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I just bought an ASUS laptop with Windows 8 installed. How can I access the BIOS?

I tried to click any of the usual keys during power-up: ESC, DEL, F10, F8, F2... non of them work - I just get to Windows.

How can I determine the correct key? Do I have to just restart my laptop over and over again, trying each of the keys on my keyboard, until the BIOS shows up?

Hennes
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Erel Segal-Halevi
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    I, too, recently bought a new ASUS laptop. All I can say is you have to be quick in order to press the (F2 works for me) BIOS-entrance-key. Are you sure you press those keys in the correct interval, as soon as laptop is powered up? I ask because I remember missing the short interval a few times. – Varaquilex Jan 14 '14 at 17:27
  • @Ramhound is the version of Windows relevant to the BIOS? I thought the BIOS loads even before Windows. – Erel Segal-Halevi Jan 14 '14 at 17:34
  • @Varaquilex I try to click the F key and the power-up button simultaneously. Should I click one time and then hold? Or should I click again and again fast? – Erel Segal-Halevi Jan 14 '14 at 17:36
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    @ErelSegalHalevi Click repeatedly. – Varaquilex Jan 14 '14 at 17:37
  • @Ramhound OK, I have Windows 8 but I don't know which version exactly. How do I get this information? – Erel Segal-Halevi Jan 14 '14 at 17:46
  • @ErelSegalHalevi - If you will update your tags to reflect the use of Windows 8 I will remove the downvote I issued ( I actually missed the fact you indicated you were running Windows 8 ). – Ramhound Jan 14 '14 at 19:49

2 Answers2

7

I was able to find the following instructions. Having done this myself in the past I can confirm it works.

On systems with Windows 8 pre-installed, you can access the UEFI (BIOS) setup screens from the Windows 8 boot menu:

  1. Press the Windows key + C, or swipe in from the right edge of the screen to open your Charms.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Click Change PC Settings.
  4. In PC Settings, select General.
  5. Under Advanced startup, click Restart now. The system will restart and show the Windows 8 boot menu.
  6. In the boot menu, select Troubleshoot.
  7. In the Troubleshoot menu, select Advanced options.
  8. In the Advanced options menu, select UEFI Firmware Settings.
  9. Click Restart to restart the system and enter UEFI (BIOS).

PLEASE NOTE:

These instructions only apply to Windows 8.0

Source

Ramhound
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    ‎This works, thanks. But what should I do if my Windows 8 stops working for some reason (i.e. a virus), and I have to go to the BIOS without going through Windows? – Erel Segal-Halevi Jan 14 '14 at 18:34
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    You should have a system restoration disk. Second you should have a Windows 8.1 installation disk handy, third multiple failed attempts to load Windows should also result in that menu being offered. – Ramhound Jan 14 '14 at 19:45
  • I don't see a "General" option on the "PC Settings" screen (Step 4). – Doug May 03 '14 at 23:10
  • @Doug - What do you see? What version of Windows are you using exactly? – Ramhound May 03 '14 at 23:12
  • @Ramhound Hi. Like Doug I don't see PC Settings. I see 4) PC Info, 5) Advanced System Properties. Nothing like "advanced startup". In Startup and Recovery, they ask what's the default operating system (just windows in the list) ... – Thomas May 22 '14 at 19:59
  • @Thomas - Verify your using 8.0 not 8.1 because the source was written over a year ago. – Ramhound May 22 '14 at 20:01
  • @Ramhound 8.1 is indeed a special case, googling for ubuntu and windows 8.1 got me lots of working results – Thomas May 23 '14 at 16:39
  • @Thomas - I am not going to update the answer because an 8.1 solution is not a 8.0 solution. Despite them being very similar. The question was asked against 8.0 thus the only correct answer should apply to 8.0. My answer is correct thats all I know. – Ramhound May 23 '14 at 16:43
  • @Ramhound not saying anything, I asked for help and by pointing out 8.1 it helped me. just replying for next users with my problem – Thomas May 23 '14 at 16:44
  • @Thomas - You made a comment how the answer didn't work for you, but the answer is correct, but it only applies to Windows 8.0 hence the reason it doesn't work for Windows 8.1. I encourage you to post an answer that does work for Windows 8.1 instead of using comments to say it doesn't work with Windows 8.1 – Ramhound May 23 '14 at 16:49
  • @JLPeyret - What? – Ramhound Dec 03 '15 at 23:35
  • @Ramhound. Txs for changing to 8.0. Sorry that I was cranky, but I've been struggling with win 8.1 all day. Why MS changes their settings from release to release so much, and document it so badly, is beyond me. – JL Peyret Dec 04 '15 at 03:17
  • The comment was wrong, so I fixed it, but how you get to Advanced Startup actually isn't that different. If you search for Advanced Startup, you are given the option, to boot into the UEFI Shell. – Ramhound Dec 04 '15 at 03:31
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Press Windows Key+C to open the charms menu, click the gear, click power, and then hold shift and click restart. When the windows advanced startup menu opens, click troubleshooting, then UEFI Firmware, then click restart

HopelessN00b
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YourBestITGuy
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  • This works on 8.1 for me on an ASUS. You may need to adjust the key you hold down during boot, depending on your manufacturer. – JL Peyret Dec 04 '15 at 03:21