How can I boot from a CD or USB device?

Eliot_Mayer

After a botched Restore from an Acronis True Image recovery, I have thousands of duplicate files that I cannot delete from C:\Windows and its sub-folders (even when logged in as Admin). So I am trying to do a full restore by booting from my Acronis Emergency Boot Disk. If found info on setting the boot order for my PowerSpec PC on this page: https://www.microcenter.com/tech_center/article/4531/how-to-change-the-boot-order-on-a-windows-computer

However, the startup menu I see looks very different, and more importantly, the Boot page only offers one choice, "Windows Boot Manager".

What can I do to boot from my Recovery CD (or a USB drive)?

Thanks.

GoatForHire

Sorry if this is a silly question but I assume you have your USB / DVD plugged / inserted when you are checking these settings?

Ian

Greetings. What specific model of PowerSpec is this regarding?

Eliot_Mayer

Hi Ian,

I have a PowerSpec B729 purchased at the Cambridge MA store 2 years ago. It was listed as follows:

PowerSpec B729 Desktop Computer = $612 open boxIntel Core i7-8700 Processor 3.2GHz; 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM; 500GB Solid State Drive; Intel UHD Graphics 630, Windows 10 PRO

https://www.microcenter.com/product/511518/powerspec-b729-desktop-computer?ob=1

Thanks,

Eliot

Ian

Tap F11 as soon as you start up the PC which should bring you to the Boot Menu and you should get those options.

Eliot_Mayer

Hi Ian. I had tried F11 before coming to this forum. I poked around the setup screens there, but have not found how to change the boot device to anything other than "Windows Boot Manger". I am attaching "PowerSpec Boot Menu.pdf" here showing screen shots of what I have tried. Please direct me what to click on those screens to boot from the CD/DVD drive or from a USB drive. Thanks.

PowerSpec Boot Menu.pdf

GoatForHire

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/38460#Comment_38460

If you click on where it says Windows Boot Manager do you get a screen like this? Typically you can just click on it and change it

Might want to poke around for a "Boot Override" option or "Boot Option Priority" as well if that doesn't work or Post a screenshot of your Boot tab

Eliot_Mayer

Hi GoatForHire. When I click "Windows Boot Manager", it just a normal boot into Windows 10. And I did put a screen shot of my Boot tab in the PDF file attached to my previous post (9:14 AM EST). I just posted it directly in this comment. Thanks, Eliot

GoatForHire

You could also try a reset of your BIOS settings to default (should be one of the exit options) and trying again as well if it isn't reading your media.

Did your media come directly from the Microsoft website? https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10

Eliot_Mayer

GoatForHire - Thank you very much!

Some wise person once told me that no questions are silly. I did try booting from an Acronis True Image Emergency Boot Disk, but apparently it was bad. So per your not-so-silly question, I tried a USB thumb drive that was also supposed to be for Acronis recovery. That one did appear on the F11 boot menu! It turned out to be no good - perhaps I created it on my old Windows 7 computer and it doesn't work with Windows 10. But I was able to update that thumb drive, and now I can boot from it and run the Acronis recovery program. I will try the recovery later after making a separate backup "just in case".

Another wise person told me that if I Assume, I make an Ass out of U and Me. So to be honest, it was good that you asked if I had bootable media installed. My memory may be bad, but I am fairly ceratin that on earlier computers, the boot sequence could be configured based on all available hardware (even floppy disks back then), whether or not media was inserted at the time. For example, I think I set up my early PCs to boot from a floppy disk if it was inserted, otherwise from the hard drive. Apparently, things have changed.

Eliot_Mayer

GoatForHire - I clicked "Yes" for "Did this answer your question" on your post about having the bootable media inserted. This page then reported an error, and now that post of yours appears to have disappeared. Anyway, you did solve my problem!

GoatForHire

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/38492#Comment_38492

Sweet. It just moved it to the top of the thread when you accepted it