I'm having trouble accessing the BIOS on my Dell desktop while trying to replace its storage. I've installed one 2TB NVMe drive and have a Windows boot USB stick plugged in. When I try to enter the BIOS by repeatedly pressing F12 during startup, I see a message saying 'preparing to enter BIOS setup...' but it only reaches about 30% on the loading bar before the computer reboots. I swapped the NVMe drives, but the issue persists. What am I doing wrong?
3 Answers
Make sure to press the F12 key as soon as you power on your computer, don’t wait for the Dell logo. That should bring up the boot menu where you can select BIOS Setup. Also, try temporarily removing the Windows USB stick, as it might be interfering. When was the last time you updated your BIOS? Can you boot into Windows at all?
If you're still having problems, just remember that getting into the BIOS usually happens before the operating system loads. Try checking Dell's support site for specific instructions tailored to your model, as they might have some useful guidance.
Another option is to enter the BIOS from within Windows if you ever get the chance. Use the Advanced Startup feature, but I know you're trying to get in without Windows installed. Just a heads up though, getting into the BIOS isn't tied to having an operating system on your drives.
That's my exact problem! I don't have Windows installed yet, so I need to access the BIOS to select the USB stick for installation, but it keeps rebooting before I can get in.
I can't boot into Windows because these are brand new NVMe drives without any OS yet. I'm just trying to access the BIOS so I can set the USB stick as my boot drive for installation. But it keeps looping and won't let me in.