Windows To Go Startup Options - Boot USB

Enable or Disable Always Automatically Boot PC from USB Drive in Windows To Go Startup Options


information   Information
This tutorial will show you how to use Windows To Go Startup Options to enable or disable your PC to always automatically boot from a connected bootable USB drive or Windows To Go drive for all users in all editions of Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.

Note   Note
If you have a UEFI Windows 8/8.1 installation, then you will need a bootable UEFI flash drive to be able to boot from it using the method in this tutorial.


If you enable or turn on this startup option, then your PC will be automatically configured to automatically boot from a connected bootable USB drive instead of Windows. If you disconnect the USB drive, then your PC will boot to Windows until you connect the USB next. This saves you from having to manually configure your BIOS or UEFI settings to boot from a USB.

If you disable or turn off this startup option, then your PC will automatically boot to Windows unless you manually configure your BIOS or UEFI settings to boot from a USB drive.





OPTION ONE

Turn On/Off Automatically Boot USB in Windows To Go Startup Options


1. Press the :winkey: + R keys to open the Run dialog, copy and paste the command below, and click/tap on OK to open Windows To Go Startup Options.​
rundll32.exe pwlauncher.dll,ShowPortableWorkspaceLauncherConfigurationUX

2. Select (dot) Yes or No for what you want to do, and click/tap on Save changes. (see screenshot below)​
NOTE: The default setting is No.​
Windows_To_Go_Startup_Options.png

3. If prompted by UAC, then click/tap on Yes.​





OPTION TWO

Turn On or Off Automatically Boot USB Drives in Command Prompt


2. Do step 3, 4, or 5 below for what you would like to do.​
3. To See Current State of USB Startup Option
A) In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below, press Enter, and go to step 4, 5, or 6 below. (see screenshot below)​
pwlauncher
pwlauncher.png

4. To Turn Off USB Startup Option
NOTE: This is the default setting.​
A) In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below, press Enter, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)​
pwlauncher /disable
pwlauncher_disable.png

5. To Turn On USB Startup Option
A) In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below, press Enter, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)​
pwlauncher /enable
pwlauncher_enable.png

6. When finished, you can close the command prompt if you like.​






OPTION THREE

Enable or Disable Automatically Boot USB Drives using a REG File



Note   Note
This option does the same thing as OPTION FOUR below, but using a .reg file instead.

This option will override and prevent being able to use OPTION ONE and OPTION TWO above.


The .reg files below are for the registry key and value below.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\PortableOperatingSystem

Launcher DWORD

0 = Enable
1 = Disable


1. Do step 2, 3, or 4 below for what you would like to do.​
2. To Restore Default USB Startup Option
NOTE: This is the default setting, and will let you be able to use OPTION ONE and OPTION TWO above again.​
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​
Default_USB_in_Windows_To_Go_Startup_Options.reg
download

3. To Always Disable USB Startup Option
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​
Always_Disable_USB_in_Windows_To_Go_Startup_Options.reg
download

4. To Always Enable USB Startup Option
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​
Always_Enable_USB_in_Windows_To_Go_Startup_Options.reg
download

5. Save the .reg file to your desktop.​
6. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to Merge it.​
7. If prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK.​
8. When finished, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.​







OPTION FOUR

Enable or Disable Automatically Boot USB Drives using Group Policy



Note   Note
This option does the same thing as OPTION THREE above, but using group policy instead.

This option will override and prevent being able to use OPTION ONE and OPTION TWO above.


2. In the left pane, click/tap on to expand Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, and open Portable Operating System. (see screenshot below)​
WTG_Startup_Options_GPEDIT-1.png

3. In the right pane of Portable Operating System, double click/tap on Windows To Go Default Startup Options. (see screenshot above)​
4. Do step 5, 6, or 7 below for what you would like to do.​
5. To Restore Default USB Startup Option
NOTE: This is the default setting, and will let you be able to use OPTION ONE and OPTION TWO above again.​
A) Select (dot) Not Configured, click/tap on OK, and go to step 8 below. (see screenshot below step 7A)​

6. To Always Disable USB Startup Option
A) Select (dot) Disabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 8 below. (see screenshot below step 7A)​

7. To Always Enable USB Startup Option
A) Select (dot) Enabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 8 below. (see screenshot below)​
WTG_Startup_Options_GPEDIT-2.png

8. Close the Local Group Policy Editor window, and restart the Windows To Go workspace to apply.​




That's it,
Shawn


 

Attachments

  • Always_Disable_USB_in_Windows_To_Go_Startup_Options.reg
    604 bytes · Views: 1,127
  • Always_Enable_USB_in_Windows_To_Go_Startup_Options.reg
    604 bytes · Views: 1,456
  • Default_USB_in_Windows_To_Go_Startup_Options.reg
    578 bytes · Views: 1,382
  • Windows_to_Go.png
    Windows_to_Go.png
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Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks - I prefer to be able to make the setting before rebooting like this as I often get distracted and miss getting into the BIOS at boot time :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
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    Apple
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    Varies
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    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
:thumbsup:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Update x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 15
    CPU
    Haswell Core i5 4200U
    Memory
    8GB Dual-Channel DDR3L @1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 4400 Integrated; 2GB Dedicated NVIDIA GT 740M
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    500GB Samsung 840 EVO Internal SSD ;
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    1TB TOSHIBA HDD
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    Logitech B175 Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    10 Mbps
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    Opera v25.0
    Antivirus
    KIS 2014
    Other Info
    Microsoft Wired Xbox 360 Controller
Thanks Shawn,

I've made this change on my laptops, just in case I need it.

I have a couple of usb devices connected to my laptop all the time - for my wireless mouse and for a fan. I assume these don't need to be disconnected before booting the laptop?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit
Thanks Shawn,

I've made this change on my laptops, just in case I need it.

I have a couple of usb devices connected to my laptop all the time - for my wireless mouse and for a fan. I assume these don't need to be disconnected before booting the laptop?

Only if you have Windows set to automatically boot from a USB drive would you need to remove the USB when you don't want to boot from it. If not, then yeah it's fine to leave the USB connected. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I think I may have misunderstood the purpose of this tutorial. Can you please advise.

I thought it would put me in a situation where I could automatically boot to a usb, so that if I had a problem with my system and couldn't get into Windows or even use the F keys I could get immediate access to something on a usb that would hopefully repair it. But it doesn't seem to do this and I still have to press F12 to get into the boot menu.

On this I have:

Boot Mode is set to: UEFI; Secure Boot: ON

UEFI BOOT

USB Entry for Windows to Go (No Device)
Windows Boot Manager
UEFI Onboard LAN IPv4
UEFI Onboard LAN IPv6
EFI USB1 PATH1 (Sandisk Cruzer Pop)

I was hoping to have this option to use with my Windows Recovery usb and my Dell Recovery usb. With both of these, when I use F12 to enter the boot menu, I can see the usb (example highlighted above), but I was expecting to get there without needing F12.

Where have I gone wrong?:confused:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit
Hello Maggy,

Yes, it should allow your computer to automatically boot from a bootable USB flash drive when it's connected during a restart or turning on.

Of course, each system is different and may vary slightly depending on what features the motherboard has.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hello Maggy,

Yes, it should allow your computer to automatically boot from a bootable USB flash drive when it's connected during a restart or turning on.

And presumably my Windows Recovery usb, Dell Recovery usb and a recovery usb for 3rd party software (Macrium or Acronis for example) would qualify as 'bootable usb flash drives'?

Of course, each system is different and may vary slightly depending on what features the motherboard has.

Any suggestions (from anyone reading this please) as to how I can find out if this should work on my Dell Inspiron?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit
They should work.

Only one way to know for sure. Give a try and see. If they don't, you'll still boot to Windows as usual. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
It works for me for a bootable ISO created by option 2 here http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2227-create-bootable-usb-dvd-windows-8-iso.html so should work for any bootable USB.

Try it and let us know if it doesn't work. It should but bitlocker may be an issue of course if you use that Deployment Considerations for Windows To Go

If your host computer is protected by BitLocker and running Windows 7 you should suspend BitLocker before making the change to the firmware settings. After the firmware settings have been successfully reconfigured, resume BitLocker protection. If you do not suspend BitLocker first, BitLocker will assume that the computer has been tampered with and will boot into BitLocker recovery mode.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
    Keyboard
    Apple
    Mouse
    Apple
    Internet Speed
    Varies
    Browser
    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
@adamf - I have no idea if I use BitLocker. If I do it is being used by something automatically.

I have an OEM installation of Windows so I'm not sure that I could use option 2 in the tutorial you linked to.

@Brink - I have tried all the different recovery usbs I have. In each case the laptop boots straight to Windows unless I press F12 to get into the boot menu. I can see and use the usbs from the boot menu, but the plan was to have them boot automatically and this clearly isn't working.

Is there any way to find out whether it is something to do with the features of the motherboard (as you mentioned earlier) that is stopping this happening?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
You could boot to your UEFI/BIOS to check and see if you have USB flash drives listed first in the boot priority, then your Windows drive second. In addition, check to make sure that you have booting with USB flash drives enabled if there is an option for it. Afterwards, be sure to save your UEFI/BIOS changes. :)

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/20256-uefi-firmware-settings-boot-inside-windows-8-a.html

Did this. On the boot tab I have exactly the same as I posted above:

UEFI BOOT
USB Entry for Windows to Go (no device)
Windows Boot Manager
UEFI Onboard LAN ipv4
UEFI Onboard LAN ipv6

So this looks to me like USB is #1?

On other settings I also found:

Change Boot Mode - options are:
Legacy Boot Mode, Secure boot Off
UEFI Boot Mode, Secure Boot Off

USB Emulation enabled
USB Wake Support disabled
Misc Devices: USB debug disabled

I can add a Boot option, but have no idea how to do this. I can give it a name, then when I click on the entry (which I named Boot from USB) I am asked to select a file system. There are 2 long strings of characters, neither of which mean anything to me.

If I look at the properties of the Boot option I add, I can give it a filepath. and something else (can't remember what exactly).

Is any of this any use?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit
Change your boot priority order to this below to see how it works afterwards. :)

USB Entry for Windows to Go (no device)
UEFI BOOT
Windows Boot Manager
UEFI Onboard LAN ipv4
UEFI Onboard LAN ipv6
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Change your boot priority order to this below to see how it works afterwards. :)

USB Entry for Windows to Go (no device)
UEFI BOOT
Windows Boot Manager
UEFI Onboard LAN ipv4
UEFI Onboard LAN ipv6

Hi Shawn,

I've been away for a while so no chance to try this until now. I misrepresented things above. UEFI Boot is not an option I can choose, it's a header (UEFI Boot: )

So I guess I'm out of luck? :(
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit
No problem Maggy.

Double check your UEFI/BIOS settings to see if you have a separate setting to enable booting from a USB, to enable USBs at boot. You may need to look through all the settings until you find something similar for this. If you find it, be sure to "Save and exit" from UEFI to apply.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hi Shawn,

I thought I would try a slightly different tack, and ask about changing boot options order on the Dell forum. To my surprise I got a quick reply (don't often get one at all), which was as follows:

'You cannot with the UEFI system setup - it'll only show the flash drive as bootable if it's connected to the system and has a bootable UEFI (GPT) partition on it.'

Does this information offer any options for me?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit
That's basically just saying that you will need to have the bootable UEFI USB flash drive connected when you boot to your UEFI firmware settings for it to show up as an option, or to select to boot from in your F12 boot menu.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
That's basically just saying that you will need to have the bootable UEFI USB flash drive connected when you boot to your UEFI firmware settings for it to show up as an option, or to select to boot from in your F12 boot menu.

Thought it was too good to be true. Maybe I will go back and rephrase the question in simpler terms, and also browse my settings as you suggested.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit
Hi Shawn,

I thought I would try a slightly different tack, and ask about changing boot options order on the Dell forum. To my surprise I got a quick reply (don't often get one at all), which was as follows:

'You cannot with the UEFI system setup - it'll only show the flash drive as bootable if it's connected to the system and has a bootable UEFI (GPT) partition on it.'

Does this information offer any options for me?

Just to update for info Shawn:

I asked my question on the Dell forum again, and got a reply that the only way I can set my system to boot direct from a usb (and not via F12) is to change to Legacy boot AND do a reinstall of Windows. Not something that appeals after a week spent refreshing and restoring system images.

So it looks like my particular Dell laptop (and no doubt others) can't use this eminently useful startup option without a lot of fiddling around.

I will just have to keep my fingers crossed that I can always use that F12 key :).

Thanks for all your help with this anyway.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit
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