The boot menu opens up when you simultaneously press the boot key while your PC starts. You can do many things using the boot menu the first is you can boot to CD, DVD, flash drive, and hard drive. You can install an entirely new operating system on top of the existing operating system using the boot menu. Users can also install an entirely new operating system using the boot menu.
Now, let me give you a quick overview of the contents of this article. We will first show you how to open your boot menu. Next, we’ll show you how to change the boot order in Windows. Next, we’ll show you how to make a bootable USB flash drive and how to retrieve data from it. Finally, we’ll show you how to disable Secure Boot from the BIOS on Acer notebooks running Windows.
What is Booting?
The Booting will verify all hardware and software attached to the System. It will also load all files necessary for the operation of the System. You can use the software commands or press an F2 button to start Boot Menu. The power button is pressed to turn on the laptop. Ensure no software is stored in the Central Processing Unit’s primary storage. Acer BIOS can either be performed by the CPU or a separate processor in the System.
What is Acer BIOS?
Acer BIOS is the program that a microprocessor uses to turn on an operating system after being powered on. It manages data transfer from OS(operating systems) to linked devices, i.e., hard disk, USB keyboard, mouse, and other devices.
You can press the F2 key to get access to the Acer BIOS settings, if the F2 key does not work you can also press the Del key to access Acer BIOS settings.
What’s the Acer Boot Menu?
You have the option to choose how you wish to access the operating systems from the boot menu. You can open the boot menu each time the computer turns on. To make changes or load another operating system, such as Windows 11, you can access the boot menu.
What’s Boot Order?
The Basic Input and Output System scans drives and devices of the Windows operating system. A USB storage device, hard drive, or DVD can boot an operating system. BIOS(Basic Input and Output System) organizes checking the devices.
Acer has a variety of models available, including Aspire One and Aspire Timeline. F2 is the most common key to access your Acer laptop’s boot menu.
Where can I find Acer’s boot menu?
Step 1: Turn off your Acer laptop.
Step 2: Simultaneously press F2 on your keyboard as your laptop turns on. It is essential to press F2 every time the Acer logo appears. It disappears quickly.
Step 3: Navigate to the appropriate boot options by pressing the arrow keys. Before exiting the boot menu, you must save your changes.
Esc and F9 are other keys Acer uses in Windows 11 to open the boot menu.
How to enable the F12 boot menu on Acer?
Step 1: Simultaneously press F2 while your laptop turns on to the Acer boot menu.
Step 2: Click the right arrow button to the Main menu tab.
Step 3: Click the down arrow for the F12 Boot Menu.
Step 4: Press Enter to switch from Disabled to Enabled.
Step 5: Save changes and exit BIOS.
Acer Boot using USB
The default boot order for Acer computers is to use a hard disk. You will need to modify the BIOS boot order to allow Acer to be booted from USB under Windows 11.
How to Change the Boot Order in Windows 11:
Step-1: Shut down your Acer computer.
Step 2: To access the BIOS setup window, press the F2 or Del key on your Acer BIOS keyboard immediately after your laptop/PC turns on..
Step 3: To select the Boot menu tab, press the right arrow on your keyboard.
Step 4: Use the up-and-down arrows to adjust the priority order of the Boot. (Insert the USB target option first in the list.
Step 5: Close the setup utility. Remember to save your changes (shift to Exit, and press Yes).
How To Boot From USB on Acer
Follow the steps below to Boot from a USB.
Step 1: Connect the USB drive to your Acer laptop.
Step 2: Turn on your Acer computer and press the Acer BIOS button(F2 Key) to access the BIOS menu.
Step 3: Modify the boot order by making the USB option the priority item on the boot priority list.
Step 4: Save changes and exit BIOS.
If the USB boot drive works and the BIOS settings are correct, your Acer laptop will start up normally.
Not Working
Some users claimed that they tried to boot Windows via USB on a laptop but were unsuccessful using Legacy or UEFI mode. Acer laptop owners experience this problem. There are many causes for failure to boot Windows from USB. One common reason is that the PC ignores the boot order. You can follow these steps to make a bootable USB drive and then use it to retrieve data from Acer’s corrupted internal hard disk.
Recover Data & Force Boot from USB
There’s another way to make Acer boot USB. This is done manually by creating a USB bootable CD/DVD or USB disk and then booting Acer from it if none of the above methods worked.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery includes the Snap-in WinPE Bootable Creator.
1. There are many licenses available for users. Please browse the license comparison page to find the right one.
2 Save this setup program to another computer, double-click on it, and follow the instructions to install the software properly.
Create a bootable USB drive
1. Double-click on the icon to launch it. Copy and paste the license number into the textbox of the Register window. Next, click on Register.
2. Wait until you see the Thank You window. Then click the OK button to enter the software.
3. Attach a USB flash drive (make sure there is no data on the drive or it will not be used anymore) -> click the Bootable Edition icon at the upper right.
4. Choose the media type you want by clicking WinPE-based media using the MiniTool plug-in.
5. Use the on-screen prompts to select a media destination, and then wait for your USB disk build process to complete.
6. Click Finish to remove the USB drive from your computer.
Force Boot from USB
Step 1: Turn off your Acer laptop.
]Step 2: Insert the USB bootable disk you just made into your laptop. Turn the Acer back ON.
Step 3: After the splash screen, press the F12 key on your keyboard.
Step 4: Use arrow keys to choose the USB drive that will be the first boot device.
Step 5: Enter the code and wait for your laptop to start.
How do I recover data from a bootable USB drive?
Step 1: Press any key to boot the computer from the bootable disc you have made.
- You will see the screen resolution change window after a while.
- Click on the OK button to proceed or wait for the countdown timer to finish.
- You can wait until the software launching window is complete or click OK.
- To launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery correctly, click on the first option from the MiniTool PE Loader Window.[/box]
Step 2: Select Logical Drives in the left sidebar when prompted to enter the main software interface.
Step 3: Select the Acer drive that stores your data in the right pane. Double-click on the drive to perform a complete scan.
Now, wait until the scan is complete. Depending on how large your drive capacity is and the amount of data you have, it may take some time.
Step 4: Search the folders and files on your Acer hard drive. Add a checkmark to the box at the top of each item.
Step 5: Select the Save button.
Step 6: To recover specific files, select the files from the storage path (storage device). Connect an external drive to your Acer computer and set it as the target storage destination.
Step 7: After the files have been successfully recovered, a message will be displayed. Click OK to confirm.
Acer Secure Boot
You will find a Secure Boot option under the Acer Boot menu. This innovative feature prevents malicious software and unauthorized media files from loading during startup.
For most Acer Laptops, you need to disable Secure Boot, enabled by default. This is by default enabled for dual Boot.
How to disable Secure Boot in the BIOS of Acer notebooks that run Windows 11:
Step 1: Shut down your Acer laptop completely.
Step 2: Switch it on, and continue pressing F2 until you reach the BIOS.
Step 3: Select Security using the right arrow key.
Step 4: Select Set Supervisor Password using the down arrow key. Then, press Enter.
Step 5: Enter a password and hit Enter.
Step 6 Click the right arrow key and select Boot.
Step 7: Click the down arrow key and select Secure Boot. Then, press Enter.
Step 8: Disabled, and press Enter.
Step 9: Press F10, and then click Yes.
F10 button can also be used to disable Secure Boot on Acer tablets.
