If this is posted to the wrong forum, feel free to move it.

Specs
My new Win 7 Pro computer has an ASUS UEFI BIOS configuration (version 0601x64, 11/16/15 build date). It contains Quad Intel Processors i5-6600 CPU @ 3.3 GHz

My Problem
I can't figure out how to change the boot priority to anything meaningful to me. I'm accustomed to the old type of BIOS where you could select Internal HDD, CD/DVD Device, USB Storage Device, etc. On my new computer, when I go into BIOS Setup via F2 key, here's what I see:
- Boot Option #1: Windows Boot Manager
- Boot Option #2: UEFI: SanDisk Cruzer 1.26, Partition 1 (7633MB)
And except for a Disable option, these are my only choices. I don't understand why the SanDisk Cruzer is listed, because it is simply an 8GB USB Flash Drive (formatted in NTFS) where I save selected data files.

If I press F8 key during boot up, the situation is equally perplexing. All I see is "Please Select Boot Device", with only the same two devices listed, i.e.,
- Windows Boot Manager
- UEFI: SanDisk Cruzer 1.26, Partition 1

My Questions
My three questions are:
(1) How do I ever get my CD/DVD drive listed as a boot option?
(2) How do I get my little USB Flash Drive containing nothing but data files (e.g., Word, Excel, Quicken) unlisted as a boot option and replaced with something usable?
(3) Is all this telling me that my Rescue Disk needs to be on a USB Flash Drive rather than a CD?

I would appreciate any help/advice. Thanks in advance.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Solution: Call velocity micro. Anything we post here will be at best speculation

Yes, I can do that and in get in the telephone queue. I guess the support desk is open by now (11:00 am EST?)

Don't you have an identical computer/UEFI BIOS? I was hoping you could tell me what happens when you press F2 and/or F8.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

I can tell you what I see, but it's not at all like what you describe. So anything I what tell you is speculation.

OK.....got it.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Yes, bbarry, I think it is telling you you can't use CD/DVD as boot option. What I would do is to pop in a blank USB stick and have it created as a boot disk.

A couple of caveats. You can't use the Microsoft USB boot disk if you have a UEFI system. You have to use a utility called Rufus. This may help with your other drive (cluster size) issue as well. Here's a post on it:
http://www.groovypost.com/howto/create- ... ash-drive/

Here is a way to create USB boot disk using the Microsoft tool Diskpart (if you have it, I think you do). Note the caveat re UEFI also - in this case (actually both cases) you must format the USB drive as FAT32. Both work with Windows 7 as well as 10. You will need a blank USB drive in either scenario.
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/lib ... 00124.aspx

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

Thanks, Patty. I'll definitely look into that and keep you posted (probably in the morning). This is the first (and only) computer I have with a UEFI BIOS, and it's taking a getting use to.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

If the machine came with a CD/DVD drive, I'd bet it can boot from it. There is just something in the bios that needs setting. I'd suggest reading the mother board manual, but that is a tough read.

Just talk with VM support. They should be able to straighten you out.

PS Question. Did the machine come with the Microsoft Windows 7 CD/DVD. I'd guess it did, and if so it has to be able to boot from the optical drive. Call them

Yes, bb, UEFI definitely takes getting used to! And you're welcome!

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Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

Hi bb..

I know on my old computer with Win 7 I had no trouble rearranging the boot order. I tried on this
Velocity Micro and got into a little trouble and (over the phone) had to 'load profiles' to get out of it?

I'd be interested to know if you put a bootable disc in the dvd, restart the computer and hit "any" key if
you'll get that disc to boot.

Hi Smitty - Yea, on our old computers with Win 7 we had the old BIOS where you could easily change boot orders. Now we have the UEFI BIOS, which is a total different animal. I messed around yesterday trying to change the boot order on my new computer to a CD/DVD drive, to no avail.

In the post above Patty gives a link to the program Rufus, which is suppose to create a bootable USB disk. She says Diskpart can also be used.

I got sidetracked with some non-computer issues today and I haven't had a chance to try creating a USB disk by either of these methods. Nor have I had time today to call Velocity, as Pete suggested. I just haven't been in the right frame of mind to get in a phone queue and then take directions over the phone.......maybe tomorrow.

I do have a bootable CD, so maybe tomorrow I will also try what you suggested and see what happens.

I'll keep you posted.......and please do the same.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

I would use the thumb drive option first but it should be possible to get your system to boot to CD/DVD. I just don't see the sense of your doing this and risking a system that is running fine. As far as I can I will test the following but it really would not prove what the results would be on your system. My BIOS/UEFI is really neither but a hybrid between the two. It still fits though as I have to turn off the UEFI drive control to boot to an optical drive.

Also, since the system is under warranty, I would do as Pete advises and call Velocity before doing any of the following. Calling would probably make the following useless as they would likely just lead you through the process.

Again, if the USB option works, leave it alone and go with that. You have spent half or more of your time trying to get images and such to work. Take a break and sit back and just enjoy your new system for a while.

1.Press “ESC” or “F2” to enter the BIOS setup. ESC is probably just a boot menu with an option to enter BIOS/UEFI.
2.Under the “Boot” tab, enable “Launch CSM”
3.Under the “Security” tab, disable “Secure Boot Control”
4.Save the changes and exit
5.Press “ESC” or “F2” to enter the BIOS setup again
6.Under the “Boot” tab, the DVD drive and available flash drives will appear. Set the DVD drive as the first boot option.
7.Save the changes and exit

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Sorry BB but could not test the above steps from my last post. Like I said my UEFI/BIOS is a hybrid between the two. While your question got me thinking and 'playing' I just cannot find a Secure Boot option to turn off.

However I owe you some thanks for your question as I am now in UEFI drive control mode AND able to boot from an optical disk. You see I sort of do have the options needed but they are just different. Instead of being global where the change affects all of the drive connections I have a few side options. For instance I have 6 SATA ports. As to the first 4 they are a group but the last two are a separate group. Under my limited UEFI settings I have the option of setting 'JUST' SATA ports 5 and 6 to IDE mode. Fortunately for me it has been an age old practice for me to attach an optical drive to the last connection in line.

Yet who knows? A 'true UEFI' system just might have such an option. I'm just sorry that I can't be of any more help than offering what I find in searches.

Anyway I just wanted to post my experience and again give thanks for your question as it actually caused me to find a solution to one of my own.

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Thanks, Jay. Ironically, I ran across similar steps last night while researching on the internet. I was just too tired to try them. But, like you suggested, I am first going to try to create a bootable USB flash drive, using either Rufus or Diskpart.

I'll also report this on my other posting, but my Transcend 2TB drive arrived yesterday.......the one Pete recommended. The first thing I did was check the sector size.......'twas 512 instead of 4096 (yea!). And then before I went to bed, I started a full Windows backup on my old Win 7 Ultimate computer (system image and all files recommended by Windows). And it worked, although it took several hours at the slower USB 2.0 speed (plus I just have a lot of stuff on that 7-year old computer). So I am a happy camper in that regard, an I will probably never buy another Seagate.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

On the bios, still best bet is to call Velocity Micro. Oh and Jay, one of the neat things about Velocity Micro, since it's likely a bios setting is not right, they would talk him thru the fix even if it wasn't still under warranty

Smitty, the bootable repair disc did not work.....CD/DVD player was not even recognized.

So I'm off to create a bootable USB flash drive, using either Rufus (probably) or Diskpart.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

Jay, these steps didn't work, probably because my UEFI BIOS is a different configuration. Here's what I encountered:
1. F2 is the key that gets me into Setup
2. CSM was already launched, with the following options:
a) Boot Device Control (UEFI Only was checked, but I also had the choices of UEFI & Legacy OPROM or Legacy OPROM Only, whatever these mean)
b) Boot from Network (UEFI Driver First was checked, but I also had the options of Legacy Only or Ignore)
c) Boot from Storage Devices (same options as for Network)
3. I have no Security Tab, although Secure Boot was located under the Boot Tab; Secure Boot was enabled and I could not see a way to disable it.
4. I exited with no changes made
5. I did not enter the UEFI BIOS Setup again, as no changes were made

So at this point, I'm off to create a bootable flash drive, probably using Rufus. I'm still not to the point of wanting to call Velocity, as I'm not sure I want my UEFI BIOS changed......I'll wait and see if the flash drive solution works, as I can live with that (plus I currently have two USB 3.0 ports going unused).

Thanks for your help and research.......

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

OK, Patty (or anyone?). I downloaded Rufus and am ready to create my bootable USB flash drive. But I ran into my first snag or question.

What is my Win 7 ISO file? I read where these ISO files can be downloaded from Microsoft and then used with your product key. But my new computer came with an OEM Win 7 Pro installation disk and a valid product code. Will this disk suffice as my ISO file; if so, do I do anything with it other than insert it in the CD/DVD player when I start Rufus?

Thanks in advance........

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

That, I don't know the answer to BB. You'd just have to give it a try. I doubt you could switch from the USB to the DVD mid stream. I imagine that your recovery image is also on your hard drive, and that is the image that would be used to create your bootable USB stick.

I sure don't like the idea of turning off Secure Boot. That is one of the main advantages of UEFI computers.

_________________
Patty MacDuffie
Computer Haven Administrator

Live Long and Prosper
Mr. Spock

Donald Rumsfeld had a saying, "when you are in a hole, stop digging" and that applies here.

1. Yes what comes with Velocity Micro is the standard windows 7 installation disk
2. No there is no recovery image on a Velocity Micro Z55 Computer just drivers
3. Rufus won't create a USB key from anything but an ISO image
4. You need a burning suite like Shampoo https://www.ashampoo.com/en/usd/dld/711 ... udio-FREE/ and getting an ISO from the DVD, might not end up bootable anyway.
5. These are strange beasts. Yes the MB's are UEFI bios, but the whole boot is setup as a standard boot. That may be VM's prefered setup.


BB you are dancing around the issue, something is messed up in the bios. If I was a betting person, I'd suspect you changed something trying to get Virtual Box to work.

You'd be a whole lot better of letting VM help you get it right. But it's your choice

PROBLEM SOLVED - CAN BOOT FROM CD DRIVE

However, you would lose the bet.....I didn't change anything in my UEFI BIOS when working with VirtualBox, which by the way is working great.

But you are exactly correct about digging the hole deeper & deeper. So I took your sage advice and called Velocity Micro. I told them I knew you and that, therefore, I expected some good help. They hung up on me.

So I called back and said I didn't know you, then I got some great service, lol. One change in BIOS did the trick. Under Compatibility Support Module (CSM), he had me change the Boot Device Control from 'UEFI only' to UEFI and Legacy OPROM'. That gave me immediate access to 5 or 6 devices. Windows Boot Manager remained #1, and then we made my CD drive #2.

Seriously, Pete - thanks for being persistent about me calling VM. Those guys know their machines.

_________________
BB
http://barrypatch.net

Smitty, see my posting above to Pete. I called Velocity Micro and they told me what to change in UEFI BIOS to get my CD drive as a boot drive. One simple change. If you need more detail, let me know.

BTW, I never got around to making a bootable flash drive, although that may become my project for tomorrow.

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BB
http://barrypatch.net

ROFL. Glad you got it working, and actually glad I'd lose that bet.

You are right they do know their machines. At this point two interesting stories.

I bought my first VM machine back in the P4 XP days. I'd never heard of them but was intrigued by their ads. I was looking at Dell and HP. So I decided to test. I made up 4 very esoteric questions about P4 machines.

I first called HP. After 4 hours on hold, I gave up. Then tried Dell. Only 3 hours on hold and I got a human. Asked the questions and got 3 wrong answers and an I don't know. Then I called Velocity Micro. I was on the phone a total of 7 minutes and left with 4 correct and detail answers.

2nd story was just recently. I was trying to decide on a monitor purchase and couldn't arrive at a decision. Finally I decided to call those guys as I've never received a bad suggestion from them. The sales fellow spend a half an hour on the phone explaining his suggestion. I followed thru and have been delighted. I apologized for taking his time, and he said never hesitate to call. They understand that repeat customers are their life blood.

Also for those curious. They don't put recovery stuff on the disk, they include a genuine MS disk. The machines are not built assembly line, but one tech builds and signs off on each Machine.
BB, I bet they could tell you the name of each machine you purchase.

I had one machine that had to be service at the factory. I got a call each morning from the tech working on it to keep me up to date.

Another great thing they do, is if you want to upgrade the hardware, you can send the machine in, and for the cost of the hardware, plus a reasonable fee they will upgrade.

Pete

@ Pete: From what I've read in recent posts Velocity DOES sound like a good outfit. Still I have to say that I'll probably never use them for one simple reason. I just happen to actually enjoy planning out and putting together a new system myself. LOL! It also has a down side... if something goes wrong I don't have anyone to blame but myself.

@ BB: While I'm glad that you got it all going I find myself a bit surprised that it works to boot to an optical. Remember that I don't really have much experience with UEFI except for my BIOS being a hybrid and its using UEFI for drive control. What I find a bit confusing is that you said that your boot order was now "Windows Boot Manager remained #1, and then we made my CD drive #2.". It just seems to me that it would have to be the other way around to be able to boot to an optical. Is it possible that I could just be misunderstanding "Windows Boot Manager" and that there is actually a hard drive boot option that follows after the CD option? Please do not go playing to give me an answer as it is of no real importance to me, just curious as to if they may have given an explanation as to how it works.

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Steve on my system, if I have nothing set up in the boot manager it goes right to boot on the c drive. But since I have Macrium in the boot manager when the system boots it first goes to the boot manager where I have the option to go to windows (default) or to macrium