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About Boot Priority

About Boot Priority

To boot from a CD, DVD or USB device, make sure that the device has the boot sequence priority over the hard drive.

BIOS Boot

BIOS (Basic Input Output Subsystem) is a programmable chip that controls how information being passed to various devices in the computer system. A typical method to access the BIOS settings screen is to press ESC, F1, F2, F8, F10 or Del during the boot sequence.

BIOS settings allow you to run a boot sequence from a removable disk, a hard drive, a CD-ROM drive or an external device. You can configure the order that your computer searches these physical devices for the boot sequence. The first device in the order list has the first boot priority. For example, to boot from a CD-ROM drive instead of a hard drive, place the CD-ROM drive ahead of it in the priority list.

While you are in the BIOS Setup Utility, you will not be able to use your mouse. Use the keyboard arrow keys to move around the screen.

Before you set boot priority for a USB device, plug the device into a USB port.

To specify the boot sequence:

1. Start the computer and press ESC, F1, F2, F8, F10 or Del during the initial startup screen. Depending on the BIOS manufacturer, a menu may appear.
2. Choose to enter BIOS setup. The BIOS setup will open up.
3. Use the arrow keys to select the BOOT tab. System devices will appear in order of priority.
4. To give a CD or DVD drive boot sequence priority over the hard drive, move it to the first position in the list.
5. To give a USB device boot sequence priority over the hard drive, do the following:
- Move the hard drive device to the top of the boot sequence list.
- Expand the hard drive device to display all hard drives.
- Move the USB device to the top of the list of hard drives.
6. Save and exit the BIOS setup utility.

The computer will restart with the changed settings.

Some computer manufacturers allow you to select the device that contains the boot sequence from a special device selection menu. The example below uses a Dell system board.

To set boot priority using a device selection menu:

1. When the computer starts to boot up, after the manufacturer's ID screen, press F12 several times. The device selection menu will appear.
2. Use the up and down arrows to select CD-ROM.
3. To boot from the selected device, press ENTER.

Note: Using an incorrect BIOS setting can cause a system malfunction. Please follow the BIOS guide provided with your computer motherboard. If you read these instructions and you are not sure how to change a setting, it is better to leave it as the default setting.

UEFI Secure Boot

Some modern computers use new advanced UEFI x64 or x86 secure boot approach instead of the standard BIOS boot.

Active@ LiveCD fully supports UEFI secure boot on both 32-bit & 64-bit systems, and will boot up the machine automatically.

In case any malfunctions with UEFI secure boot (if your machine does not boot after you set up boot priority as it is described above), you should check that BIOS boot is enabled (Legacy mode), or UEFI is disabled.

Here is how you can check your BIOS settings.

At the moment of turning your computer on, you will see an option to enter SETUP. Depending on the manufacturer of your system, you can press the DEL key, the F2 key or another key that is listed on screen to access the system BIOS. If you are not sure, consult the User Guide that came with your computer or call the manufacturer's technical support for assistance.

Once in your system BIOS, look under the Boot menu to find an option that says "UEFI/BIOS Boot Mode" or "UEFI Boot". In the case of "UEFI/BIOS Boot Mode" switch the mode from "UEFI" to "Legacy" mode.

If you see "UEFI Boot", switch the option from "Enabled" to "Disabled". Be sure to save your BIOS changes and exit to reboot your computer. You should now be able to boot up from Active@ LiveCD.