How to change computer bios settings

Enter the BIOS setup utility to change BIOS settings

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What to Know

• You’ll may need to get into BIOS if you install new hardware or need to enable or disable features built in to your computer.
• Just restart your computer and look for the “setup,” “configuration,” or “BIOS” message, which will tell you which key to press.
• Common keys include Esc, Tab, Del, or one of the function keys, often F2 or F10.

How to Enter BIOS

The steps below can be used to access the BIOS setup utility on your PC, no matter what operating system is installed. This is because the BIOS is part of your motherboard hardware and has nothing at all to do with what’s on your hard drive.

Getting into BIOS isn’t at all hard, but it can be tricky on some systems. Check out our extensive list of tips at the bottom of the page if you’re struggling after giving it a shot.

Restart your computer, or turn it on if it’s already off.

Watch for an “entering setup” message in the first few seconds after turning on your computer. This message varies greatly from computer to computer and also includes the key or keys you need to press to enter BIOS.

Here are some common ways you might see this BIOS access message:

• Press [key] to enter setup
• Setup: [key]
• Enter BIOS by pressing [key]
• Press [key] to enter BIOS setup
• Press [key] to access BIOS
• Press [key] to access system configuration

Quickly press the key or keys instructed by the previous message.

You may need to press the BIOS access key several times to enter BIOS. Don’t hold the key down or press it too many times or your system may error or lock up. If that happens, just restart and try again.

If you don’t catch the key sequence needed to get into BIOS, reference one of these lists or check out the tips below:

Use the BIOS setup utility as required.

That might mean managing memory settings, configuring a new hard drive, changing the boot order, resetting the BIOS password, or other tasks.

Tips & More Information About Entering BIOS

Entering BIOS can be tricky, so here’s some more help based on some common scenarios that we’ve seen:

There’s a Picture Instead of a Message

Your computer may be configured to show your computer’s logo instead of important BIOS messages. Press Esc or Tab while the logo is showing to remove it.

You Didn’t Catch Which Key to Press

Some computers start too quickly to see the BIOS access message. If this happens, press the Pause/Break key on your keyboard to freeze the screen during startup. Press any key to “unpause” your computer and continue booting.

Trouble Pausing the Startup Screen

If you’re having problems pressing that pause button in time, turn on your computer with your keyboard unplugged. You should receive a keyboard error which will pause the startup process long enough for you to see the keys necessary to enter BIOS!

Using a USB Keyboard on an Older Computer

Some PCs with both PS/2 and USB connections are configured to only allow USB input after the POST. This means that if you’re using a USB keyboard, it could be impossible to access BIOS. In that case, you’d need to connect an older PS/2 keyboard to your PC to access BIOS.

Sooner or later you will have to go into your computers bios and change certain settings and especially if you want to format your computer. The bios is the first piece of software on your computer before the operating system is installed. Without the BIOS you would not have a working computer. The BIOS (basic input operating system) is a set of programs, which controls the PC hardware and is stored in a memory chip on the motherboard. The chip is a Read Only Memory (ROM) chip, which keeps its contents even when the power is off. When a computer is turned on, the CPU will execute all of the instructions in the BIOS, which are stored in the ROM. These instructions will then load the Operating System.

What is the main reason you would enter the BIOS?

The main reason I go in there is to set the boot sequence or boot order of the computer. This means that you tell the computer to boot up to C: drive (windows on the computer) or to a cd or dvd drive. For example you might want to boot to an operating system CD when you format your computer with Windows XP. Different computer makes and models have different version and types of bios however they all have the common basics, but may call them different things. I do not know why they could not follow the same menu and features but don’t panic because they are similar.

How to access my computer BIOS?

To access any bios on any computer you must watch the startup screen on the computer. It will usually say “To enter setup press…….” Some common keys you may have to press are F1, F2, F10, or maybe the delete key. You must press this key when the startup screen is showing. There will be a message on the bottom of the screen flashing by saying “press . to enter setup.” If you miss this you have to restart again.

Tips to getting in your BIOS:

1. Watch the screen when you are starting the computer. Be calm and don’t worry if the computer starts before you get to press the right key and the keyboard.
2. Restart the computer and now that you know the key to press, have your finger on it ready to push when you see the details screen.

Some examples of different brands of bios software:

In the screen shot below you can see a Phoenix BIOS. You need to select the boot menu at the top, then get the CD rom to the top of the list you see there to make it the first boot device.

With the American Megatrends Bios, choose Boot from the top menu, then click on Boot Device Priority. Then you will see a list of devices and you need to make the cd or dvd drive the first priority. To adjust these settings you will see instructions on how to control your keyboard in the right column and also in the bottom bar.

Once you have entered the bios there will be a menu to choose from. Some Bios have Boot sequence as a menu item, but if they do not you have to find it under another menu name. As you can see the BIOS brands above have a boot menu. Once you have found what you are looking for, change the cd rom to be the first to boot to, then hard drive as the second. Save and Exit the bios. This is for when you format your computer. To change it back, repeat steps and change it to boot to hard drive 0.

Need to change your computer’s boot order or access other advanced settings? Here’s how to access the BIOS (basic input/output system).

By Justin Phelps

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BIOS stands for “basic input/output system.” This software checks the health of your computer’s hardware and allows Windows to start. When you turn on your PC, its BIOS runs a power-on self-test (POST) to ensure that the machine’s devices (hard drive, sound card, keyboard, and the like) are connected and working properly. If the test finds no problems, the BIOS turns over control of your PC to another piece of software, typically the operating system.

Every PC has a BIOS, and you may need to access yours from time to time. Inside the BIOS you can set a password, manage hardware, and change the boot sequence. The BIOS user interface is straightforward and easy to access, but you should take caution when exploring the BIOS–don’t change settings if you don’t know what they do.

Step by Step: Entering the BIOS

1. Get ready to act quickly: You need to start the computer and press a key on the keyboard before the BIOS hands over control to Windows. You have only a few seconds to perform this step.

2. Boot (or restart) the PC: Pay close attention to the first screen that appears. Look for a message that indicates which key you need to press in order to access the BIOS. That key is likely to be:

–A Function key (such as F1, F2, or F3)

On this PC, you’d press F2 to enter the BIOS setup menu.

On some PCs, entering the BIOS may require pressing another key or a combination of keys. Keep your eyes open for an on-screen message that says something like:

–‘Press F1 to enter setup’

–‘BIOS settings: Esc’

–‘System configuration: F2’

If you don’t catch it the first time, simply try again. Your computer’s documentation may also tell you which key to press.

3. When you know the right key, start the computer again and press the key when the first screen pops up: You may hear a confirmation beep or see a new message. If you timed it correctly, you’ll be in the BIOS within a few seconds.

Additional Tips

Remember, don’t make changes unless you’ve done your homework. Check out “Make Your PC Boot Faster With These BIOS Tweaks” for some ideas about tweaking the BIOS for speed.

Keep your BIOS current. The process of updating the BIOS is fast and simple. Note the existing version of the BIOS, and check the support section of your computer manufacturer’s website for updates. For a step-by-step guide, read “How to Update Your BIOS.”

How to get into the BIOS Setup on a system with Windows 8.1

If you are an experienced computer user, accustomed to being able to access the BIOS Setup screen by quickly hitting the ESC, DEL, F10 or F2 key (or whatever, depending on the BIOS) when the system boots, you will find that you are no longer able to do that on a computer that comes preinstalled with Windows 8.1. This is because Windows 8.1’s boot manager is given control of the system immediately when it starts up.

The good news though is that the BIOS setup screen can still be accessed. You just have to get Windows 8.1 to reboot to the BIOS.

How to Boot to the BIOS Setup Screen on Windows 8.1

Click the start button to get the Start Screen.

Type “settings” (without the quotes). “PC Settings” will appear in the Search results in the right column. Click it.

A new screen, with the title “PC settings”, will appear. Click the line “Update and recovery” in the left column.

The “Update and recovery” screen will appear. Click “Recovery” in the left column.

Click the “Restart now” in the “Advanced startup” section of the right column.

A new screen, with the title “Choose an option”, will appear.

Click “Advanced options”.

The screen changes to one with the title “Advanced options”. Click “UEFI Firmware Settings”.

In the “UEFI Firmware Settings” screen that appears, click the “Restart” button.

The system will reboot to the BIOS, where you can configure your system as needed. From this point onwards, what is displayed and what you need to do will vary from computer to computer. That is, the procedure to take from here on depends on what your computer manufacturer has put into your system. On one system where I tested this on, I needed to hit the F10 key to enter the actual BIOS setup. You may have to do different things.

This reboot to the BIOS is a one-time thing. That is, the next time you boot, you will be returned to Windows. You can of course, use this same procedure to access the BIOS Setup screen any time you want.

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Source: Windows Central

On Computers, the Basic Input Output System (BIOS) is an essential low-level software that sits on one of the chips of the motherboard, and it’s responsible for basic operations, such as booting and configuring hardware (mouse, keyboard, memory, processor, etc.). The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is a modern software designed to replace the legacy BIOS with additional benefits, such as improved security, faster boot times, large capacity hard drive support, and more.

Although these are different technologies, modern devices now use UEFI, but to avoid confusion, sometimes you’ll continue to hear the term “BIOS” to refer to “UEFI.”

If you use a Windows 10 device, usually, the firmware works automatically. However, sometimes you may still need to enter the motherboard BIOS to troubleshoot problems, enable or disable features (such as virtualization, RAID array, and secure boot), adjust memory and processor advanced settings, and more.

The only caveat is that the BIOS is a startup environment, which means that you can’t access it when Windows 10 is running. However, if you have to change some system settings, there are multiple methods to access the motherboard firmware.

In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to enter the BIOS/UEFI on your computer to change advanced system settings.

How to access UEFI (BIOS) using Settings

To enter the UEFI firmware from Windows 10, use these steps:

Warning: Changing the wrong firmware settings can prevent your computer from starting correctly. You should only access the motherboard firmware when you have an excellent reason. It’s assumed that you know what you’re doing.

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Update & Security.
3. Click on Recovery.

Under the “Advanced startup” section, click the Restart now button.

Source: Windows Central

Click on Troubleshoot.

Source: Windows Central

Click on Advanced options.

Source: Windows Central

Click the UEFI Firmware settings option.

Quick tip: If you have a legacy BIOS, the option will not be available. Source: Windows Central

Click the Restart button.

Source: Windows Central

Once you complete the steps, the device will restart and boot into the UEFI firmware allowing you to change advanced settings, such as to disable or enable secure boot, change boot order, set up a hardware RAID array, enable virtualization, and other settings depending on the motherboard support.

How to access UEFI (BIOS) using boot key option

If you don’t have access to the Windows 10 desktop or you’re using a device with a legacy BIOS, then you can still access the firmware during boot.

To enter the UEFI or legacy BIOS during boot, use these steps:

1. Press the Power button.
2. See the screen splash to identify the key you must press to enter the firmware (if applicable).
3. Press the required key repeatedly until you enter the setup mode. Usually, you need to press the ESC, Delete, or one of the Function keys (F1, F2, F10, etc.).

After you complete the steps, the device will access the BIOS or UEFI firmware, depending on the motherboard support. If you don’t see the information on the screen or the device boots too fast, restart the device again, and as soon as the boot starts, press the required key multiple times quickly.

If you can’t make the computer to access the firmware using the keyboard, you may need to check your device manufacturer to find out the key that you need to press during boot.

Here are some computer brands and their respective keys to access the motherboard firmware:

• Dell: F2 or F12.
• HP: ESC or F10.
• Acer: F2 or Delete.
• ASUS: F2 or Delete.
• Lenovo: F1 or F2.
• MSI: Delete.
• Toshiba: F2.
• Samsung: F2.
• Surface: Press and hold volume up button.

In the case that your device is using a UEFI firmware, and you can’t seem to access it during startup, then it’s recommended to use the Settings option from within Windows 10.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

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how do i get to my BIOS on my emachines computer?

it shows the logo, then goes to the window xp loading screen. !! “,”url”:”

how do i get to my BIOS on my emachines computer?

it shows the logo, then goes to the window xp loading screen. !!

Discussion is locked

Sometimes F2 or DEL but I’m not too familiar with eMachines per se.

I just access the bios on an emachine and you must use 2 keys;

ive tryed tab plus delete f2 esc delete tio get in my bios on ,my emacjhine none work its telling me the cmos settings are wrong cmos date/time not set up nothing works please help

I think the answer from 10 years and 2 days ago above still applies: “should be in your system manual”.

To elaborate, her’s what says:
“Press the Tab key during boot-up. If nothing happens, and you see the Windows logo, restart the computer again. Try pressing the Del key during the reboot. Some eMachines also use the F2 key to enter the BIOS. Therefore, try each key if you fail to access the BIOS settings screen on the first or second attempt. If you still cannot access the BIOS, refer to your manual for the correct key or keys to press following the reboot.”

That makes me think it can be different for different models. And that makes your question unanswerable.

If your PC is refusing to work with another piece of hardware, or running into problems when booting up, you may need to update or change your BIOS to correct the issue. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make changes to get your computer working.

What is the BIOS?

The BIOS (or Basic Input Output System) is the very first thing your computer reads when you switch it on. It’s located on your PC’s motherboard, away from the rest of the system disks, so it won’t be corrupted if your hard drive fails.

This firmware’s primary function is to get your computer up and running, by initialising the hardware and then loading up the operating system (OS). The BIOS checks your processor and memory is present and correct, while also detecting which peripherals (keyboard, mouse and so on) are attached to your PC. Following that, it checks to see if you’ve inserted a boot disc. If none is found, it loads the OS into memory and gets things started up.

Should I make changes to the BIOS?

Tinkering with your BIOS can help to rectify any severe problems that your PC is experiencing, if you can’t actually boot into Windows to make changes there. As long as you know what you’re doing, of course.

Likewise, updating the BIOS with the latest version can allow your computer to play nice with new peripherals and hardware, which previously weren’t supported.

However, and we can’t stress strongly enough, playing around inside of the BIOS settings without the proper knowledge can lead to serious anguish. As in, your computer may be completely borked if you improperly change any of the settings. So if you’re having issues with your PC booting up or not recognising new peripherals and you’re not experienced in this area, you should consult a technician instead of throwing yourself blindly into the abyss.

What should I do before making changes to the BIOS?

If you’re working with a laptop, then make sure it’s plugged in and the battery is at least half charged. If the power suddenly cuts partway through the update process, then things could get very ugly indeed.

Before starting you should also check which BIOS version you’re using, so you can find out if a newer version is available from your motherboard’s manufacturer.

How do I check which BIOS version I’m using?

The easiest way to do this is using the Windows Command Prompt. In the search box at the bottom left corner of your Windows desktop (beside the Windows start button), type in ‘cmd’ and press enter. A command window will pop into existence.

In here, type the following: Wmic bios get biosversion

Some text will pop up, revealing the current version number.

Alternatively, you can open a command window in the same way and type in: DXDiag

A DirectX Diagnostic window will appear on-screen. Beside the ‘BIOS’ entry in system information, your current version will be listed.

Once you know your BIOS version, you can then check on your manufacturer’s website to see if a newer version can be downloaded.

How do I update my computer’s BIOS?

To download the latest version, you’ll need to head to your motherboard manufacturer’s website (on a different computer if your own refuses to boot, of course). If you’re not sure of the make and model of the motherboard stashed inside of your PC, and your computer manuals have vanished into the ether, then you can always use a tool such as CPU-Z – again, assuming your PC actually functions.

On the manufacturer’s website, head to the downloads or support section and search for your model number. You should see the option to grab the latest BIOS edition, which will often download as an executable Windows program. Once this program has downloaded, you can simply run it from within Windows. This will wipe the BIOS and replace it with the latest info. Again, take every precaution to avoid losing power, as this could critically harm your computer. Also, note that you may need to disable your antivirus and security applications if the program fails, before running it again.

Alternatively, your manufacturer may provide a program to create a bootable flash drive. Download this from the website as above, but this time you’ll need to provide a USB stick or other external drive with enough space to hold the necessary files. Make sure the drive doesn’t have anything important on it, because it may be wiped in the process.

Connect it to your PC and run the program you just downloaded, and the files will be copied onto the external drive.

Now you’ll have to reboot your computer with the external drive still connected. Press F12 when the PC begins to load and you’ll be asked for a source. Select the external drive and then simply follow the on-screen instructions to update the BIOS.

How do I make changes to my BIOS?

If you wish to make direct changes to your BIOS, for instance to change the boot up checking sequence to load an OS from disc instead of the computer’s main drive, then you’ll need to go into the BIOS and fiddle with it directly. You can do this as your computer first boots up.

As soon as you hit the power button, you’ll see some text flash up on your monitor. One of these lines of text will tell you what key to press in order to enter the BIOS. It’s usually the Delete key, but this may differ depending on your motherboard.

A menu will appear offering a variety of options and settings. Remember, only make changes if you’re absolutely confident that you won’t cripple the computer.

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@chrisbhoffman
Updated October 12, 2018, 11:25am EDT

Your computer’s BIOS is the first thing that loads when you start your computer. It initializes your hardware before booting an operating system from your hard drive or another device. Many low-level system settings are only available in your BIOS.

Modern computers predominantly ship with UEFI firmware, which is the successor to the traditional BIOS. But UEFI firmware and the BIOS are fairly similar. We’ve even seen modern PCs refer to their UEFI firmware settings screen as the “BIOS”.

BIOS and UEFI Explained

BIOS stands for “Basic Input/Output System”, and is a type of firmware stored on a chip on your motherboard. When you start your computer, the computers boots the BIOS, which configures your hardware before handing off to a boot device (usually your hard drive).

UEFI stands for “Unified Extensible Firmware Interface”. It’s the successor to the traditional BIOS. UEFI offers support for boot volumes over 2 TB in size, support for more than four partitions on a drive, faster booting, and enables more modern features. For example, only systems with UEFI firmware support Secure Boot to secure the boot process against rootkits.

Whether your computer has a BIOS or UEFI firmware doesn’t matter much in most situations. Both are low-level software that starts when you boot your PC and sets things up. Both offer interfaces you can access to change a variety of system settings. For example, you can modify your boot order, tweak overclocking options, lock down your computer with a boot password, enable virtualization hardware support, and tweak other low-level features.

How to Access Your BIOS or UEFI Firmware Settings

There’s a different process for accessing the BIOS or UEFI firmware settings screen on each PC. Either way, you’ll have to restart your PC.

To access your BIOS, you’ll need to press a key during the boot-up process. This key is often displayed during the boot process with a message “Press F2 to access BIOS”, “Press to enter setup”, or something similar. Common keys you may need to press include Delete, F1, F2, and Escape.

Some PCs with UEFI firmware also require you to press one of these keys during the boot-up process to access the UEFI firmware settings screen. To find the exact key you need to press, consult your PC’s manual. If you built your own PC, consult your motherboard’s manual.

PCs that shipped with Windows 8 or 10 may require you access the UEFI settings screen via Windows 8 or 10’s boot options menu. To access it, hold down the Shift key as you click the “Restart” option to restart your computer.

The computer will reboot into a special boot options menu. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings to access the UEFI firmware settings screen.

How to Change BIOS or UEFI Firmware Settings

The actual BIOS or UEFI settings screen looks different on different PC models. PCs with a BIOS will have a text-mode interface you can navigate with your arrow keys, using the Enter key to select options. You’ll see the keys you can use spelled out at the bottom of the screen.

Some modern UEFI PCs have graphical interfaces you can navigate with a mouse and keyboard, but many PCs continue to use text-mode interfaces, even with UEFI.

Whatever the screen looks like, you can use your keyboard or mouse to navigate through it. But be careful in your BIOS or UEFI settings screen! You should only change settings if you know what they do. It’s possible to make your system unstable or even cause hardware damage by changing certain settings, especially ones related to overclocking.

Some settings are less dangerous than others. Changing your boot order is less risky, but you can even run into trouble there. If you change your boot order and remove your hard drive from the list of boot devices, your computer won’t boot Windows (or whatever other operating system you have installed) until you fix your boot order.

Poke around and find whatever setting your looking for. Even if you know what you’re looking for, it’ll be in a different place on different computer’s settings screens. You’ll generally see help information displayed somewhere on your screen, providing more information about what each option actually does.

For example, the option to enable Intel’s VT-x virtualization technology is often somewhere under a “Chipset” menu, but it’s on the “System Configuration” pane in the screenshot below. The option is named “Virtualization Technology” on this PC, but is often named “Intel Virtualization Technology,” “Intel VT-x,” “Virtualization Extensions,” or “Vanderpool” instead.

If you can’t find the option you’re looking for in your BIOS, consult the manual or help website for your PC. If you built the PC yourself, look at the manual or help website for your motherboard.

When you’re done, select the “Save Changes” option to save your changes and restart your computer. You can also select a “Discard Changes” option to restart your PC without saving any of the changes you made.

If you have a problem after making a change, you can return to your BIOS or UEFI firmware settings screen and use an option named something like “Reset to Default Settings” or “Load Setup Defaults”. This option reset your computer’s BIOS or UEFI settings to their defaults, undoing all your changes.

You can use PowerShell to view or change BIOS settings on your computer running Windows. Let’s consider some examples you can use to get or modify some BIOS settings with PowerShell through the WMI classes (Windows Management Instrumentation) on the computers of popular vendors: HP, Lenovo, Dell.

• Lenovo BIOS Settings Management from PowerShell
• Change BIOS Setting from PowerShell on Hewlett-Packard Computers
• Configuring DELL BIOS Settings with PowerShell

You can view basic BIOS parameters on your computer using the Get-WmiObject cmdlet from the Win32_BIOS class:

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_BIOS | Format-List *

This command allows you to view your BIOS version (SMBIOSBIOSVersion, BIOSVersion), hardware manufacturer, computer serial number, the ReleaseDate and some other information.

You can list only some of these BIOS parameters:

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_BIOS | Select-Object Manufacturer, SMBIOSBIOSVersion

You can use the Win32_BIOS class to view some BIOS information on any computer running Windows. However, some hardware vendors provide special WMI classes to direct access BIOS from Windows OS (the native drivers by your hardware manufacturer must be installed on a computer).

Lenovo BIOS Settings Management from PowerShell

You can get the list of BIOS parameters and their values on Lenovo computers like this:

Get-WmiObject -class Lenovo_BiosSetting -namespace rootwmi

To display only the names of BIOS settings and their current values:

Get-WmiObject -class Lenovo_BiosSetting -namespace rootwmi | select-object InstanceName, currentsetting

Let’s check if the password to access BIOS is set on your Lenovo computer:

(gwmi -Class Lenovo_BiosPasswordSettings -Namespace rootwmi).PasswordState

If the command returned 0, then the password to enter BIOS is not set.

You can change some BIOS parameters on Lenovo computers. For example, let’s enable WOL (Wake-On-LAN):

$getLenovoBIOS = gwmi -class Lenovo_SetBiosSetting -namespace rootwmi
$getLenovoBIOS.SetBiosSetting(“WakeOnLAN,Enable”)
$SaveLenovoBIOS = (gwmi -class Lenovo_SaveBiosSettings -namespace rootwmi)
$SaveLenovoBIOS.SaveBiosSettings()

Change BIOS Setting from PowerShell on Hewlett-Packard Computers

To get BIOS settings, their values and available options on HP computers, you can use the following command:

Get-WmiObject -Namespace root/hp/instrumentedBIOS -Class hp_biosEnumeration | select Name, value, possiblevalues –AutoSize

You can change some BIOS settings on HP computers from PowerShell. For example, you want to disable booting your computer from USB devices.

$getHPBios = gwmi -class hp_biossettinginterface -Namespace “roothpinstrumentedbios”
$getHPBios.SetBIOSSetting(‘USB Storage Boot’,’Disable’)

If a password is required to change BIOS settings, you can use this script:

$HPBIOSPassword = ” “+”Passw0rd!1”
$getHPBios = gwmi -class hp_biossettinginterface -Namespace “roothpinstrumentedbios”
$getHPBios.SetBIOSSetting(‘Network (PXE) Boot’,’Disable’,$HPBIOSPassword)

If the last command has returned “0”, it has been executed successfully. You can use a simple PowerShell handler:

$ChangeBIOS_State = $bios.setbiossetting(Network (PXE) Boot’, ‘Disable’ , $HPBIOSPassword)
$ChangeBIOS_State_Code = $ChangeBIOS_State.return
If(($ChangeBIOS_State_Code) -eq 0)
write-host “OK”
>
Else
write-host “Error – (Return code $ChangeBIOS_State_Code)” -Foreground Red
>

If you want to enable LAN/WLAN Switching in BIOS on an HP laptop to automatically disconnect from Wi-Fi when an Ethernet connection is available, run this command:

Configuring DELL BIOS Settings with PowerShell

To view and manage BIOS settings on DELL computers, you can use the DCIM-BIOSService WMI class or the more modern rootdellomci class (available after the installation of the OMCI package — Open Manage Client Instrumentation).

To view the boot device order in BIOS on Dell computers, run the following command:

Get-WmiObject -NameSpace rootdellomci Dell_BootDeviceSequence | sort bootorder | select BootDeviceName, BootOrder

For example, you can enable Wake on LAN in BIOS like that:

(Get-WmiObject DCIM-BIOSService -namespace rootdcimsysman).SetBIOSAttributes($null,$null,”Wake-On-LAN”,”4″)

Also, Dell released a separate PowerShell module, DellBIOSProvider, which is installed alongside driver installation or you can install it manually with this command:

Install-Module -Name DellBIOSProvider -Force

You can use this module to view the boot sequence on a Dell computer:

To change a specific BIOS setting, use the Set-Item cmdlet. For example, to change the BIOS password:

Set-Item -Path DellsmbiosSecurityAdminPassword –Value BadDellPa$$ –Password [email protected]

Using the methods described above, you can create a PowerShell script to export the current BIOS settings from a reference computer (e. g., to a CSV file). Then, you can use PowerShell to deploy the same BIOS settings on all computers in your company.

Part 1: What is BIOS?

The BIOS (short for basic input/output system) is a program stored on a small memory chip on the motherboard. BIOS instructs the computer to perform a number of basic functions such as booting and keyboard control. It is also used to check and configure the hardware in your computer such as the processor, hard drive, floppy drive, optical drive, CPU, memory, etc.

Part 2: Why You Need BIOS?

You can make different basic adjustments for hardware configuration, such as the boot order (where the computer will look to load the first program), change date and time for PC , set a password at BIOS level. You are capable of managing memory settings, configuring a new hard drive, changing the boot order, resetting the BIOS password, etc by enter BIOS configuration on windows 10/8.1/8/7 .

Part 3: How to Enter BiOS Settings on Windows 7

Follow the easy steps below to access the BIOS setup utility on DELL/HP/ASUS/

SONY/SAMSUNG laptop and PC:
1, Start your computer. Pay close attention to the first screen that appears. Look for a notification that tells you which key or combination of keys to press to enter BIOS settings.

2, If you press in time, the BIOS screen opens (normally on a blue background). This is also called the CMOS setup program, as it saves all settings to a piece of memory known as the CMOS.

3. Use the arrow keys to highlight an option and Enter to select.

4. To change a setting, you normally use the ‘page up’ and ‘page down’ keys, but some systems require ‘-‘ and ‘+’ or to press enter and select from a list.

5. Usually the ESC key returns to the previous menu, but again, check what the screen tells you 1st.

6.Once you have finished with the BIOS, press F10 to save the settings (or select “save and exit”) and reboot your computer.

Part 4: How to Enter BIOS Settings on Windows 10/8.1/8

On Windows 8 and Windows 10, the fast startup feature is adopted, therefore, you cannot press the function key to enter BIOS configuration when booting the system. Here is how you can do it.

1, Press and hold Shift, then turn off the system.

2, Press and hold the function key on your computer that allows you to go into BIOS settings, F1, F2, F3, Esc, or Delete (please consult your PC manufacturer or go through your user manual). Then click the power button.

Note: DO NOT release the function key until you see the BIOS screen display.

3, Then you will find the BIOS configuration.

Part 5: Problems on Accessing BIOS Configuration on Windows 7

Entering BIOS can be tricky so here’s some more help based on some common scenarios that I’ve seen:

1, See a picture instead of a message?

Your computer may be configured to show your computer’s logo instead of important BIOS messages. Press Esc or Tab while the logo is showing to remove it.

2, See the message but didn’t catch which key to press?

Some computers start too quickly to see the BIOS access message. If this happens, press the Pause/Break key on your keyboard to freeze the screen during startup. Press any key to “unpause” your computer and continue booting.

3, Having troubles pausing the startup screen?

If you’re having problems pressing that pause button in time, turn on your computer with your keyboard unplugged. You should receive a keyboard error which will pause the startup process long enough for you to see the keys necessary to enter BIOS!

Now you can access BIOS in windows 7 without restarting. Just Share this post with your friends and families and help them when they have met the similar issues, or if you forgot or lost your login password, then we recommend you give Window Password Key a free try, which can help you create your own password reset CD/DVD or USB flash drive pro and access your PC freely!

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Configuring the BIOS is going to be one of the final steps to setting up a new PC. The BIOS is software built on to the motherboard that manages the installed hardware.

On first boot, you’ll likely receive an error message. That’s because BIOS settings need to be configured.

Our EVGA motherboard uses Phoenix AwardBIOS, and we have categories called Standard CMOS Features and Advanced BIOS Features.

Selecting Standard CMOS allows the time and date to be set. It also presents us with a list of connected hard drives and optical drives. If one of your drives is missing you may want to check your connections. At the bottom it also displays how much RAM is installed. If the actual installed RAM and this number differ, then check and make sure the memory is seated properly on the motherboard.

Advanced BIOS Features will allow us to pick the order in which our drives are checked on startup. For the initial setup of Windows, we’re going to set the CD-ROM drive to boot first because that’s where our Windows 7 setup disc will be. After Windows is installed, change this setting back to your primary hard drive.

The other categories in the BIOS will vary by motherboard. The BIOS will let you adjust more advanced settings ilke your RAM timings or the voltage to your processor for overclocking. We won’t be discussing that, though because every configuration is different. Here’s some video help:

When done with the BIOS settings, insert the operating system setup disc into the CD-ROM drive. Save your settings and exit the BIOS. Your computer will then restart and the Windows installer should load. After installing the OS, enjoy your new PC!

(Justin Meisinger in Boston contributed to this report.)

Nick Barber covers general technology news in both text and video for IDG News Service. E-mail him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @nickjb .

I’m the director of online video for IDG News Service. I cover general and breaking technology stories in text and video.

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Was looking all day Friday to find a tool to remotely update bios information on laptops and desktops, really looking to add bios asset tag so that Spiceworks can update. I have a mixed Dell/HP environment.

Here’s a Dell utility that may help.

If you use Dell Openmanage that also will work. I’m sure HP has some similar tools available but I don’t know them.

You might also be able to DIY using WMI and scripting.

I have a bunch of 5580’s that I am just deploying. Have bitlocker enabled during installation. I use the dell command update app and it won’t install any bios updates until bitlocker is suspended. Not sure if that helps you or not, but that is the behavior I am seeing.

take a look into SSM ()

stick it on a network share, configure your bios settings and get users (or GP deploy) run the SSM installer.

use the HP SDM to download the exes (same page, new tab. HP Softpaq Download Manager)

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7 Replies

vPro will handle KVM and power on, so this should be a good option if you have the right processors.

Here’s a Dell utility that may help.

If you use Dell Openmanage that also will work. I’m sure HP has some similar tools available but I don’t know them.

You might also be able to DIY using WMI and scripting.

Looking for something that I can remote into and not set up one by one..if I need to configure every client to use this, then there would be no need to have a tool in the first place.

I don’t think such a tool exists.. only because in BIOS, I don’t think the NIC is active. I know we have a dell utility at the school district that we can run the executable while logged in, and it will restart and set everything. Which would work for you with something like SysInternal Suite’s psexec program..

Interesting the Dell DCCU utility should be able to create an executable that contains your bios setting and even an updated bios so you can deploy. All you need to be able to do is run the DCCU executable with something like a vbs script during login, a GPO update, or a utility like PDQDeploy. You should build some intellegence into the script so that you don’t deploy a Dell update to a HP computer. I’m sure that HP has a similar tool for its bios setting. I know Lenovo does too.

What George is talking about ^, that is what we use. I was referring to (after reading it a bit later) was updating bios within bios.. its been one of those Mondays.

DCCU works great at creating the executable and running it with either GPO, or psexec – which we use to blast out software packages lab by lab or wing by wing..

mixed dell and hp environment, that means you have access to iLO and DRAC (usually, but as far as I know you have to license them to use them. ) which would give you a one at a time access. if the DCCU worked on hp, that’d be great.

Optimize Your BIOS for Top Performance

By now you know that there are tons of things you can do to make your Windows PC run faster and smoother and I’m sure your computer is now a lot more comfortable to use. But now is the time to speed up your computer even more by delving under the hood and tweaking some more advanced settings.

One of the more advanced optimization techniques is BIOS tuneup. BIOS stands for Basic Input-Output System and is the standard firmware for motherboards. It is the first software your computer loads when you power it up. It prepares everything for your operating system by detecting your computer’s hardware components and letting the operating system know it can use them, calculating the amount of available RAM and setting the CPU speed. Once everything has been taken care of, the BIOS boots the operating system and lets the OS take it over.

Just like any other piece of software, the BIOS can be fine-tuned. Optimizing the BIOS will decrease your computer’s boot time and make it run more efficiently.

Access the BIOS

On most systems, accessing the BIOS is not all that hard. When you power up your computer, a startup screen appears. That screen is usually accessible for only a few seconds, so you’ll need to act quickly. On the screen, you should see which key you need to press to enter Setup. Usually it’s either Del, F1, F2 or F12. Make sure you press the appropriate key quickly, as you might not have more than a few seconds. This will get you through to the BIOS settings.

Configure boot order

Configuring boot order is something that can significantly speed up computer startup. The BIOS manages the order of system boot items, such as floppy (yes, they still exist), CD/DVD optical drive, flash drive and hard drive. At times, you might need to boot from a CD or a flash drive, but most of the time you boot from your hard drive. However, your BIOS checks whether there are any bootable CDs or floppies, just in case. When it doesn’t detect any of these devices, it moves on to the hard drive. Since you use the hard drive to boot your OS every time you turn your computer on and almost never use bootable CDs or other drives, it only makes sense to put your hard drive first in line. This will save you a few seconds during computer startup. Here is how you can do it:

It also makes sense to disable floppy altogether because it’s highly unlikely that you will be booting from there (even if you have a floppy drive, that is). To disable FloppyDrive in BIOS, you’ll need to click on FloppyDrive A within BIOS and set it to Disabled.

Enable the Quick Boot option

In the past, computers needed to run POSTs – power-on self tests, which are no longer necessary. However, some systems still perform them and thus increase your PCs startup time. Memory check is the longest of them all and can last for several seconds. The Quick Boot option still performs all the necessary tests, but it does that quicker. This makes sense, because the complete version of POSTs is not really needed every time you power up your PC.

Turning on Quick Boot is pretty easy:

Update your BIOS

Just like any other software, BIOS needs updating. And just like any other vendor, your motherboard manufacturer should issue regular updates and bug fixes, as well as improve compatibility with new devices. BIOS updates can significantly decrease your PCs boot time and increase its overall performance.

BIOS updates are available for download through your PC/motherboard’s manufacturer website. But before downloading you’ll need to find out which BIOS version your computer is running. To do that, simply type msinfo32 in the Search box in Windows 7/Vista, or in the Run box in Windows XP and hit Enter.

Now that you know your BIOS version, go to your PC’s manufacturer’s website and check whether there is an update available. Most manufacturers sort updates by PC lines and models.

Be very careful and make sure that you download the right BIOS update file that is intended for your particular model. Installing a BIOS that is not intended for your model will most likely wreck your computer and make it unbootable. Most BIOS updates will warn you if you try to install them on hardware that doesn’t match, but it’s best to be careful in the first place.

Once you’ve found the right BIOS update, download it along with any supporting documentation and Read Me files.

IMPORTANT: it’s absolutely essential to read the update instructions in the Read Me documentation. Updating the BIOS incorrectly can ruin your computer.

Most PC manufacturers make updating BIOS fairly easy – all you need to do is download the update, quit all open applications, and run the .exe file. Let the update handle everything and then reboot your computer. Make sure you are not running off battery during the BIOS update, as you will not be able to boot up if the update gets interrupted. This doesn’t sound too hard, does it?

However, if you have an older computer, you might need to create a bootable drive and update the BIOS manually. Some systems will allow you to simply download an app that will configure a bootable USB drive or a blank CD/DVD to update your BIOS. Other systems are not that user-friendly and will require you to copy some files to your bootable drive, restart your PC, and enter the BIOS during startup. You will then need to change the boot order so that your system launches the update instead of booting your operating system from the hard drive. You’ll need to consult the BIOS update documentation for more specific instructions.

We’ve covered other important BIOS optimization techniques in our ebook “Turbo Windows – the Ultimate PC Speed Up Guide”. Download it for FREE now!

“Hello, I have a HP Pavilion dv6 3016sl laptop but I can’t enter BIOS or choose the device to boot. Could you please help?”

Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is a program that controls communication between all the input and output devices on the system (such as, disk drives, display, keyboard, mouse, and printer). Knowing how to access BIOS in HP is pretty helpful. You can change basic computer settings, like the boot order, system time and date, and etc. This article will show you how to enter BIOS on HP laptop and change BIOS settings.

Detailed Steps to Get to BIOS on HP Laptop

Getting access to BIOS on HP laptop is pretty simple. You just need to boot your computer, and then tap the right Boot Menu Key. The following describes the detailed steps.

Step 1: Boot your HP laptop.

Step 2: Choose the right moment and quickly press the right Setup key. For different types of CPU, the BIOS, and when the notebook was built, it is different to access the BIOS setup menus for different HP models. Here lists the details:

Pre-UEFI, before 2008 for most models

With the computer turned Off, press the power button to turn On the computer, and repeatedly press the F10 key. Normally, the Compaq or HP splash screen will display a message to press F10 to enter the BIOS just before the BIOS menu is displayed.

UEFI enabled, 2008 to mid 2011 for most models

If the computer has the UEFI pre-BIOS environment, when the Compaq or HP splash screen displays, you are prompted to press Escape to enter Start Up Menu. Then there is a prompt to press F10 to enter the BIOS Setup.

Because of the different types of CPUs and BIOS configurations, it may be possible to turn On the power and press F10 for the BIOS without going through the UEFI Start Up Menu.

Shortened enabled, 2008 to mid 2011 for most models

To help computers start faster, on some models the Compaq or HP splash screen is not displayed during the start up process. In this case, after pressing the power button, repeatedly press the Esc key to enter the Start Up Menu, and follow the prompt to press F10 to enter the BIOS Setup.

Step 3: The BIOS will load. After you successfully get into the BIOS, you can feel free to navigate through it.

The BIOS Setup screen has 5 different tabs, which provides different options for modifying the system configuration. You can set it according to your own needs. If you need to reset Windows password on HP, you can set its boot order to reboot the computer from a password recovery disk.

@MichaelCrider
December 13, 2017, 10:24am EDT

So you’ve carefully picked out some parts and built a computer, but it doesn’t really do anything…yet. Before we hop into installing your operating system, we need to take a quick look at the BIOS and prepare it for our operating system.

BIOS stands for “Basic Input-Output System.” It’s a tiny program that’s stored on a small memory chip in your motherboard, and it runs on your computer before the operating system does, setting everything up and allowing you to change basic settings. It’s what allows you to install a new operating system, overwrite an old one, or do more technical stuff like overclock your processor.

(Technically, most new motherboards including ours are loaded with a more advanced kind of pre-boot environment called a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, or UEFI. It has a ton of new and useful features to better support modern hardware. But everyone still calls it “the BIOS,” because it covers all of the same bases.)

Getting Into the BIOS

If you don’t have an operating system installed on your storage drive, the UEFI/BIOS program should start immediately when you turn your computer on. If it doesn’t, take a look at the splash screen (the one with your motherboard’s logo or text): it will have directions on how to start it.

Usually you do this by quickly pressing F1, F2, F11, F12, Delete, or some other secondary key on your keyboard as it boots. (On our Gigabyte keyboard, the command is “Delete,” in the lower-left portion of the screen above.) If you don’t get it on the first try, just turn the computer off and give it another go.

Once you’re in, there are a few things you may want to do.

Update Your BIOS or UEFI (Optional)

Chances are, your motherboard is not running the latest version of its UEFI. Updating it helps to support new features, patch bugs and security vulnerabilities, and generally give the place a bit of spit-and-polish. Because the UEFI runs before the full operating system, it doesn’t have a way to update itself over the Internet, and you’ll need to do it manually.

Note that you don’t generally need the latest version of the motherboard firmware, unless you run into specific compatibility problems with newer hardware and features. For example, if you have a last-generation motherboard and a current-generation CPU that happens to use the same socket, you may need to update it for the CPU to work properly. Updating is also sometimes recommended for specific, critical security updates or bugs.

You can check for the latest version of your UEFI/BIOS by putting the model number into Google and adding “BIOS update.” (Check the box or one of the UEFI menus if you don’t know your motherboard model.) On your manufacturer’s product page you’ll find a list of updates, usually under “Support.” Download the latest one if your UEFI isn’t already running it.

Again, for each manufacturer this process is a little different, but more or less all of them should have some means of updating the UEFI program without an operating system installed. In the case of our Gigabyte motherboard, the process went something like this:

1. Download the updated UEFI file from the Gigabyte website (on another, working computer, of course).
2. Transfer the file to a USB drive.
3. Plug the drive into the new computer, start up UEFI, and press F8.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the latest version of UEFI.
5. Reboot.

Your motherboard and BIOS/UEFI will follow the same general steps, but not necessarily exactly. You can usually find the process with a quick Google search. If for some reason you can’t get it working, don’t worry: motherboard manufacturers also frequently offer programs that can update the BIOS/UEFI once you get Windows up and running, too.

Check Your Storage Drives

Next, check to make sure that your motherboard can recognize your storage drive. If it can’t, the Windows setup utility you use in the next article won’t have anything to install to.

The instructions here are unfortunately going to be a bit vague, because every company’s UEFI program is laid out differently. All we’re really trying to do is find the page that manages the storage drives. On our Gigabyte motherboard, this is found under the “BIOS” tab (because the new UEFI includes all of the old “BIOS” settings, you see).

I’ve selected “Boot Option #1,” the first thing that the BIOS will attempt to boot. If this fails, it will continue to the second option. Under the available list, you can see the Corsair solid state drive we installed in the last article. If you’re installing your operating system with a DVD drive, make sure you can see it here too. (Sometimes both are labelled “SATA” for their motherboard connections.)

If you don’t see your drive or drives, double-check the power and SATA data cables in your case. If you’ve verified that they’re connected and you still can’t see the drives in BIOS, you may have to replace them.

Going Further with Other Tweaks

There’s a lot of other interesting stuff you can do with your computer’s UEFI or BIOS, but none of it is really necessary to get an operating system up and running. Feel free to poke around at some of the options; most of it is self-explanatory, like powering up the computer when the mouse or keyboard is touched. If you don’t understand what something controls, don’t touch it without doing a Google search first.

Here are some of the more interesting options in the BIOS and UEFI we recommend checking out, as long as you feel comfortable doing so:

Once you’re done with everything in the BIOS and UEFI, head to the next article to install Windows. Note that you’ll need another working computer with access to the Internet if you don’t already have an installation disc or USB drive ready.

Or, if you want to jump to another part in the guide, here’s the whole thing:

Need to boot from a USB or DVD? We can help

So you need to change the boot order on your Windows machine so that you can boot from USB in order to run an offline virus scanner? Or maybe you need to change the boot sequence so that you can boot from a Windows DVD to run a system repair?

Whatever the reason for changing the boot sequence, the process of accessing the BIOS can vary by computer. The difference will depend on whether you have a legacy BIOS or the newer UEFI BIOS on your computer or both.

I won’t go into details on the differences between the two types of BIOS, other than how to access them. Once you have gotten into the BIOS on your computer, you’ll then be able to change the boot order.

Access Legacy & UEFI BIOS

So first let’s talk about getting into the BIOS. If you’re not sure if your computer is using Legacy or UEFI BIOS or Legacy + UEFI, which is a third option actually, then you just have to do some trial and error.

Everyone is probably familiar with the legacy BIOS because that’s the one you access by pressing a certain key like DEL, F2, F8, F12, or ESC when your computer first starts up.

The first thing to do is go ahead and restart your computer and then to keep pressing one of the keys on the keyboard continually while the computer is booting up. Usually, you will see a message quickly appear at the bottom telling you which keys to press. Here are two examples from a Dell machine and a custom built machine I have at home:

The motherboard on my custom PC is from MSI, so the boot up process loads a MSI screen with the option to press DEL to run BIOS setup or press F11 to run the boot menu. Note that if you go into the BIOS setup, you’ll also be able to change the boot order from there too. Since changing the boot order is such a common task, they usually have a separate key just for that (F11 in this case).

On my Dell, I get a different set of keys for accessing the BIOS setup (F2) and Boot Options (F12). Now if you don’t see this type of message popup at all when booting up, it could indicate that your BIOS is setup for UEFI only.

UEFI BIOS cannot be accessed by pressing keys on the keyboard. Instead, you have to restart Windows in a special way and then go through some menu options. To restart Windows, click on Start and then Settings (gear icon).

Next click on Update & Security.

Then click on Recovery in the left-hand menu and then click on the Restart now button under Advanced startup. This will restart your computer and load the advanced recovery options screen. Here you want to click on Troubleshoot.

Under the Troubleshoot heading, go ahead and choose Advanced Options.

On this last screen, you should see an option called UEFI Firmware Settings.

If you don’t see this option, that means your computer does not have an UEFI BIOS. You’ll instead have to boot using the legacy method by pressing the keys on startup. Note that if your BIOS is set to UEFI + Legacy BIOS, then you’ll be able to access both BIOS’s.

Change Boot Order

Now that we figured out how to access the BIOS, let’s change the boot order in Windows. If your computer is using legacy BIOS, make sure to press the key for boot options or boot order as that’ll get you right into the boot sequence screen.

For example, on my Dell machine, when I pressed F12 for Boot Options, I got the following screen:

At the top, it tells me my boot mode is set to UEFI + Legacy and then it gives me Legacy Options and UEFI Options. If you don’t have any UEFI hard drives or devices on your computer, you’ll just see Windows Boot Manager. Now I can just pick which device I want to boot from.

On my custom machine, pressing F11 for the boot menu gets me to the following screen:

As mentioned earlier, you can either go directly to the boot options like this or enter setup and then go to the boot section. Sometimes going through setup will give you more options. For example, on my custom PC, I entered BIOS setup, then Settings and then Boot.

As you can see from the list below, there are a whole lot of options. Basically, the BIOS has all the UEFI and legacy boot options listed. So if you have a UEFI hard drive along with a legacy hard drive, you can choose the boot order for all of the devices.

When you are in the BIOS boot order screen, you’ll see instructions for how to change the order. Sometimes you use the up and down arrow keys, sometimes the PgUp and PgDown keys, other times you just select Boot Option #1, like above, and pick which device boots first, etc. The method is dependent on the motherboard manufacturer, so follow the on-screen instructions.

Again, if you don’t have the UEFI Firmware Settings option and you don’t see any Press this key for setup message during startup, then just try restarting and pressing one of the keys mentioned above a couple of times while the PC is booting up. Don’t hold the key down, just keep pressing it. If one key doesn’t get you into the BIOS, then restart again and press a different key. If you have any trouble getting into the BIOS or changing the boot order, post a comment and we’ll try to help. Enjoy!

Founder of Online Tech Tips and managing editor. He began blogging in 2007 and quit his job in 2010 to blog full-time. He has over 15 years of industry experience in IT and holds several technical certifications. Read Aseem’s Full Bio

Important info to know when troubleshooting

There are times when users exhaust all their options and resort to resetting their BIOS in order to fix their computer.

The BIOS can become corrupted due to an update gone wrong or through malware. Learning how to reset the BIOS is an important step in troubleshooting your PC.

What is BIOS?

BIOS stands for Basic Input Output System. Every motherboard comes with a BIOS. This software makes it possible for users to control their computers at the hardware level before the operating system loads and to troubleshoot the computer.

Usually, you’ll only need to enter the BIOS setup to make changes to the boot order or to configure device settings. It also provides a list of installed hardware like your hard drive, CPU, and RAM.

Depending on the operating system you are running, the BIOS may have a different name. For example, Mac computers run something called Open Firmware or EFI and can be accessed by restarting and holding down the CMD + Option + O + F keys.

What is UEFI?

Newer computers have replaced BIOS with UEFI or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. UEFI is faster and has improved security features compared to BIOS. Both terms, however, are often used interchangeably by most users.

Laptop BIOS vs Desktop BIOS: Is there a difference?

The process should be the same whether you’re accessing the BIOS on your laptop or your desktop. But do note that there are cases when users are locked out of their BIOS completely. This would require opening your PC case, which could potentially void your warranty. In cases like this one, it would be best to leave it to professional technicians.

It does not matter if you’re running Windows 7, Windows 8, or WIndows 10. All modern motherboards have built-in BIOS.

Accessing BIOS

How you access your BIOS would depend on your motherboard. There’s no real standard set so manufacturers tend to assign different keys. No matter what brand you own, though, getting into your BIOS starts with a PC reboot.

While the computer is booting, repeatedly hit the key that gets you into BIOS. The load screen will sometimes leave hints as to what button or keys to press. On most machines, it is the F2 key but some laptops use DEL or F8 instead. Hit the right button enough times and the computer will load your BIOS settings.

Windows 10 users can also access BIOS using the Shift + Restart method. Go to Start > Power. While holding the Shift key, press Restart. This will bring up a blue window with several troubleshooting options.

From here, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings. Hit the Restart button to continue.

The computer will reboot but enter the BIOS at the end instead of bringing you to the login screen.

Firstly, if you can’t enter the BIOS because of a password, make sure to read our article on how to reset a BIOS password.

Once you’re in BIOS, you can try to hit either the F9 or F5 keys to bring up the Load Default Options prompt. Clicking Yes will be enough to restore the default settings. This key may be different depending on your BIOS, but it’ll usually be listed at the bottom of the screen.

You can also reset BIOS in the Security tab. Different motherboards have varying menu options but there will be one that would reset your BIOS.

Don’t forget to Save and Exit when you’re finished. Finally, if it’s not under the Security tab, or if you simply don’t have one, the last option is to click on the Exit link.

Before you exit, you’ll see a couple of different options: discard and restart, save settings and restart, load defaults, etc.

In my case, it was Load Optimized Defaults. If you select that option, it’ll go ahead and reset the BIOS to default and reboot.

Christopher Jan Benitez is a freelance writer for hire who provides actionable and useful web content to small businesses and startups. In his spare time, he religiously watches professional wrestling and finds solace in listening to ’80s speed metal. Read Christopher’s Full Bio

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How to change computer BIOS settings

Step 1: Press ” F2 ” Function button on the keyboard for entering in BIOS. – See more at: file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Administrator/Desktop/html/win%207/How%20To%20Setup%20BIOS%20To%20Boot%20From%20CD%20Or%20DVD%20Drive%20_%20Computrogeek.htm#sthash.V5Wtq9rB.dpuf

Step 1: Press ” F2 ” Function button on the keyboard for entering in BIOS. – See more at: file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Administrator/Desktop/html/win%207/How%20To%20Setup%20BIOS%20To%20Boot%20From%20CD%20Or%20DVD%20Drive%20_%20Computrogeek.htm#sthash.V5Wtq9rB.dpuf

Step 1 : Press ” F2, F10, F12, and Del ” Function button on the keyboard for entering in BIOS.

Step 2 : Select Boot screen using keyboard ” ←→ ” key.

Step 3: Select ” Boot Device Priority ” using keyboard “ ↑↓ ” key then press ” Enter “

Step 4 : Select first booting ” CDROM” in ” 1st Boot Device ” option.

Step 5 : Press ” F10 ” for saving your BIOS setting and then press ” Enter ” for Save & Exit.

AntonABC

I was told in order to install Windows XP I have to change the BIOS setting so that
the computer boots from CD.

My Boot sequence in my BIOS settings are : A,C,SCSI

My question is how to change it ?

Thanks for any help

stevecook

lotuseclat79

I was told in order to install Windows XP I have to change the BIOS setting so that
the computer boots from CD.

My Boot sequence in my BIOS settings are : A,C,SCSI

My question is how to change it ?

Thanks for any help

If you know what your boot sequence is, I assume you know what BIOS you have and how to get into it at cold start bootup. As for changing it, if you do not know how:
1) at cold start bootup, look at the bottom of the screen for a key to tap to get into the BIOS – could be DEL or F2 depending on what BIOS you have, or some other sequence. You should tap the key as soon as you see it at the bottom of the screen – perhaps several times for it to be recognized during POST.

Device A is for a floppy drive – presumeably, you have a working one. The system will scan for a floppy diskette first before any other boot up device, and if one is present, it will try to boot from it. This is where may errors occur when the disktette if not bootable.

Device C is for your disk drive. The system will try to boot up from the hard drive after the floppy drive if no floppy diskette is present.

The SCSI drive is usually for the CD-ROM/DVD drive which is what you want. You need to reverse the order of C and SCSI to load up the OS, and you should probably leave the order alone so that in the future if you have an error condition that warrants using the CD, you have the proper ordering. Note: when the CD is not in the drive, the system should normally bootup when there is no floppy or CD in either drive – i.e. from the hard disk.

AntonABC

What I find weird is that I can highlight my Boot Sequence which is A,C,SCSI but
when I hit ENTER,nothing happens.
By pressing the HelpKey I obtain a list of all the Boot Sequence Options but
again I cannot change them.Why ?

If you know what your boot sequence is, I assume you know what BIOS you have and how to get into it at cold start bootup. As for changing it, if you do not know how:
1) at cold start bootup, look at the bottom of the screen for a key to tap to get into the BIOS – could be DEL or F2 depending on what BIOS you have, or some other sequence. You should tap the key as soon as you see it at the bottom of the screen – perhaps several times for it to be recognized during POST.

Device A is for a floppy drive – presumeably, you have a working one. The system will scan for a floppy diskette first before any other boot up device, and if one is present, it will try to boot from it. This is where may errors occur when the disktette if not bootable.

Device C is for your disk drive. The system will try to boot up from the hard drive after the floppy drive if no floppy diskette is present.