Booting From CD/DVD & USB

Hi

I have a HP Pavilion Slimline s5325uk pc with Win 7 Home Premium 64bit.

Is it possible to set up Windows to boot from EITHER CD/DVD or USB or does it have to be one or the other.

Reason I ask this is because I would like to be able to boot from USB (not tried it yet) but most of my imaging and recovery software is via cd/dvd. Changing to USB only would limit my recovery and imaging options in the short to medium term.

Thanks

Terry

 

Typically you hit F-12 during the boot process to go to "boot selection" or "boot options" menu, where you can choose which device you want to boot from. Is this option not available on you HP?

 

It can be F2, F8, F10, F12, or a combination like Ctrl+S. It all depends on the firmware. You SHOULD see on any newer computer a key or key combination to get to the "boot menu", that is what it is usually called. On my intel it is the F10 key. On my old Soyo board it was the ESC key at a certain point in bootup.

Sul.

 

It might be in the BIOS where you can set the boot order. Maybe something like:

1. CD/DVD ROM
2. Removable Devices
3. Hard Drive

Upon boot-up the BIOS should boot off of what it sees first.

 

Perhaps THIS can be helpful...

 

Hi

Thanks for all your replies. Perhaps I did not clarify what I want to do particularly well.

1) I think my PC can boot from USB although it is not set to do so in the BIOS.

2) I do not want to be messing about switching backwards an forwards in the BIOS from USB to CD/DVD

3) What would be ideal (if it were possible) would be on boot up an option to boot from CD and an option(s) to boot from USB drive(s)

Thanks

Terry

 

I'm not quite sure what the problem is? By pressing whichever key brings up the boot menu (one of F12, F10, F2 etc..) during the start up sequence, you can manually select where you want to boot from. No need to rearrange the BIOS settings.

 

On each boot you could "manually" select what you want to boot from. I am pretty sure that on a HP PC you keep hitting the "ESC" key until get the boot menu. Then you would select the type of device that you want to boot from. Usually at the bottom of the boot screen it will tell you what key to press to get the boot menu.

 

So long as your USB hardware is discoverable ... doing what Sully, sbseven, etc, said is the way to go. Just tap whichever key your bios uses to enter boot menu (my laptop uses ESC, my pc uses F12) and it will give you the option to boot from whichever device you want for this particular boot. The default boot process will happen on the next boot up still - so no entering the bios is needed - boot menu allows one off changes of hardware boot order.

 

Hi Everybody

I learn't something today (slight embarrassment). I did not realize that by tapping escape that you could select the mode of bootup. All these years.....


Thanks again (the wonders of wilders)

Terry