Saving Time on Startup Procedures
It is not always easy to boot the operating systems used in live (or “nomadic”) mode. The first requirement is knowing which keyboard key to use to do it.
| Don’t remove your USB device before the complete shutdown of the computer | ||||||
| Brand | Type | Model | Boot Menu | Boot once | BIOS Access | Change priority |
| ACER | Esc, F12, F9 | Del, F2 | ||||
| ACER | Netbook | Aspireone, Aspire Timeline | Fl2 | F2 | ||
| ACER | Netbook | Aspire v3, v5, v7 | F12 | The “F12 Boot Menu” must be enabled in BIOS It is disabled 0y default. |
F2 | |
| APPLE | After 2006 | Option | ||||
| ASUS | Desktop | F8 | F9 | |||
| ASUS | Laptop | Esc | F9 | |||
| ASUS | Laptop | R503C | F8 | DEL | ||
| ASUS | Netbook | Eee PC 1025c | Esc | F2 | Boot Tab, Boot Device Priority, 1st Boot Device, Removable Device, F10 | |
| COMPAQ | Presario | Esc, F9 | F10 | BIOS “Advanced Tab”, Boot Order | ||
| DELL | Desktop | Dimension, Inspiron, Latitude | Fl2 | Select USB Flash Drive | F2 | |
| DELL | Desktop | Inspiron One 2020, 2305, 2320, 2330 AII-In-0ne | Fl2 | Select USB Flash Drive | F2 | |
| DELL | Laptop | Inspiron | F12 | Select “USB Storage Device” | F2 | Sewings > General > Boot Sequence > ”USB Storage Device” – Then up arrow, [Apply} – [Exit] |
| DELL | Laptop | Precision | F12 | Select “US8 Storage Device” from boot menu | F12 | |
| EMACHINES | F12 | Tab, Del | ||||
| HP | Generic | Esc, F9 | Esc, F10, F1 | |||
| HP | Desktop | Media Center | F10 | BIOS”Advanced”tab, Boot Order, Move “USB Device” belore “Hard Drive” | ||
| HP | Desktop | Pavilion 23 All in one | Esc | Select boot media from the menu | Fl0 | BIOS “Advanced” tab, Book Order, Move “USB Device” before “Hard Drive”. For non-UEFI media, disable secure boot and enable legacy support |
| HP | Desktop | Pavilion g6 and g7 | Esc | F10 | BIOS”Advanced” lab, Boot Order, Move “USB Device” before “Hard Drive” | |
| HP | Desktop | Pavilion HPE PC, h8-1287c | Esc | Then F9 for “Boot Menu” | Esc F10 | Storage tab, Boot Order, Legacy Boot Sources |
| HP | Desktop | Pavilion PC, p6 2317c | Esc | Then F9 for “Boot Menu” | Esc F10 | Storage tab, Boot Order, Legacy Boot Sources |
| HP | Desktop | Pavilion PC, p7 l297cb | Then F9 for”Boot Menu” | Esc F10 | Storage tab, Boot Order, Legacy Boot Sources | |
| HP | Desktop | TouchSmart 520 PC | Esc | Then F9 for”Boot Menu” | Esc F10 | Storage tab, Boot Order, Legacy Boot Sources |
| HP | Laptop | 2000 | Esc | Select “Patriot Memory’on the Boot Option Menu | Esc | |
| HP | Notebook | Pavilion | Esc | Fl0 | BIOS”Advanced”tab, Book Order, Move “USB Device” before “Hard Drive” | |
| HP | Notebook | ENVY dv6 and dv7 PC | Esc | Then F9 for “Boot Menu” | Esc | F10 Storage tab, Boot Order Legacy Boot Sources |
| INTEL | F10 | |||||
| LENOVO | Desktop | FI2, F8, Fl0 | F1, F2 | |||
| LENOVO | Laptop | F12 | F1, F2 | |||
| LENOVO | Laptop | Ideapad P500 | F12 or Fn+F11 | F2 | ||
| NEC | F5 | F2 | ||||
| PACKARD BELL | F8 | FI, Del | ||||
| SAMSUNG | F12, Esc | |||||
| SAMSUNG | Netbook | NC10 | Esc | F2 | Boot Tab, Select “Boot Device priority’, Press Return, Up/Down to Highlight, F6/F5 to change priority | |
| SAMSUNG | Ultraboot | Series 5 Ultra and Series / Chronos | Esc | F2 | Boot Tab, Select “Boot Device priority’, Press Return, Up/Down to Highlight, F6/F5 to change priority | |
| SHARP | F2 | |||||
| SONY | VAIO, PCG, VGN | F11 | Fl, F2, F3 | |||
| SONY | VGN Esc | F10 | F2 | BIOS “B00T” section,”External Device Book” enabled | ||
| TOSHIBA | Protege, Satellite, Tecra | Fl2 | Fl,Esc | |||
| TOSHIBA | Equium F12 | Fl2 | Fl2 | |||
Download it as a spreadsheet file : Special-boot-keyboard-keys-color-bg.ods
Other considerations when booting a Live USB
The startup phase of a bootable USB key or CD is often the most time-consuming and frustrating part due to hardware and software variations. It is one of the main causes of lost time and sometimes annoyance.
Software lock (Windows / Security)
This is the most frequent problem. On machines produced after 2012, the BIOS/UEFI is configured by default to favor the Windows system and secure the startup process.
Secure boot
On modern UEFI, if this option is activated, it prevents the booting of non-certified operating systems (including many Linux keys) and blocks access to startup options.
Startup priority
The BIOS/UEFI is set to look for the hard drive first. It is often necessary to enter the boot menu (key F12, F9, ESC, etc., depending on the manufacturer) to manually select the USB key, and sometimes perform two actions: reconfigure the startup order in the BIOS, and also select the desired device in the boot choices menu.
The Windows system starts quickly
The computer systematically boots to Windows, even if the necessary adjustments have already been made in the BIOS.
You can then re-enter the BIOS to disable the fast boot (Quiet Boot) option.
You can also visit the Windows recovery settings to set it up to start in a safe boot mode (see documentation).
Hardware Lock (the USB Ports)
Finally, some PCs are more willing to boot from one USB port than another.
On some PCs, only a specific USB port, for example, one located at the back or one labeled for the keyboard/mouse, is initialized early enough in the boot process for the BIOS to recognize the inserted USB key as a self-booting device.
We will soon begin the creation of a new experience-based database to designate the successful boot method for each brand and model encountered.