If you're locked out of your Windows computer and need to boot from a USB drive, you may use Boot Menu (newer devices) or BIOS Setup to configure the boot priority.
Today, most PCs can boot from USB device so you can run special kinds of software to troubleshoot problems or update software. The computer BIOS Setup Utility allows you to configure the order that the machine searches physical devices (CD-ROM, DVD, Hard drive, or an external USB drive) for the boot sequence. The first device in the order list has the first boot priority.
To boot from a USB device instead of an internal hard drive where you install the operating system, you'll have to move USB device ahead of the hard drive to has boot sequence priority. This tutorial will walk you through on how to boot from a password reset USB drive within a Windows computer (11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, Server).
Table of Contents
Insert the password reset USB drive to computer and power on it. When Vender logo appears, press Boot Menu key (F12 in generally, check Keys for popular PCs in table below) repeatedly to enter Boot Menu, and then choose USB Flash Drive to boot from. If fail to enter Boot Menu (applying for Windows 10 and newer OS) , you can reboot and try again.
Choosing either "USB xx" or "UEFI USB xx" option is OK. Be aware that the interface of Boot Menu may be slightly different on some computers.
Example 1. Set Dell laptop boot from USB flash drive
Insert the password reset USB device and restart the computer. When Dell logo appears, press F12 repeatedly until Boot Menu appears, and then you can select USB flash drive to boot from.
Example 2. Set HP laptop to boot from USB flash drive
Insert the password reset USB Flash drive and start HP computer. When HP Logo appears, press F9 repeatedly until Boot Menu appears, and then choose USB flash drive to boot from.
Note: In some cases, it might be necessary to enable Legacy Support and disable Secure Boot in BIOS in order to boot the computer from USB device.
Example 3. Set Lenovo/ideapad to boot from USB flash drive
Boot Menu Keys for laptops and Desktop computers:
If you fail to boot from USB device using Boot Menu, you can try to boot from a USB device using BIOS Setup, keep on reading.
HP PCs - Booting from USB Windows 10: A Comprehensive Guide
Lenovo PCs - Recommended ways to enter BIOS - ThinkPad, ThinkCentre, ThinkStation
Lenovo PCs - Recommended way to enter BIOS - ideapad
Lenovo PCs - Recommended way to enter BIOS for Lenovo Desktops & All-In-Ones - Windows
ASUS PCs - How to Boot from a USB Flash Drive/CD-ROM (Changing Boot Options)
Samsung - Boot your PC with a USB drive or other external media
VAIO laptops - Booting Your VAIO Computer from External Devices
Dell PCs - Booting from a USB stick in general
Step 1. Insert the password reset disk to the computer and power on it. Pay close attention to the first screen that appears. You should see something that says "Press [Key] to enter Setup", "Setup =[Key]" or something similar, press that key repeatedly until BIOS Setup screen appears. Here we press F2 to enter PhoenixBIOS.
Tip: In the bottom of the article, we sum up a list of the most common access keys used to enter BIOS Setup on Windows computer.
When you're in the BIOS screen, look for a menu that lets you see and change the boot devices or boot priority. Use the keys given at the bottom/right corner of the screen to navigate through the BIOS. To select something, press Enter.
Step 2. In this example, head to Boot tab, Use +/- key to move Removable Devices to the first order. In most PCs, the USB boot option will show up under one of the following headings: "Hard Disk Drive", "USB HDD", "[USB brand name]" or "Removable Device ", so be sure to dig around if you're having trouble finding the right one to choose.
1. Some PC manufacturers may have different BIOS setup interfaces. Anyway, find the boot order option (it might be called "Boot Device Priority", "Advanced BIOS Features", "First Boot Device", "Boot Sequence") and set the boot priority.
2. Some BIOS may put USB Flash Disk option under Hard Drive. If that's the case, you'll have to expand Hard Drive option, and select USB Flash Disk as the first position in the priority list.
Step 3. Once done, simply press F10 key to save changes you made and exit. Or head to Exit Menu and press Exit Saving Changes (or similar words) to save the settings and exit BIOS.
>> Here are some other common interfaces you might see for setting boot order priority.
Acer - Aspire, Power, Veriton, Extensa, Swift, Ferrari, TravelMate, Predator, Altos, etc.
ASUS - VivoBook, Zen AiO, Zenbook, B, S, Q, V, X, K, T, U series, etc.
HP - Pavilion, TouchSmart, Pro, Vectra, Stream, Vectra, OMEN, ENVY, OmniBook, EliteBook, ProBook, Zbook, Tablet
Lenovo (formerly IBM) - ThinkPad, IdeaPad, Yoga, 3000 Series, Legion, ThinkCentre, ThinkStation, H535, 3000 Series, N Series, etc.
Dell - XPS, Dimension, Inspiron, Latitude. OptiPlex, Precision, Alienware, Vostro
Shuttle - Glamor G-Series, D'vo, Prima P2-Series, Workstation, XPC, Surveillance
Sony - VAIO, PCG-Series, VGN-Series
Samsung - Notebook, ATIV Book, ATIV One, ArtPC PULSE, etc.
Toshiba - Portégé, Satellite, Tecra, Equium
Compaq - Presario, Prolinea, Deskpro, Systempro, Portable
eMachines - eMonster, eTower, eOne, S-Series, T-Series
Fujitsu - LifeBook, Esprimo, Amilo, Tablet, DeskPower, Celsius
Gateway - DX, FX, One, LT, GM, NE, GT, GX, NV, Profile, ONE, SX, Astro
IBM - PC, XT, AT
Micron (MPC Computers) - ClientPro, TransPort
NEC - PowerMate, Versa, W-Series
Packard Bell - 8900 Series, 9000 Series, Pulsar, Platinum, EasyNote, imedia, iextreme
Sharp - Notebook Laptops, Actius UltraLite
EVGA - SC17, SC15