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Booting means starting the computer from a device. Normally it starts from the internal Windows or Ubuntu disk. For this lesson, you temporarily choose the installation USB.
This choice is made before Windows loads. It does not copy Ubuntu to the internal drive.
Know the three screens people call “BIOS”
- The one-time boot menu lists devices that can start now. Choosing the USB here usually affects only this startup.
- UEFI firmware setup contains persistent hardware and boot settings. Older computers used BIOS; people still use “BIOS” as a casual name for modern UEFI setup.
- The Ubuntu boot or installer screen appears after the firmware successfully starts the USB.
Use the one-time boot menu when possible. It is a smaller, more reversible change than rewriting the permanent boot order.
Find the correct key for this model
Shut down the computer fully. Insert the USB, keep the charger connected, and power on. Immediately press or tap the model’s one-time boot-menu key.
F12 is common, but not universal. Escape, F2, and F10 are other common keys. A startup message may identify the correct key. If it does not, search the computer manufacturer’s official support site using the exact model and “one-time boot menu.”
Do not follow a Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, or ASUS menu path as though every model from that brand shares it. Firmware screens and keys can vary even within one manufacturer.
If a restart moves too quickly because Windows uses fast startup, a complete shutdown can make the key easier to catch. Do not repeatedly change firmware options while trying to time the key.
Identify and select the USB
The boot menu may list the USB by brand, model, capacity, or a generic description. A modern computer may show two entries for one USB, for example a UEFI entry and a Legacy or CSM entry.
Choose the UEFI entry for the installation USB on a modern UEFI Windows computer. This keeps the boot mode consistent with the modern disk and firmware flow used in this series.
If the only similar entry matches the internal Windows drive rather than the USB’s manufacturer or capacity, stop. Do not select a device merely because it appears first.
Follow the initial Ubuntu screens
After the USB starts, the Ubuntu Desktop flow lets you choose:
- Language.
- Accessibility settings.
- Keyboard layout.
- Optional network connection.
- Try Ubuntu or Install Ubuntu.
Network access is optional for reaching the live session. Select the correct keyboard layout because later passwords must be entered exactly.
Install Ubuntu starts the guided installation choices. It does not necessarily erase a disk immediately, but later screens can. This path deliberately delays that choice until the storage and encryption blockers are understood.
What success looks like
The live desktop appears with an Install Ubuntu shortcut. You can open applications, connect to networking, and test hardware. Performance can be slower than an installed system because the desktop is running from USB.
Common mistakes and recovery
Windows starts instead. Restart and deliberately open the one-time boot menu. Confirm that the USB’s UEFI entry was selected.
Firmware setup opens. Exit without saving unrelated changes, then use the correct one-time boot-menu key. Setup and the boot menu are different tools.
The USB is absent. Return to the safe USB-not-booting checks rather than disabling random options.
The installer opens instead of the desktop. Use its back or close control and choose Try Ubuntu. If no safe return is clear, shut down before confirming any disk choice and boot the USB again.
A BitLocker recovery screen appears when starting Windows later. This can follow a firmware-sensitive change. Use the recovery key backed up in Lesson 1.1. Do not reset Windows or delete partitions as a shortcut.
Practice
Knowledge check
Explain the difference between the one-time boot menu and UEFI setup. Then identify the evidence you will use for the USB: its manufacturer, approximate capacity, and UEFI label—not its position in the list.
What to learn next
Continue to Try Ubuntu Before Installing: Test Your Hardware First. Do not proceed to disk setup until that checklist confirms what the live system can actually see.