Flash drive Boot - This worked for me

BobJAX

After days of searching for a solution, I found this myself by trial and error. No kudos to anyone else because there is no solution posted anywhere.

We all hear that you have to change the order which it boots in the bios to put the flash drive at the top. But how to get in the bios. After many, many attempts, I found that you can get in by hitting "RESTART",  not power off and turning it on.  Then tap, tap, tap the "delete" key. When you hear a beep you were sucessful. But you may have to do this several or many times before you catch it just right.

Remember when navigating the BIOS, if you have the NumLK on you will have to use the arrows that are not on the keypad. There usually is a second set.

OK, so I changed the boot sequence. But it didn't work for me.

So I went in the bios again. Underneath the list of bootable devices that you reorder is something that roughly says "boot menu" disabled. For some stupid reason this is disabled. Enable it. If this was enabled, it could have saved me hours. It will add a line at the bottom at startup (which appears and disappears very fast). It states two things: 1. click "delete" to enter the bios. That took a lot of time to find out. Oh yes, you think it is "delete" or f2 or a number of options but because it doesn't work on the normal off/on and not all the time on restart you don't know what to use. The menu item clearly says it is "delete". Could have saved hours. The MOST IMPORTANT thing is one tiny line that says hit f12 to go into the boot menu. WHAT? Why isn't that fact published anywhere. Hit f12 and you pick the flash drive to boot from. I won't even tell you how I feel about Acer now (it's their bios). But you can read my review on Amazon.

Sharanji

hi...

 

I appreciate your efforts in finding a solution, however, it is a standrad procedure us the F12 key to enter the boot menu and is mentioned in Acer documenattion. here's the weblink : http://acer.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/29935/kw/recovery%20usign%20CD

BobJAX

Hi,

Thanks for your thoughtful response. I appreciate that you took the time to respond.

However your solution is posted under " How do I reinstall my operating system from Recovery CDs or DVDs?"

Has, in the lay persons mine, little connection with a recovery Flash Drive. I repeat lay person. I think I clearly see the issue; Think like a layman, not a computer wizard, smart enough to contract for a major computer company.

 

Can you site where it related specially to "Flash Drives"? After all the non- contractor person like myself would not hunt for a DVD solutions since all current recovery info published by Acer currently speaks about Flash drives. In the old days when DVDs were provided free with a computer, this might make sense. But today we are instructed to use Flash Drives.

 

I am not going to look up a recipe for apple pie when I want to make peach pie.

 

Also "Standard procedure" to who? You? Not standard procedure to the user who rarely makes or needs a recovery media.

 

Incidentally I am a retired CISSP, MCSD and DBA (just between you and I). Maybe that's why I want clear, specific instructions.  :-)

Thanks Sharanji. You made my day. Kinda shows where the disconnect is. I get it now. Try to think, litle old lady or in my case, little old man trying to get by with this darn computer. :-)