Changing the Boot Order of Your Drives

Most computers are set up so that when you first turn on your computer it checks to see whether you want to boot from drives other than your hard drive. The BIOS automatically checks to see whether you have a bootable CD in your CD drive. If your computer has a floppy drive, it checks to see whether you have a bootable disk in the floppy drive, too. Then, after it has checked all possible locations for a boot disk, the system defaults to your hard drive set in the BIOS and starts booting Windows.

What is the benefit of changing the boot order of your system devices? If you modify the order of the boot devices so that the hard disk with Windows installed will be searched first by the BIOS, the system does not have to waste time checking other devices for boot records. Just by changing the order of the devices, you can shave anywhere from one to several seconds off your boot time, depending on the speed of your hardware and number of drives your system has installed. The result is a faster startup with minimal negative consequences that I'll address later.

To change the boot order (or sequence, as some call it), you have to enter the system BIOS setup screen that was mentioned previously:

1. Press F1, F2, Delete, or the correct key for your specific system on the POST screen (or the screen that displays the computer manufacturer's logo) to enter the BIOS setup screen.
2. Look for where it says Boot, and enter the submenu.
3. Select Boot Sequence, and press Enter.
4. Navigate to where it states "first device" and cycle through the list to where it states "Hard Disk Drive" or "IDE0" (assuming that your hard drive is connected to IDE0). If your setup screen does not specifically state "first device" but rather just a list of all the devices, simply select the hard disk and move it to the top of the list. That can be done by using the Change Values keys (which for my BIOS, is made by Phoenix - the spacebar moves an item up and the minus symbol key moves an item down). The specific keys differ on almost every system, but the basic concepts are the same. You want to get your hard disk to the top of the list or listed as the first device from which to try to boot. If you do not know the keys for your BIOS, there are usually instructions located on either the bottom or right side of the screen where you will be able to find the correct keys for your system.
5. After you have made the changes, exit the system BIOS by pressing the Escape key, and make sure that you select to save your changes upon exit. After you reboot, the new settings will be in effect.

What are the consequences of changing the boot order? Changing the boot order will not hurt your system in any way if you do it correctly. If by accident you remove your hard drive from the list and save the BIOS settings, you will get an unpleasant surprise when your computer reboots and tells you that it cannot find any operating system. If you happen to get that message, don't worry; you did not just erase your operating system. Just reboot by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete at the same time and go back into the BIOS settings and make sure that you select your hard drive as a boot device. After you have done that, your system will be back to normal.

Another possible issue that you might encounter is just a matter of inconvenience. After you change the boot order of the system devices so that the hard drive is listed first, you can no longer use system restore CDs or floppy boot disks. If something has happened to your computer and you need to boot off of those drives to restore your system or run diagnostics, just go back to the system BIOS and lower or remove the hard disk from the first boot device and replace it with either a floppy or CD as needed.