Description

The boot (start-up, power-on) order in the computer’s BIOS controls which device it loads the operating system from. Modify the boot order to force the computer to boot from a USB drive, CD or DVD drive, or another hard drive.

Applicable Brands

• Lenovo laptops, desktops
• ThinkPad, ThinkCentre

Operating Systems

• Windows 10
• Windows 11

Solution

If your computer fails to boot properly, shows error messages during startup, or you want to boot from an external drive like a USB installation drive or a recovery disk, you may need to check or change the boot order in Windows. 

Watch our video: [Video] How To Change Boot Order in BIOS

1. Enter the BIOS menu. There are various ways to do this depending on the model of the computer. Try:
   BIOS Simulator:
   Lenovo BIOS Simulator Center: An interactive BIOS Setup utility - Windows
   Think systems:
   Recommended way to enter BIOS for Think series

   Idea, Lenovo Lenovo systems:
   Recommended way to enter BIOS for IdeaPad, Lenovo laptops
   Recommended way to enter BIOS for Lenovo Desktops, All-in-Ones
   Search for BIOS in the Hardware manual, How To Find And View Manuals For Lenovo Products - ThinkPad, ThinkCentre, Ideapad, Ideacentre

2. Once the Boot menu has been found, search for the Boot Order to be changed. At times, the boot option shown in the following figure may be hidden in other tabs. Scroll around and try to locate this option.
   
   Note: The steps listed below are for the example BIOS only; your computer's BIOS may be slightly different.
   
   
3. To change which device to boot from first, follow the directions on the BIOS setup utility screen to change the boot order.
   
   
4. In this example the boot order can be changed using the + and - keys. Remember, your BIOS may have different instructions.
5. By using the + and - keys the example changes the CD-ROM Drive to the top of the Boot Order.
6. Using F10, Save and Exit, saves all actions and exits, or navigate to the Exit tab and save changes.

Note: USB drive does not appear as an option in the list, even though the computer has USB ports. If a USB device is connected to the computer before starting the computer and accessing this screen, the USB drive option will show in the list. Some computers display the USB drive option even when a drive is not connected.

The boot order is a priority list. For example, if USB drive is above hard drive in your boot order, the computer will try the USB drive, and if it is not connected or no operating system is present, boot from the hard drive.

If you need to disable secure boot to boot from a USB device, see this link: Disabling Secure Boot.

Related Articles

• How to boot from USB disk under Windows 10 - Idea/Lenovo laptops
• How to boot from USB disk under Windows 10 - Lenovo Desktops, ThinkCentre
• Understanding Drivers, BIOS, UEFI and Firmware
• Lenovo System Update: Update Drivers, BIOS and Applications
• How to update system BIOS