How To Change Boot Order Safely On Windows Device

In brief, the boot order refers to the order of the storage devices connected to a computer. It decides which device the computer will search first for program code to load the operating system. If the boot order is not set properly, users will definitely run into problems while booting. This happens frequently when users decide to change their boot device. (MiniTool Solution provides many useful methods for solving startup problemes.)

So, what should you do to avoid such situation? Certainly, the answer is change boot order .

How to Change Boot Order on A Windows Computer

When do you need to change boot sequence? The common cases include:

• Troubleshoot virus issues with bootable antivirus programs.
• Install a new operating system or reinstall your current system.
• Use bootable data destruction tools and other useful utilities.
• …

Every time when you start a computer, the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) or UEFI Firmware will load up first; it tells the computer which drive it should use to boot the Windows. If you want to boot from a new drive, you should go to change the boot order in BIOS (please set the target drive as the first boot device). In the following part, I’ll take BIOS as an example to show you the steps to change boot sequence safely.

How to Change Boot Drive in BIOS

Step 1: shut down your computer to which the target boot drive is connected. Then, restart it and look carefully for the message that tells you which button to press to enter SETUP/BIOS (the message will appear on your computer screen in the first few seconds).

• In common cases, you only need to press a single key (F1, F2, F10, Delete or Esc) during startup.
• However, there are still some cases in which you should press key combinations like Ctrl + Alt + Esc and Ctrl + Alt + Delete to access BIOS.

The message disappears very quickly so that many people complained they miss the key information during computer restart. In this case, my advice is to reboot again.

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

Luckily, users of Windows 10 have no such trouble; they can go to restart their PC to change boot order directly by following steps.

1. Press Win + I key combination to open Windows Settings.>
2. Click Update & Security at the bottom.
3. Navigate to Recovery option from the left pane.
4. Look for Advanced startup section from the right pane.
5. Click on the Restart now button and wait.

Step 2: get familiar with the BIOS Setup Utility main window and then navigate to the boot order options.

Not all the BIOS utilities are the same; there are some differences between them. So please don’t be surprised to find that your BIOS interface is completely different from what I show you below. Please look through the options in BIOS Setup Utility so as to locate the option for changing boot order quickly.

Now, you should select the option called Boot (or another name) that is responsible for changing the boot sequence. After that, all the devices (hard drives, USB drives, and optical drives) connected to the computer will be listed in order.

Actually, the list order is the order that tells your computer which drive to look first for operating system information. That is what well called the boot order.

Step 3: change boot order to meet your needs by following the instructions.

In this step, you should move the drive that you want to boot from to the top of the list (using the + and – keys). After that, please make sure the boot order is correct and the first boot drive contains valid & complete start-up files.

Step 4: exit BIOS and save changes.

When you’re sure everything’s right, you should navigate to Exit or Save and Exit option. Click Yes to exit and save changes.

Step 5: now, you can restart the computer with the new boot order. When you click to restart PC, your BIOS will start to boot from the first drive in the boot order you have modified. Then, you will enter Windows successfully. (If the first boot device is not bootable, the PC will try to boot from the second device.)

That’s how to change boot drive in BIOS.

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