How to Enter BIOS Setup on All PCs
BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System and is a basic software stored on a chip on the computer's motherboard that contains information and settings about the installed hardware.
The BIOS is a small piece of software that runs in the background when you turn on your computer that initializes and checks hardware components, making sure they work properly (Power-On Self-Test). It then tells your computer from which drive to boot and what hardware is installed.
The BIOS configuration can be modified through a configuration interface known as BIOS Setup or CMOS Setup utility. Users can access this utility to configure various system settings such as boot order, date and time, hardware settings, overclocking, etc.
How to Enter in BIOS/UEFI Setup.
Entering BIOS SETUP (or "UEFI SETUP" on modern computers) can be done either by pressing a specific key during the POST process or through Windows Advanced Startup.
Method 1. Enter in BIOS using a key.
The first method to enter in BIOS/UEFI Setup utility is by pressing a specific key (also known as a "BIOS key") right after you turn on your computer. This key is usually the "DEL" or the "F2", but unfortunately may vary by computer manufacturer.
General Steps to Enter in BIOS:
1. Turn on your computer or restart it if it's already on.
2. As soon as the computer turns on, pay attention to the screen and see if there is any message that says "Press "KEY" to enter SETUP" or "Press "KEY" to enter in BIOS".
3. Then immediately press the KEY prompted in message to enter in BIOS.
Notes:
1. If you don't see a message telling you which KEY to press to enter the BIOS, see the list of BIOS keys by manufacturer below.
2. If you cannot enter in BIOS, using this method see the instructions on Method-2 below.
BIOS Keys by manufacturer
- Acer BIOS key: Desktop: DEL, Laptop: F2
- ASRock BIOS Key: F2 or DEL
- ASUS BIOS Key: Desktop: F2, Laptop: Del or F2 or Fn+F2, Motherboard: DEL or F2
- Dell BIOS key: F2 or F12
- ECS ELITEGROUP: DEL
- Fujitsu BIOS key: F2
- Gigabyte BIOS key: F2 or DEL
- HP BIOS key: F10 or ESC
- Intel BIOS key: F2
- Lenovo Desktop BIOS key: F1
- Lenovo Laptop BIOS key: F2 or Fn+F2
- Lenovo IdeaPad: Press the NOVO button (Is either a small button or pinhole with a backwards arrow icon next to it resembling an upside down "U"). If you cannot find the NOVO button, click here.
- Lenovo ThinkPad, ThinkCentre, ThinkStation: F1 (or continuously press Enter and then F1)
- MSI BIOS key: DEL
- Microsoft Surface Tablets BIOS key: Press and hold volume up button.
- Origin PC BIOS key: F2
- Samsung BIOS key: F2
- Sony BIOS key: F1 or F2
- Toshiba BIOS key: F2
- Zotac: DEL
Method 2. Enter in BIOS using Windows Advanced Startup. *
To enter in BIOS/UEFI Setup from Windows Advanced Startup (aka "Advanced options") menu:
* Note: This method works only in modern PCs and Laptops with UEFI support.
1. Press and hold down the SHIFT key and go to Start > Power and click Restart.
2. After restarting click Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings.
3. The computer will restart again and will enter in BIOS setup.
How to Change Boot Order.
The Boot Order, also known as the Boot Sequence, is the order of the disks or devices on which the computer will look for the operating system.
Changing the boot order is useful when you want to boot from a different device such as a USB flash drive or DVD, instead of the default boot device, which is usually the drive containing the operating system.
You can change the order of the boot devices either permanently through the BIOS or temporarily by pressing a key (aka "Boot menu key"), immediately after turning on your computer.
Method 1. Change Boot Order in BIOS/UEFI.
1. Enter BIOS Setup using one of the methods listed above and after entering BIOS, try to locate the "Boot Order" setting in one of the following menus:
- Boot
- Storage > Boot Options
- System Configuration > Boot Options
- Startup Options > Boot Configuration
- Startup > Boot Sequence (or Primary Boot Sequence)
2. After finding the "Boot order" setting, select the first device you want to boot from and move it to the top using the corresponding key(s) according to the instructions on the screen. (In our example the Boot Order can be changed using the + and – keys)
3. When done, save your changes and exit from BIOS either by pressing the corresponding "Save and Exit" key (eg F10 in this example), or go to "Save & Exit" menu and press Enter in "Save Changes and Exit" option.
Method 2. Change Boot Order from Boot menu.
1. Turn on your computer or restart it if it's already on.
2. Then depending on your computer or motherboard manufacturer see the list of BIOS Menu keys below and press the corresponding Boot Menu key to open the boot order menu.
3. Then select he device that you want to boot from and press Enter.
BIOS Menu Keys by manufacturer.
- Acer Boot Menu key: Desktop: ESC or F9 or F12, Laptop:
F12 - ASRock Boot Menu Key: F11
- ASUS Boot Menu Key: ESC or F8
- Dell Boot Menu Key:
F12 - ECS ELITEGROUP: F12
- Fujitsu Boot Menu Key: F12
- Gigabyte Boot Menu key: F12
- HP Boot Menu key: F9 or
ESC - Intel Boot Menu key: F10
- Lenovo Boot Menu Key: F12 or Fn+F12
- MSI Boot Menu Key: F11
- Microsoft Surface Boot Menu Key: Turn off the Surface. Press and hold down the Volume-down button and while you're doing this, press and release the Power button.
- Samsung Boot Menu Key: F10 or ESC
- Sony Boot Menu Key: F11
- Toshiba Boot Menu Key: F12
How to Enable Hardware Virtualization in BIOS Setup.
Virtualization Technology is required by hypervisors such as VMware, Hyper-V, and VirtualBox to manage and create virtual machines.
To enable virtualization support:
1. Enter BIOS Setup using one of the methods listed above and after entering BIOS, try to locate the "Virtualization" option in one of the following menus depending on the CPU manufacturer :
Intel CPUs
To enable Intel's Virtualization support, find the Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) setting in one of the BIOS menus listed below and change its status to Enabled:
- Advanced
- Performance
- Security
- System Configuration
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AMD CPUs
To enable AMD's Virtualization support, go to the below mentioned location in BIOS and set the SVM Mode (aka "Secure Virtual Machine") to Enabled:
- M.I.T. –> Advanced Frequency Settings –> Advanced Core settings
2. When done, save your changes and exit from BIOS either by pressing the corresponding "Save and Exit" key (eg F10 in this example), or go to "Save & Exit" menu and press Enter in "Save Changes and Exit" option.
That's it! Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.
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