Boot Order

[trapper]

Does the Boot Order setting in the BIOS matter much?

I just checked mine and it is set as follows:
1 Diskette Drive
2 Hard-Disk
3 CD-ROM

I have no problem but just curious.

I have Dell Dimension 2400, XP SP3

Thanks.

[mjc]

If you never use the floppy, you may be able to shave a second or so off of booting by moving it to the bottom of the list...even more if you also turn off the 'floppy seek' setting in the BIOS.

In days past, when floppies were very common, it was advisable to move the floppy lower in the boot order for another reason...as a safeguard against viral infections. There were a number of viruses that would be activated from a booting floppy.

I usually have my machines set something like this...

1. Optical Drive.
2. Hard Drive 1
3. Hard Drive 2 (if that option is available if not, Floppy)
4. Floppy if not #3.
5. Network or 'Other', if available.

The reason I put the optical first, I frequently use bootable CDs (Linux LiveCDs, build 'rescue' CDs, etc) and don't want to change the setting everytime I want to boot to a CD...also, the boot time 'hit' isn't as great as it is for a floppy...especially with 'seek' enabled.

[Paul Komski]

I have Dell Dimension 2400, XP SP3

With most Dells F2 takes you into the BIOS setup but F12 will usually take you into a separate boot menu, which will override whatever permanent settings are kept in the BIOS setup. Can be a handy way to initiate a one-off but different boot device.

[Sylvander]

My boot order:

1. FDD.
2. Optical drive.
3. HDD.

REASONS for:
1.
(a) I'm fairly confident that none of my floppies will be infected, not worried about having it 1st.
(b) Having the FDD 1st in the list allows me to use a "Smart Boot Manager" [SBM] bootable floppy to choose which other drive to boot. This can be useful in certain situations. I can alternatively hit F9 to choose which drive to boot [over-rules the default boot order].

2.
With no floppy in the drive I can boot a bootable optical disk that perhaps/probably loads a Linux or Windows operating system.
Sometimes [depending upon whether or not that OS on the optical includes the following] I need to wait until the optical begins to boot, then push a RAID driver installation floppy into the FDD. This driver would then be loaded by the OS as it is being loaded from the optical disk.

3.
Only if the other two drives have no disk in them does the HDD get the chance to supply the OS.
I might for example [if having problems loading Windows off the HDD] boot with a Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP or Server 2003 boot floppy disk (http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/ntboot/) in the FDD, and use that as the "System Disk"; boot "from" that, and "to" the "Boot Partition" on the HDD [the one that holds the "Windows" folder and its files].

[trapper]

Thanks Paul, mjc, and Sylvander for your replies on Boot Order!

[jlreich]

With most Dells F2 takes you into the BIOS setup but F12 will usually take you into a separate boot menu, which will override whatever permanent settings are kept in the BIOS setup. Can be a handy way to initiate a one-off but different boot device.
Most systems these days have a hot key to pull up a boot menu, usually F12 or Esc. So I usually set my hard drive to boot first since I can invoke the menu when I want to boot from something else.

As MJC said is shaves off a few seconds. Plus I don't have to hear the floppy get polled :p

[mjc]

One of the things I boot to...or I should say, my kids boot to is a MAME disk...it's easier putting the CD first. :rolleyes:

[Paul Komski]

Most systems these days have a hot key to pull up a boot menu, usually F12 or Esc.
Reminds me that about a year ago I was trying to remember the hot key for the BIOS setup on an Elite mobo and, to my surprise, got a boot order menu when trying the ESC key. I read and re-read the documentation and nowhere was this listed nor was the option listed on the screen during boot-up. So it sounds like you may well be right that the option is there more commonly than one might imagine.

[jlreich]

One of the things I boot to...or I should say, my kids boot to is a MAME disk...it's easier putting the CD first. :rolleyes:
Absolutely. I leave the standard boot order for others. I don't need people calling me and asking why they can't boot from a CD. :p