Windows To Go Startup Options - Boot USB

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

   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

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

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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.​

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rundll32.exe pwlauncher.dll,ShowPortableWorkspaceLauncherConfigurationUX​

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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.​

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

OPTION TWO

Turn On or Off Automatically Boot USB Drives in Command Prompt

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1. Open an elevated command prompt.​

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2. Do step 3, 4, or 5 below for what you would like to do.​

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3. To See Current State of USB Startup Option​

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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)​

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pwlauncher​

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4. To Turn Off USB Startup Option​

NOTE: This is the default setting.​

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A) In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below, press Enter, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)​

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pwlauncher /disable​

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5. To Turn On USB Startup Option​

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A) In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below, press Enter, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)​

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pwlauncher /enable​

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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

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

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1. Do step 2, 3, or 4 below for what you would like to do.​

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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.​

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A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​

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Default_USB_in_Windows_To_Go_Startup_Options.reg​

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3. To Always Disable USB Startup Option​

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A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​

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Always_Disable_USB_in_Windows_To_Go_Startup_Options.reg​

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4. To Always Enable USB Startup Option​

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A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.​

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Always_Enable_USB_in_Windows_To_Go_Startup_Options.reg​

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5. Save the .reg file to your desktop.​

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6. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to Merge it.​

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7. If prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK.​

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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

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.

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1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor.​

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

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3. In the right pane of Portable Operating System, double click/tap on Windows To Go Default Startup Options. (see screenshot above)​

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4. Do step 5, 6, or 7 below for what you would like to do.​

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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.​

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A) Select (dot) Not Configured, click/tap on OK, and go to step 8 below. (see screenshot below step 7A)​

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6. To Always Disable USB Startup Option​

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A) Select (dot) Disabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 8 below. (see screenshot below step 7A)​

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7. To Always Enable USB Startup Option​

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A) Select (dot) Enabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 8 below. (see screenshot below)​

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

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Create a Windows To Go Startup Options Shortcut in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Boot from a USB Drive within Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Boot from a USB Drive on Surface
• How to Boot to UEFI Firmware Settings from inside Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Enable or Disable the New Windows 8 Startup Options Boot Menu
• How to Create a Bootable USB or DVD with the Windows 8 or 8.1 ISO
• How to Create a Bootable UEFI USB Flash Drive for Installing Windows 7, 8, or 8.1
• How to Create a "Windows To Go" Workspace on a USB Flash Drive in Windows 8 Enterprise
• Setup "Windows 8 To Go" on a USB Flash Drive or USB Disk in any Windows 7 and Windows 8

 

[adamf]

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

 

[visruth]

 

[SaggyMaggyPoo]

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?

 

[Brink]

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.

 

[SaggyMaggyPoo]

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?

 

[Brink]

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.

 

[SaggyMaggyPoo]

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?

 

[Brink]

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.

 

[adamf]

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.

 

[SaggyMaggyPoo]

@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?

 

[Brink]

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

 

[SaggyMaggyPoo]

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?

 

[Brink]

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

 

[SaggyMaggyPoo]

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?

 

[Brink]

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.

 

[SaggyMaggyPoo]

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?

 

[Brink]

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.

 

[SaggyMaggyPoo]

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.

 

[SaggyMaggyPoo]

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.