How to Change Your Computer's Boot Order

Boot your computer from removable media by changing the boot order.

Your computer's basic input/output system, known as the BIOS, is the very first thing you see when you turn on your computer. The BIOS provides instructions to your computer on which device to use to boot up. You can change the boot order of your computer by accessing your computer's BIOS settings during the POST process. Computers typically boot from the hard drive that has an operating system installed first, but you can change your computer's boot sequence to boot from a DVD/CD or floppy disk drive.

Instructions

1. Turn on your computer using the power button on the case.

2. Press the "Del" or "F2" key during POST to access your computer's BIOS settings.

3. Locate the boot sequence menu using your computer's arrow keys.

4. Select the "Primary Master" option and press the "Enter" key. This will be the drive that boots up first.

5. Select the hard drive, CD drive or the USB flash drive that you want to boot up first as the "Primary Master." Press the "Enter" key to select the drive and "F10" to save your selection.

6. Repeat the above steps if you want to change your "Primary Slave," "Secondary Master" and "Secondary Slave" drive settings on the boot sequence menu.

7. Confirm your boot order changes by selecting "F10" again and saving all of your changes before exiting the BIOS.

8. Restart your computer.