Boot to UEFI Mode or legacy BIOS mode
Choose UEFI or legacy
BIOS modes while installing Windows. After Windows is installed, if you need to
switch firmware modes, you may be able to use the MBR2GPT tool.
In general, we recommend installing Windows using the newer UEFI mode,
as it includes more security features than the legacy BIOS mode. If you're
booting from a network that only supports BIOS, you'll need to boot to legacy
BIOS mode.
After Windows is
installed, the device boots automatically using the same mode it was installed
with.
To boot to UEFI or
BIOS:
1. Open the firmware
menus. You can use any of these methods:
·
Boot the PC, and press the manufacturer’s key to open the menus. Common
keys used: Esc, Delete, F1, F2, F10, F11, or F12. On tablets, common buttons are Volume up or Volume
down (find more common keys and buttons). During
startup, there’s often a screen that mentions the key. If there’s not one, or
if the screen goes by too fast to see it, check your manufacturer’s site.
·
Or, if Windows is already installed, from either the Sign on screen or
the Start menu, select Power () > hold Shift while
selecting Restart. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware settings.
2. From the firmware
menus, boot to drive or network while in UEFI or BIOS mode:
On the boot device menu, select the command that identifies both the
firmware mode and the device. For example, select UEFI: USB Drive or BIOS: Network/LAN.
You might see separate commands for the same device. For example, you
might see UEFI USB Drive and BIOS USB Drive. Each command uses the same device and media, but boots the PC in a
different firmware mode.
Some devices only support one mode (either UEFI or BIOS). Other devices
will only allow you to boot to BIOS mode by manually disabling the UEFI
security features. To disable the security features, go to Security > Secure
Boot and disable the feature.
Some older PCs (Windows 7-era or earlier) support UEFI, but require you
to browse to the boot file. From the firmware menus, look for the option:
"Boot from file", then browse to \EFI\BOOT\BOOTX64.EFI on Windows PE
or Windows Setup media.
Detect UEFI or BIOS
mode on a factory floor
Before installing
Windows, check to make sure your firmware is booted to the right mode using any
of these methods:
·
Use a script to check. Windows PE: create
a script that checks which mode the device is booted in before installing.
See WinPE: Boot in UEFI or legacy BIOS mode.
·
Use preformatted hard drives, and use a method that
doesn't automatically format the drive. Use drives that have been
preformatted using the GPT file format for UEFI mode, or the MBR file format
for BIOS mode. When the installation starts, if the PC is booted to the wrong
mode, Windows will fail to install, and the technician can restart the PC in
the correct firmware mode.
·
Remove the UEFI or BIOS boot files: Windows PE or
Windows Setup: remove the files that Windows PE or Windows Setup to boot in
UEFI or BIOS mode. When the device is booted in the wrong mode, it will
immediately fail to boot, and you can begin troubleshooting right away.
o
Boot only when in UEFI mode: Remove the bootmgr file from the
root of the Windows PE or Windows Setup media. This prevents the device from
starting in BIOS mode.
o
Boot only when in BIOS mode: Remove the efi folder from the
root of the Windows PE or Windows Setup media. This prevents the device from
starting in UEFI mode.
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