BIOS or UEFI is a powerful tool for configuring your PC hardware such as RAM, CPU, motherboard, etc. It also has options that can improve your PC’s security. Let’s look at several different ways to access the BIOS.
Content
- What is a BIOS?
- BIOS/UEFI access at startup
- Accessing the BIOS from Windows 10
- Creating a shortcut to access the BIOS
- What to do if you cannot access the BIOS
What is a BIOS?
The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is low-level software that is programmed onto your computer’s motherboard. When you turn on your computer, the BIOS initializes and checks all of your PC’s hardware to make sure it’s working properly. By accessing the BIOS, you can customize the hardware features of your PC.
Warning. Be careful – some of the options available in the BIOS can physically damage your computer.
If you are going to try to overclock components, make sure you understand what overclocking is and take the necessary precautions to do it safely. You can also do things like enable XMP profiles to change RAM speed or boot your computer from a disk or USB drive.
On modern computers, the BIOS has been replaced by the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), but the term BIOS is commonly used to refer to UEFI. UEFI adds a number of new features that make it different from BIOS.
BIOS/UEFI access at startup
When you start the PC, a splash screen usually appears, displays the name or logo of the manufacturer. To access the BIOS, you can press a key while the manufacturer’s splash screen is visible. The keys you can press to access the BIOS are usually displayed at the bottom. Usually the key will be eitherF2, orDelete, but not always. This information is also found in the manual for your computer or motherboard.
If you can’t see anything because the screen is flashing too fast or pressing the correct key doesn’t get you into the BIOS, you may have Fast Boot enabled in the BIOS, or you have Fast Startup Mode enabled in Windows 10.
Fortunately, there are other ways to access the BIOS.
Accessing the BIOS from Windows 10
There are several ways to access BIOS from Windows 10.
The easiest way to access the BIOS is with the Start button. Press the start button, press the power icon, and then hold down theShift, click “Restart”
Alternatively, you can click the Start button and in the search bar type “Change advanced startup options” and then clickEnter. Go to the “Advanced Startup” section in the window that appears and click the “Restart Now” button.
If you used any of the previous two methods, you will be sent to a blue screen with several options. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings. After that, you must enter the BIOS.
If you don’t see “UEFI Firmware Settings” there are two possible explanations. First, the computer you’re using doesn’t have UEFI at all – this is especially likely if your computer is older and actually has BIOS rather than UEFI. The second possibility is that your motherboard is UEFI, but Windows 10 is booting from a drive that was partitioned using MBR, not GPT. If your boot drive has been partitioned with MBR, this will force UEFI to use a legacy BIOS mode that disables access from Windows 10.
If you prefer to use Command Prompt to enter the BIOS, click the “Start” button, type “cmd” in the search bar, and then select “Run as administrator”
Then type shutdown /r /fwin the command prompt window and pressEnter.
If it worked, a pop-up will appear informing you that your computer will shut down in less than a minute.
You can type shutdown /r /fw /t 0at the command line to remove the timeout period and restart immediately.
If you see the message “Firmware boot interface is not supported by this system’s firmware” when you try to run the shutdown command, it probably means that your motherboard does not have UEFI. It may also mean that Windows 10 is installed on an MBR drive.
If you are unable to access BIOS/UEFI from Windows 10 and your PC has Fast Boot/UEFI enabled in BIOS, you will have to troubleshoot.
Creating a shortcut to access the BIOS
The close down command and enter BIOS can be easily turned into a shortcut for faster and easier access. Right-click an empty space on your desktop and choose New > Shortcut.
In the window that appears, enter shutdown /r /fwwhere the item’s location is, and then click Next. Name the shortcut appropriately, then click “Done”
Once the icon appears on the desktop, right-click on it and select “Properties.” In the “Properties” window, click “Advanced”
In this window, check the “Run as administrator” box, then click “OK”.
Again in the “Properties” window, click “Apply” and then “OK” to complete the creation of the shortcut.
Optionally, you can customize the shortcut’s icon by clicking the “Change Icon” button in the properties window. You can then select an icon from several default options, or you can create your own high resolution icons from any image.
What to do if you cannot access the BIOS
If you are unable to access the BIOS during startup, fast boot or fast startup may be the cause. The terms “Fast Boot” and “Fast Startup” are often used interchangeably, but they are actually different.
Fast Boot usually refers to a setting in the BIOS or UEFI that changes the initial startup process of the computer. Fast Boot skips some of the hardware checks and initializations that usually happen when you turn on your computer for the first time so that your operating system, like Windows 10, loads faster. There is an additional setting (sometimes called superfast boot) that is even faster because it doesn’t initialize things like USB controllers or disk drives. When this setting is enabled, USB devices such as a mouse and keyboard cannot be used until the operating system boots. It also prevents booting from DVDs or USB sticks.
If this is the case, your best bet is to try clearing your PC’s CMOS to reset your BIOS settings. Some newer or more expensive motherboards have buttons to clear the CMOS – check on the back of your PC, next to the USB ports. If it is, press and hold it for at least 10 seconds. By default, fastboot and superfastboot are disabled, so clearing the CMOS will allow you to press the appropriate button to enter the BIOS during startup.
Fast Startup is a Windows feature that allows your computer to boot up. faster after shutdown. Windows 10’s Fast Startup Mode can prevent you from accessing the BIOS if your PC was turned off with Fast Startup Mode enabled. However, fast startup mode does not affect restarts, so you will be able to access the BIOS after a restart even if fast startup is enabled.
If none of this works, you should check the included documentation. with your computer or motherboard. There may be more specific instructions for your machine that may help.