Windows 10/11 PC ignores boot order? Check out these methods

Whenever you boot your Windows PC, you get a glimpse of a message stating that you should press a button if you want to enter the BIOS menu.

The BIOS menu, among other things, is where you can see your PC‘s boot priority list.

The boot priority list is the order in which your PC will choose where to boot off of.

This means that by changing the boot order, you could set your PC to boot off of a removable disk, a USB stick or even a disk.

However, some users have reported that their PCs sometimes seem to ignore the boot orders all on their own.

What can I do if Windows 10 ignores the boot order?

1. Check to see if the boot media is working properly.

In theory, there is no reason why a PC would ignore a boot order unless the first choices that you nominated were invalid.

This is because the PC will take all the boot options in order, and boot off of the first valid one it finds.

As such, if you changed the boot order recently, make sure your first choices are none of the ones below:

• A USB stick or disk that wasn’t made to be bootable
• A drive that doesn’t contain any system files
• Any USB stick, disk or drive that is empty or damaged

Additionally, the problem can also stem from the way the media is connected to the PC, not just the media itself.

As such, you should also try the following:

• Check to see whether your optical drive is working properly
• Change the USB port where you inserted the bootable stick
• If you’re trying to boot off of an external hard drive, make sure the connecting cable is properly inserted and not damaged

BIOS seems too complicated? Get a better understanding of it with the help of this handy guide.

2. Reset your BIOS by removing the CMOS battery

Sometimes resetting your BIOS will remove such issues, so try doing this by following these steps:

1. You must first disconnect your PC from any power source.
   • If you are using a laptop, this includes removing the battery
2. Remove your PC‘s cover, and locate the CMOS battery
3. Remove the battery
4. Press the power button for around 10 seconds
5. Put the CMOS battery back in place
6. Boot the PC

By making sure you avoid any of these common mistakes, you will no longer have an issue with your Windows 10 PC ignoring your designated boot order.

Do you know another solution for this issue? Share it with the community in the comments section below.

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