Boot doesn't work. Hot keys to enter the BIOS menu, Boot Menu, recovery from a hidden partition. How to enter the Boot Menu on a Lenovo laptop

Greetings!
The Boot menu is available on almost every computer or laptop, but often users either know nothing about it or have very basic information, and some confuse it with a menu in which they select to boot one of several operating systems installed on the computer . So what exactly is the boot menu and what is its purpose? In this material I will try to answer this question.

Where is the boot menu located and what is it used for?

This menu located in the BIOS on the motherboard, and it is used to select the physical device from which to boot.

It can be like a CD or DVD disc, and Flash media. For a better understanding, we can give an example - using the boot menu, you can boot from any media (for example, Flash) in the absence of the hard drive itself on the PC.

What is this menu for? to the average user? Of course, often the computer already has an operating system installed, which loads by default when it is turned on.

However, if you want to connect a second hard drive on which the operating system is also installed, you will need to select the device from which to boot.

Even if you do not connect additional hard drives, then if there are problems with your PC, you can use boot menu You will be able to boot from other media and carry out: high-level diagnostics of PC components, you will be able to try to recover data from a hard drive damaged by the malware, reset your system login password, etc.

Or maybe you just decided to reinstall the system, as they say, “from scratch,” and for this you will need to boot from a DVD or flash drive. By the way, about how to create bootable USB flash drive you can read in the material.

As you can see, there are quite a few reasons to boot from third-party media.

How to call (get to) the boot menu

It is necessary to remember that the boot menu is part of the BIOS, and therefore, by going to BIOS Setup, you can also assign the boot order there from media connected to the computer.

If you happen to encounter a very old computer (before 2006), then you may not find a separately callable boot menu on such a rare PC - in this case, all settings are made exclusively in the BIOS itself.

Typically, a list of bootable media is specified in a section called Boot. The corresponding priority is set there, that is, by arranging the devices in a certain order, the system will search for the boot area one by one operating system(or bootable LiveCD, diagnostic flash drive, etc.) on each of them.

But let's assume the option that for one reason or another you cannot enter the BIOS or simply do not want to waste your time on it. In this case, the boot menu comes to your aid, which quickly allows you to select the device from which you want to boot.

Entering the Boot Menu is not difficult - when you turn on the computer, you need to press a certain key several times. This is done when the computer is turned on, similar to pressing a key to enter BIOS Setup.

There is no single standard, and therefore manufacturers are free to choose the key that would call up the corresponding menu. The boot menu can be called up by pressing a key F8, F11, F12 or even Esc. It depends on the developer of the motherboard and the BIOS used in it. Therefore, the most correct solution would be to refer to the documentation for the motherboard. If the documentation is lost, then you can find out the brand and name of the motherboard, and then highlight the necessary manual on the Internet.

Or, when you turn on your computer or laptop, highlight the required key, which is sometimes displayed with other technical information on the display.

However this method not always effective on laptops because there technical information is displayed either very quickly or is not displayed at all and immediately upon switching on the operating system loads.

In this situation, you can try pressing the key F12, which is quite common among laptop manufacturers. If it doesn’t help, then use the manual for your laptop.

Take into account one more thing: the Boot Menu also does not have a single design, as well as a title that is displayed in a menu item or window title - it can be called “MultiBoot Menu”, “BBS Popup”, “Boot Agent”, etc. .

Below is a list of typical keys that motherboard and laptop manufacturers use to open the boot menu:

motherboard/laptop manufacturer (BIOS developer) – key

Brief summary

After reading this material, you now know what the Boot Menu is, how it differs from the menu in the BIOS, where boot priority is set and there is no way to quickly select boot media.

Naturally, the Boot Menu is not a replacement for the menu that is displayed when there are several operating systems installed on the computer. This menu serves several other purposes, which were described in the material.

If you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments.

Do you want to boot your computer from a flash drive or disk? To do this, you don’t have to go to BIOS settings. Especially if you don’t understand much about it. After all, there is an easier way. IN in this case Just enter the Boot Menu and change the device boot priority. This is done in about 10 seconds. And most importantly, there is no shamanism in the BIOS.

Boot Menu - what is it?

What do users usually do to reinstall Windows? As a rule, they write down the license digital copy on, and then perform.

Boot Menu (or boot menu) is extremely useful option BIOS. With its help, you can quickly set the boot priority of devices. Simply put, launching the Boot Menu opens a small window in which you can immediately put the flash drive (or DVD) in first place, and hard drive- on the second. In this case, you do not need to enter the BIOS.

In addition, changing settings in the Boot Menu does not affect the BIOS settings. That is, this option triggers once - for one switching on. And when you restart your PC, Windows will boot from hard drive(as usual). If you need to run again Windows installation from a flash drive - call the Boot Menu again.

If you remember, when changing the settings in the BIOS, you had to go into it again and change the device boot priority back (i.e., put the hard drive in first place). But in the case of the Booth Menu, you don’t need to do this.

How to call Boot Menu

It's very simple - just click booting Windows one key. Which one exactly? It depends on:

• BIOS version;
• motherboard;
• laptop models.

That is, the situation is exactly the same as with the BIOS. For example, in order to, you need to press the Del or F2 button, and to open the Boot Menu you need to click another one.

Most often this is Esc or F12. Although, as mentioned above, the call button may differ on different PCs.

Therefore, below we will look at how to launch the Boot Menu on popular brands of laptops and personal computers.

How to enable Boot Menu on Lenovo laptops

Owners of Lenovo laptops should not have any difficulties. After all, the Boot Menu on Lenovo is launched very simply - by pressing the F12 key when loading Windows.

Plus, on the body of many models there is a special button with a curved arrow. You can press it if you want to select additional. download options.

Launch Boot Menu on PC with mat. Asus board couldn't be easier

You need to press the F8 key when it boots (at the same time that you would normally enter the BIOS).

And there is a little confusion with Asus laptops. It seems that the manufacturer is the same, but there are several buttons to launch the Boot Menu. After all, the Boot Menu on Asus laptops is launched using one of two keys:

Most often this is the Esc button, although it can also be F8. However, there are only 2 keys.

The boot menu on Acer opens by pressing the F12 button

But there is one small nuance here. The fact is that the Boot Menu is usually disabled on Acer laptops. And when you press F12, nothing will happen. To make it work, you need to do the following:

1. Go to the BIOS (when booting the laptop, press the F2 button).
2. Go to the “Main” tab.
3. Look for the line “F12 Boot Menu” and change the value “Disabled” to “Enabled”.
4. Save the changed settings and exit the BIOS.

The system will reboot and you can go to the boot menu on Acer laptop using F12.

How to enable Boot Menu on Samsung laptops

On Samsung you need to press the Esc key. But owners of Samsung laptops need to know one feature. The fact is that to call the Boot Menu you need to click the Esc button once! If you click twice, the window will simply close.

Therefore, you will have to get used to it to know when exactly to press the Esc key. Although there is nothing complicated here - just a couple of attempts.

HP also has its own specifics

Launching the Boot Menu on HP also has its own specifics. After all, opening the Boot Menu is done a little differently.

1. At turning on Windows Immediately press the Esc key.
2. The launch menu will be displayed - press the F9 button.
3. Ready.

After this, the boot menu of the HP laptop will open, and you can set the priority for turning on devices (using the arrows).

Boot menu on Windows 10 or 8

If Windows 8 or Windows 10 is installed on your PC or laptop, then you most likely will not be able to enable the Boot Menu.

The fact is that these OSs have a small peculiarity - by default they have “Quick Start” enabled, so they are not completely turned off. This is called hibernation (something like sleep mode). Therefore, when you boot your PC or laptop, you will not be able to open this menu on Windows 10.

There are three ways to fix this:

1. Hold Shift when turning off your laptop or PC. After this, it will turn off normally (in the usual sense of the word). And then you can launch it on Windows 10 by pressing the desired key.
2. Instead of turning off your PC, you can restart it. And at the moment of turning on, just press a specific key corresponding to your laptop brand or motherboard.
3. Disable the Quick Start feature. To do this:

That’s it – now you can easily access the Boot Menu on Windows 10 or Windows 8.

For your convenience, below is a screenshot showing the keys to launch the Boot Menu for popular laptops and PCs

For example, for computers running on a mat. MSI board– this is the F11 button. And launch the Boot Menu on Sony laptops VAIO is done using F12. In general, you can figure it out for yourself - the table is simple and understandable.

Also, for convenience, buttons for entering the BIOS are written. If for some reason you are unable to open the Boot Menu, you can always change the device boot priority in a standard way- via BIOS.

Boot order, translated means the sequence or literally the boot order, if there are many boot options - from a hard drive, flash drive, network, CD/DVD drive, then you need to somehow sort them in order, and set the main one first, this will significantly reduce the startup time and booting the computer, because he does not have to go through all the boot options in search of the current one.

How to configure Boot order in BIOS

There are several settings options, menu items may have different names and be located in different places, but there are only two fundamentally different options:

1. The Boot order menu specifies specific devices that can be arranged in order
2. In the Boot order menu, the types of devices are indicated in order, and if there is more than one, there is an additional menu item in which specific devices can be arranged in order.

The first option is more common and a little easier to set up; you also need to find a menu with boot settings, usually it’s called Boot or Startup, this page displays the boot settings of a computer or laptop, their list depends on the manufacturer, in the example Boot order is called simply Boot but may have another name, go to it:

We see the Boot Priority Order menu and on the left there are instructions on how to change the order, in general, use the up/down arrows to select the desired item and use the + and - keys to raise it in the list or release it accordingly:

After setting, go to the previous menu; in the vast majority of BIOS, the exit is Esc. In the example, there is also the Boot Order Lock item - it is needed in order to fix the boot order and it did not change when connecting other devices from which booting is possible, indirectly it also increases the security of your device - an attacker will not be able to connect a bootable USB flash drive and boot from it:

The second option is most often found on older computers, here in Boot Device Priority are arranged according to the list of device types - hard drives, flash drives, network, etc., and in the Hard Disk Drives item, which is not always nearby, you can set the boot priority already from specific devices:

We configure, save the settings, reboot and check that everything works as it should. Below are a few more examples of where to look for the Boot Order setting; on very old computers this option is found:

We go to the Advanced BIOS Features menu, in the “Boot Order” rectangle - the first, second and, accordingly, third boot device, from the drop-down menu you need to select the type if hard drives several (flash drives are also often considered a hard drive) then in the very first paragraph - Hard Disk Boot Priority you can specify their priority:

The “Boot Order” item may be hidden in an unexpected place:

How to configure Boot order in UEFI

Setting up Boot Order in UEFI is not very different from that in BIOS, and is performed using almost the same algorithm.
We go into the BIOS UEFI, when you turn it on, a hint is usually displayed at the bottom of the screen on how to do this, for computers in 99% of cases this is F2 or DEL, for laptops there are more options Esc, F1, F2, F10, F11, F12 (sometimes you need to press them together with the Fn button) in general, try it. For me everything is simple, you can press F2 or DEL:

I click and get into UEFI, the interface for all manufacturers is more or less standardized and built on the same principle, immediately after entering UEFI you are taken to an information screen with general data about the computer and readings of the main parameters of temperatures, voltages, etc. Here you can immediately go to the Boot Priority menu and set everything up, but we’ll do it the old fashioned way - we’re looking for a way to switch to advanced mode, usually there’s either a corresponding button (indicated by an arrow in the picture below), or there’s a key at the bottom that can be used to switch to Advanced Mode in our case F7, press:

Here we select with the up-down arrows or the mouse - Advanced Mode

And we find ourselves in an extended menu, vaguely reminiscent of the BIOS, only richer in graphics, here we go to the Boot section and then to Hard Drives BBS Priorities:

and set the boot priority by selecting the desired hard drive from the drop-down menu next to each Boot Option item:

After the Boot Order setup is completed, click on Exit at the top, select Save Changes & Reset to save the settings and restart the computer:

We reboot and check that the download went immediately from the specified device, without wasting time polling the others.

In general, as you can see, there is no difficulty in setting up Boot Order, and with the help of this article you can easily fix problems with loading on your computer or laptop, if something doesn’t work out - write in the comments, preferably with a photo, I’ll tell you where to click .

What happens when the computer is turned on is that it checks the functionality of its components and determines the priority of the operating system boot source.
BIOS contains settings related to basic program files and drivers

You can enter the boot menu when you turn on your computer equipment by pressing at that moment one key or a certain combination of them, which in most cases the system warns about when the table appears on the screen.

However, few users can catch the information that appears on the screen due to the high-speed loading of pages, which creates a flickering effect. The necessary data can be found in the instructions for the motherboard or equipment. On laptops, the F 12 key is mainly used. And, in the absence of technical documentation for the equipment, you should try to enter the program from it. In some cases, simultaneous or step-by-step activation of keyboard buttons is used. For example, to enter the boot menu in an HP laptop, as in many modifications of similar equipment, you need to press the ESC key, followed by F9.

They go into the BIOS to make a choice boot disk or change software settings.

Boot menu is a specific section built into Bios with which you can easily select boot media for installation Windows required versions. One of the flash media objects can be assigned a priority status that will be accessed boot programs first of all. If the request is not confirmed, the applications will be redirected to additional objects, according to the settings in the BIOS.

How to enter the Boot Menu of devices 8, 8.1 and 10 versions of Windows

When purchasing laptops with already installed Windows 8, 8.1 or 10, you will not be able to enter the boot menu by pressing a key. The reason is that in these versions of operating systems, turning off computer equipment implies a hibernation process. In order to get to the Boot menu by pressing a key combination, you must provide complete shutdown operating system. This can be achieved in several ways:

• To completely shut down computer equipment, hold down the “Shift” key while selecting the “Shutdown” function in the “Start” menu.
• Instead of the “Shut down” functions of the laptop, start the reboot mode, during which you activate the keys.

Calling the boot menu on laptops and motherboards of Asus computer equipment

On computers with components from Asus, to open the boot menu, you can press the F8 or ESC button when you turn on the equipment.

ESC can bring up the boot menu in modern laptop models. On other models, you can call the menu using the F8 key.

The principle of working with such laptops is simple. To enter the boot menu in asus laptop previous production releases, you must initially load it by pressing the ESC key. Reloading with the F8 key is necessary if the first attempt was not successful.

Technology for working with the download menu on Lenovo laptops

Before starting operations with computer equipment the power cord should be connected. If while working in the boot menu in Lenovo laptop If the charge runs out and it suddenly stops performing assigned tasks, this will negatively affect its technical condition.

When you hold down the F12 button while turning on the technology, the user is taken to the QuickBoot section, which is responsible for determining boot priority. In the device table, you can configure sections for sources of installation information that the laptop will access during the process of restoring or reinstalling Windows.

You can enter the boot menu in Lenovo using the F2 button. In the main menu, settings for the parameters of various devices are available.

The BIOS of a Lenovo laptop, unlike computers, allows additional functions including:

1. Setting up security system functions;
2. Battery calibration
3. Obtaining information regarding serial number computer equipment, motherboard and all connected equipment;
4. Changing touch screen characteristics;
5. Adjusting the appearance of the image on the screen.

Features of entering the Boot menu in Acer computer products

On Acer equipment, the f12 key to enter the boot menu is disabled initially. The specificity of the configuration lies in the specific settings.

You can enter the boot menu in the usual way after making the settings, saving them and exiting the BIOS.

Logging into the Boot service on computer equipment models from various manufacturers

Entering the Boot function of computer equipment is possible in several ways:

1. as part of the BIOS;
2. separately.

The advantage of logging in using the BIOS is the ability to select the download source. Without using the BIOS service, booting occurs only from a specific bootable media.

To log into the Boot service in desktop computer the F8 or F 8 keys are used. Manufacturers use different models computer technology functions Esc, Del, Alt, F2, F8, F11 and their combinations.

Each manufacturer produces computer equipment with parameters for logging into windows boot menu.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Good day everyone!

Why memorize something you don't need every day? It is enough to open and read the information when you need it - the main thing is to be able to use it! I usually do this myself, and these hotkey signs are no exception...

This article is for reference; it contains buttons for entering the BIOS and calling the boot menu (also called the Boot Menu). Often they are simply “vitally” necessary for reinstalling Windows, when restoring the computer, setting up the BIOS, etc. I hope the information will be relevant and you will find the treasured key to call the desired menu.

Note:

1. The information on the page will be updated and expanded from time to time;
2. You can see the buttons for entering the BIOS in this article (as well as how to enter the BIOS in general :)):
3. At the end of the article there are examples and explanations of abbreviations in the table and a description of the functions.

NOTEBOOKS

PERSONAL COMPUTERS

HELP (according to the above tables)

BIOS Setup (also Enter Setup, BIOS Settings, or simply BIOS)- this is the button to enter the BIOS settings. You need to press it after turning on the computer (laptop), and preferably several times until the screen appears. The name may vary slightly depending on the equipment manufacturer.

Boot Menu (also Change Boot Device, Popup Menu)- Very useful menu, allowing you to select the device from which the device will boot. Moreover, to select a device you do not need to go into the BIOS and change the boot queue. That is, for example, you need to install Windows OS - press the button to enter the Boot Menu, select the installation flash drive, and after rebooting, the computer will automatically boot from the hard drive (and no unnecessary BIOS settings).

Example Boot Menu - HP laptop (Boot Option Menu).

D2D Recovery (also Recovery)- Windows recovery function on laptops. Allows you to quickly restore the functionality of the device from hidden section hard drive. To be honest, I personally don’t like using this function, because... recovery in laptops is often “crooked”, works clumsily and there is not always a choice detailed settings“how and what”... I prefer installation and Windows recovery from a bootable flash drive.

Easy Flash - used for BIOS updates(I don’t recommend using it for beginners...).

System Information - system information about the laptop and its components (for example, this option is available on HP laptops).

PS

Thanks in advance for any additions to the topic of the article. Your information (for example, the buttons to enter the BIOS on your laptop model) will be added to the article. All the best!