USB Boot Guide Step-By-Step Quick Start
1- Obtain, borrow, buy or make a bootable USB flash drive.
2- Power Off your computer completely. [Start]–>[Shutdown]
3- Insert CraftedFlash bootable USB Drive.
4- Power On your computer.
5- Press the Boot Menu Key, usually Esc or F12 when the display starts.
6- Select USB-HDD or “Patriot Memory”
| Boot Menu Keys for: | Acer | Asus | Dell | Fujitsu | HP | Lenovo | NEC | Samsung | Sony | Toshiba |
| Ask USB Boot Questions in our Forum! | USB Boot HowTo Video | Boot Menu Keys |
So, it turns out this is really easy on most recent computers. The first four steps are self explanatory. Step five is just a matter of knowing the right key to press and when. Step six can be somewhat confusing because not every computer manufacturer uses the same terminology to describe the bootable USB flash drive or pen drive. Just search for your computer manufacturer and model below, then note the boot menu key(s) and any special instructions.
The tables below offer assistance with steps five and six. The “Boot Menu” column shows the known boot option keys for various computer manufacturers. When you are trying to get to the boot menu, reboot and press the first key as soon as the display flashes or is no longer blank. If that does not work, reboot again and press the key repeatedly immediately after you turn on the power. If that does not work, reboot again and press the next listed key immediately after the display becomes active. After you get to the boot menu, step five involves locating the bootable CraftedFlash USB device. Usually, this device is listed as “Patriot Memory”, “USB” or sometimes “USB-HDD”. Sometimes it will be listed on a sub-menu with the other hard drives.
Keep in mind that most computers will also allow you to change the boot “priority” so that the bootable USB stick is preferred over the local hard drive. The “BIOS/UEFI Key” column shows which key can be used to enter the BIOS/UEFI setup menus in order to change the boot device sequence.
USB Flash Drive Boot Reference List
| MFD. | Type | Models | Boot Menu | Boot Once | Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acer | Esc, F12, F9 | Del, F2 | |||
| Acer | netbook | Aspire One zg5, zg8 | F12 | F2 | |
| Acer | netbook | Aspire Timeline | F12 | F2 | |
| Acer | netbook | Aspire v3, v5, v7 | F12 | The “F12 Boot Menu” must be enabled in BIOS. It is disabled by default. | F2 |
| Apple | After 2006 | Option | |||
| Asus | desktop | F8 | F9 | ||
| Asus | laptop | VivoBook f200ca, f202e, q200e, s200e, s400ca, s500ca, u38n, v500ca, v550ca, v551, x200ca, x202e, x550ca, z202e | Esc | Delete | |
| Asus | laptop | N550JV, N750JV, N550LF, Rog g750jh, Rog g750jw, Rog g750jx | Esc | Disable “Fast Boot” and “Secure Boot Control” in order to boot from MBR formatted media. | F2 |
| Asus | laptop | Zenbook Infinity ux301, Infinity ux301la, Prime ux31a, Prime ux32vd, R509C, Taichi 21, Touch u500vz, Transformer Book TX300 | Esc | Disable “Fast Boot” and “Secure Boot Control” in order to boot from MBR formatted media. | F2 |
| Asus | notebook | k25f, k35e, k34u, k35u, k43u, k46cb, k52f, k53e, k55a, k60ij, k70ab, k72f, k73e, k73s, k84l, k93sm, k93sv, k95vb, k501, k601, R503C, x32a, x35u, x54c, x61g, x64c, x64v, x75a, x83v, x83vb, x90, x93sv, x95gl, x101ch, x102ba, x200ca, x202e, x301a, x401a, x401u, x501a, x502c, x750ja | F8 | DEL | |
| Asus | netbook | Eee PC 1015, 1025c | Esc | F2 | |
| Compaq | Presario | Esc, F9 | F10 | ||
| Dell | desktop | Dimension, Inspiron, Latitude, Optiplex | F12 | Select “USB Flash Drive”. | F2 |
| Dell | desktop | Alienware Aurora, Inspiron One 20, Inspiron 23 Touch, Inspiron 620, 630, 650, 660s, Inspiron 3000, X51, XPS 8300, XPS 8500, XPS 8700, XPS 18 Touch, XPS 27 Touch | F12 | Select “USB Flash Drive”. | F2 |
| Dell | desktop | Inspiron One 2020, 2305, 2320, 2330 All-In-One | F12 | Select “USB Flash Drive”. | F2 |
| Dell | laptop | Inspiron 11 3000 series touch, 14z Ultrabook, 14 7000 series touch, 15z Ultrabook touch, 15 7000 series touch, 17 7000 series touch | F12 | Select “USB Storage Device” | F2 |
| Dell | laptop | Inspiron 14R non-touch, 15 non-touch, 15R non-touch, 17 non-touch, 17R non-touch | F12 | Select “USB Storage Device” | F2 |
| Dell | laptop | Latitude c400, c600, c640, d610, d620, d630, d830, e5520, e6320, e6400, e6410, e6420, e6430, e6500, e6520, 6430u Ultrabook, x300 | F12 | Select “USB Storage Device” from boot menu. | F2 |
| Dell | laptop | Precision m3800, m4400, m4700, m4800, m6500, m6600, m6700, m6800 | F12 | Select “USB Storage Device” from boot menu. | F2 |
| Dell | laptop | Alienware 14, Alienware 17, Alienware 18, XPS 11 2-in-1, XPS 12 2-in-1, XPS 13, XPS 14 Ultrabook, XPS 15 Touch, | F12 | Select “USB Storage Device” from boot menu. | F2 |
| eMachines | F12 | Tab, Del | |||
| Fujitsu | F12 | F2 | |||
| HP | generic | Esc, F9 | Esc, F10, F1 | ||
| HP | desktop | Pavilion Media Center a1477c | Esc | F10 | |
| HP | desktop | Pavilion 23 All In One | Esc | Select boot media from the menu. | F10 |
| HP | desktop | Pavilion Elite e9000, e9120y, e9150t, e9220y, e9280t | Esc, F9 | F10 | |
| HP | desktop | Pavilion g6 and g7 | Esc | F10 | |
| HP | desktop | Pavilion HPE PC, h8-1287c | Esc | Then F9 for “Boot Menu” | Esc |
| HP | desktop | Pavilion PC, p6 2317c | Esc | Then F9 for “Boot Menu” | Esc |
| HP | desktop | Pavilion PC, p7 1297cb | Esc | Then F9 for “Boot Menu” | Esc |
| HP | desktop | TouchSmart 520 PC | Esc | Then F9 for “Boot Menu” | Esc |
| HP | laptop | 2000 | Esc | Then F9 for “Boot Menu”. Select “Patriot Memory” on the Boot Option Menu. | Esc |
| HP | notebook | Pavilion g4 | Esc | F10 | |
| HP | notebook | ENVY x2, m4, m4-1015dx, m4-1115dx, sleekbook m6, m6-1105dx, m6-1205dx, m6-k015dx, m6-k025dx, touchsmart m7 | Esc | Then F9 for “Boot Menu” | Esc |
| HP | notebook | Envy, dv6 and dv7 PC, dv9700, Spectre 14, Spectre 13 | Esc | Then F9 for “Boot Menu” | Esc |
| HP | notebook | 2000 – 2a20nr, 2a53ca, 2b16nr, 2b89wm, 2c29wm, 2d29wm | Esc | Then F9 for “Boot Menu” | Esc |
| HP | notebook | Probook 4520s, 4525s, 4540s, 4545s, 5220m, 5310m, 5330m, 5660b, 5670b | Esc | F10 | |
| HP | tower | Pavilion a410n | Esc | F1 | |
| Intel | F10 | ||||
| Lenovo | desktop | F12, F8, F10 | F1, F2 | ||
| Lenovo | laptop | F12 | F1, F2 | ||
| Lenovo | laptop | ThinkPad edge, e431, e531, e545, helix, l440, l540, s431, t440s, t540p, twist, w510, w520, w530, w540, x140, x220, x230, x240, X1 carbon | F12 | F1 | |
| Lenovo | laptop | IdeaPad s300, u110, u310 Touch, u410, u510, y500, y510, yoga 11, yoga 13, z500 | Novobutton | Small button on the side next to the power button. | Novo button |
| Lenovo | laptop | IdeaPad P500 | F12 or Fn + F11 | F2 | |
| Lenovo | netbook | IdeaPad S10-3 | F12 | F2 | |
| Lenovo | notebook | g460, g470, g475, g480, g485 | F12 | F2 | |
| NEC | F5 | F2 | |||
| Packard Bell | F8 | F1, Del | |||
| Samsung | F12, Esc | ||||
| Samsung | netbook | NC10 | Esc | F2 | |
| Samsung | notebook | np300e5c, np300e5e, np350v5c, np355v5c, np365e5c, np550p5c | Esc | F2 | |
| Samsung | ultrabook | Series 5 Ultra, Series 7 Chronos, Series 9 Ultrabook | Esc | Note that you must first disable fast boot in BIOS/UEFI to boot from a USB drive. | F2 |
| Samsung | ultrabook | Ativ Book 2, 8, 9 | F2 | Note that you must first disable fast boot in BIOS/UEFI to boot from a USB drive or use the F2 boot menu. | F10 |
| Sharp | F2 | ||||
| Sony | VAIO Duo, Pro, Flip, Tap, Fit | assistbutton | assist button | ||
| Sony | VAIO, PCG, VGN | F11 | F1, F2, F3 | ||
| Sony | VGN | Esc, F10 | F2 | ||
| Toshiba | laptop | Kira, Kirabook 13, Ultrabook | F12 | F2 | |
| Toshiba | laptop | Qosmio g30, g35, g40, g50 | F12 | F2 | |
| Toshiba | laptop | Qosmio x70, x75, x500, x505, x870, x875, x880 | F12 | F2 | |
| Toshiba | Protege, Satellite, Tecra | F12 | F1, Esc | ||
| Toshiba | Equium | F12 | F12 |
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