UEFI Settings
The UEFI BIOS settings allow you to change the boot order and set the default boot device. Here’s how to change the boot order:
- Restart your computer and press the key to enter UEFI BIOS, usually Delete or F2.
- Navigate to the Boot tab or Boot Options.
- You will see a list of available boot devices. Use the arrow keys to highlight the device you want to be first in the boot order.
- Press + or F5 to move the highlighted device to the top of the boot order.
- Repeat this process until the devices are in the order you want.
- Press F10 to save changes and exit BIOS.
The computer will now boot following the new boot order. Be sure to select the correct device and position it first in the boot order if you want to always boot from that device by default [1].
Change Default Boot Device
The easiest way to change the default boot device in Windows 10 is by using the msconfig tool. Here’s how to do it:
1. Open the Start menu and type “msconfig” into the search bar. Hit Enter.
2. In the System Configuration window, click on the Boot tab.
3. Under Boot Options, check the checkbox for “Time to display list of operating systems”. This will show you the boot menu on startup.
4. Click on the operating system you want to set as the default boot device so that it is highlighted.
5. Click “Set as default”. This will set the selected operating system as the default boot device.[1]
6. Click OK and restart your computer. On startup, Windows 10 should now automatically boot into the operating system you selected.
This method allows you to easily change the default boot drive in Windows 10 without having to edit the BIOS/UEFI settings. The msconfig tool provides a simple graphical interface to select and set a new default boot device.
Boot From USB Drive
One of the most common ways to select a different boot device is to boot from a USB drive. This allows you to boot into a separate operating system installer or recovery image from the USB drive instead of the default internal hard drive.
To boot from a USB drive on Windows 10, first insert the USB drive into your computer. When powering on the computer, press the appropriate key during the boot process to access the boot menu, such as F12, F10, F2, or Esc. This varies by manufacturer. The key will be displayed on screen during boot up.
In the boot menu, select the USB drive as the boot device instead of the hard drive. This will boot the computer from the files on the USB drive. For a Windows 10 installer, it will launch the installer. For a recovery drive, it will boot into the recovery options.
If the boot menu option does not work, you may need to change the boot order in UEFI/BIOS settings. Access the UEFI firmware settings on boot, go to the Boot tab, and arrange Boot Option #1 as the USB drive. Save changes and exit. Now when booting, it will go directly to the USB drive before the hard drive.
Booting from USB can be useful for installing Windows, running diagnostics, accessing recovery tools, and more. Make sure the USB drive has been prepared correctly for the specific purpose needed. After one time boot, you can change the boot order back to boot from the hard drive as normal.
(Source)
Boot From CD/DVD
Booting from a CD or DVD allows you to start your computer using an operating system or bootable utility disc. This can be useful for installing or reinstalling Windows, running diagnostic tools, or accessing your files if Windows won’t start properly.
To boot from a CD or DVD on Windows 10:
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Insert the bootable CD or DVD into your computer’s disc drive and restart your PC. As it is restarting, press the boot menu key (F12, F2, Esc, etc. depending on your system) to access the boot options.
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Select the optical drive containing the disc as the boot device instead of the hard drive. This is often listed as “CD/DVD” or the optical drive name.
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The computer will now boot from the CD or DVD instead of the hard drive.
If your PC doesn’t display the boot menu on restart, you may need to adjust your BIOS settings. Access the BIOS setup utility on startup and look for a “Boot Order” section. Move the optical drive to the top of the boot order list so the system checks the CD/DVD drive first on bootup (source).
Make sure to save changes before exiting the BIOS. Now when you restart with a bootable disc inserted, your computer should automatically boot from the CD or DVD.
Boot Into Safe Mode
Safe Mode starts Windows 10 with a limited set of files and drivers to help troubleshoot problems. To enter Safe Mode in Windows 10:
- Open the Start menu and select the Power button.
- Hold down the Shift key while clicking Restart.
- After your PC restarts, you’ll see the Choose an option screen.
- Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
- After your PC restarts, you’ll see a list of startup settings.
- Press 5 or F5 to enter Safe Mode with Networking.
This will load Windows 10 in Safe Mode. You’ll see “Safe Mode” in the corners of your desktop. In Safe Mode, Windows loads only essential drivers and services to help diagnose system problems. Once you are done troubleshooting, restart your PC normally to exit Safe Mode. For more tips, see Microsoft’s guide to Safe Mode.
Recovery Options
If Windows 10 is having issues booting, you can access advanced startup and recovery options to troubleshoot and repair the operating system. To access these options, go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and select “Restart Now” under Advanced startup. This will reboot your PC into the advanced startup options screen.
From here, you can choose to continue booting Windows normally, enter UEFI Firmware Settings, access the Startup Settings menu, or go into Troubleshoot. The Troubleshoot menu provides various recovery tools like System Restore, Startup Repair, and Reset this PC. For example, Startup Repair can automatically diagnose and fix common boot issues like corrupt system files. You can also reset Windows to factory settings with the “Reset this PC” option https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/recovery-options-in-windows-31ce2444-7de3-818c-d626-e3b5a3024da5.
The advanced startup options provide a convenient way to access powerful recovery and diagnostic tools built into Windows 10 to fix boot issues and system problems. Just restart your PC, select Troubleshoot, and choose the appropriate recovery tool for your situation.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you are experiencing issues booting into Windows 10, here are some troubleshooting tips that may help resolve the problem:
Run Startup Repair – This automated repair tool can fix many common boot issues. Insert your Windows installation media, boot to it, and choose Repair Your Computer.
Use Windows 10 installation media to access the Command Prompt – From here, you can use commands like bootrec to rebuild the boot configuration data.
Check for corrupted system files with SFC and DISM – These built-in utilities can scan for and replace damaged Windows files.
Reset the BIOS to default settings if the boot order was modified – This clears out any boot changes made and restores the factory boot order.
Try booting into Safe Mode – Safe Mode loads only the essential drivers and services, which may help boot a system having driver conflicts or software issues.
Check for faulty hardware like RAM, hard drive, motherboard issues – Booting problems can sometimes stem from hardware failures, so run diagnostics tests.
Conclusion
Selecting the boot device in Windows 10 allows you to control which operating system or external drive the computer starts up from. This gives you flexibility to boot into different environments like Safe Mode for troubleshooting or boot from external media to reinstall Windows.
The key methods covered include using the Boot Options menu in Windows, changing the boot order in UEFI/BIOS settings, setting the default OS, and selecting one-time boot devices like USB drives. With these options, you can easily choose the desired startup device.
The main benefits of selecting a boot device on startup include fixing issues through Safe Mode, reinstalling Windows from external media, dual-booting operating systems, and overall control of the boot process. Understanding the various methods to select boot devices enables you to customize and troubleshoot the startup experience in Windows 10.