Sep 23, 2024 • Filed to: Windows Computer Solutions • Proven solutions
Gone are the days when Windows systems can only be booted from a CD/DVD. Now, users can create a bootable partition on their USB flash drive and use it at the time of need. If your system has been crashed or is not able to boot in an ideal way, then you can change its booting source to a USB drive. In this way, you can easily boot your Windows PC from the attached USB flash drive. Read on and learn how to do the same in two different ways.
If you are lucky, your computer will have a boot menu, and you need to find it. Follow these steps to get access to the computer’s boot menu.
NOTE - Most of the desktops are either shipped with Windows 8 or 10 uses, also known as UEFI-based desktop. On such desktop’s you can always find an advanced boot menu option.
This is the most common way to boot a Windows system from a connected USB drive. Every system has a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) option that users can access. In this way, they can customize the BIOS settings and set the attached USB drive as a primary source for booting. You can access the BIOS options by pressing the BIOS Entry key when the system is turning on. The key can be different from one system to another. Here we can press F12 to enter PhoenixBIOS:
Step 5: From here, you can see the priority of the sources used by the BIOS. Now, using the + (add) and the – (minus) key, you can prioritize the Removable Devices at the top.
While the approach is the same, the overall interface and the keys can differ from one model to another. Nevertheless, by following these simple steps, you would be able to boot your computer from a USB drive without any trouble.
Manufacturer | Model | BIOS Entry key |
---|---|---|
HP | HP and Compaq Desktop PCs (Built-in 2006 or later (came with Vista or Windows 7)) | F10 |
HP | HP and Compaq Desktop PCs (Built before 2006 (XP or earlier) ) | F1 |
HP | HP Notebook PCs | F10 |
DELL | Dell Inspiron, Dell Dimension, Dell Precision, Dell Optiplex, Dell Vostro Dell XPS | F2 |
DELL | Dell Latitude | Fn+F1 |
Acer | Aspire, Power, Veriton, Extensa, Ferrari, TravelMate, Altos | DEL Or F2 |
Gateway | DX, FX, One, GM, GT, GX, Profile, Astro | F1 |
Gateway | Older model | F2 |
Lenovo | Lenovo | F2 |
Fujitsu, NEC, Sharp | Fujitsu, NEC, Sharp | F2 |
Toshiba | Portégé, Satellite, Tecra, Equium | F1 or ESC |
Toshiba | Toshiba Equium | F12 |
Shuttle | Glamor G-Series, Do, Prima P2-Series, Workstation, X Mini XPC, Surveillance | F1 or DEL |
Phoenix | Phoenix BIOS | F2 |
AMD (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.) | AMD® (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.) BIOS | F1 |
Award | Award BIOS | DEL |
AMI (American Megatrends, Inc.) | AMI (American Megatrends, Inc.) BIOS | DEL |
Besides accessing the BIOS user interface, users can directly go to the Boot Options Menu as well. Just like a BIOS Entry Key, most of the systems also have a Boot menu key that can be used to select the primary booting device. Though, before you proceed, you need to ensure your system follows legacy support for booting.
Additionally, you should also be familiar with the Boot menu key on your computer. Here are some popular options:
By following these simple solutions, you can easily learn how to boot a computer from a USB drive. You can try either of these options and set the desired booting source for your computer. Go ahead and give it a try. If you face any problems, let us know about them in the comments below.
Manufacturer | Laptop | Desktop computer |
---|---|---|
HP | F9 or ESC | F12 |
DELL | F12 | ESC |
Acer | F12 | ESC |
Lenovo | F12 | F12 |
Thinkpad | F12 | F12 |
Asus | Esc | F8 |
GIGABYTE | F12 | F12 |
MSI | F11 | F11 |
Samsung | F12 | F12 |
Microsoft surface Pro | Volume- | Volume- |
Sony | Esc | Esc |
Toshiba | F12 | F12 |
Fujitsu | F12 | F12 |
Gateway | F12 | F12 |
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View More >If your computer doesn't boot from the USB drive, there may be several reasons why, such as a faulty USB drive, incorrect BIOS/UEFI settings, or a corrupted bootable image. Try the following troubleshooting steps:
With the right kind of information and devices, it will not be difficult to install an operating system through USB. USB is one of the most reliable and best options when it comes to installing software.
However, you must keep a backup of important files because when you burn the ISO file on it, all the files and data will disappear. In case you lost your data; Wondershare Recoverit software will revive all your data back. All you have to do is download and install the tool in your system and leave the rest to the recover it tool.
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David Darlington
staff Editor