Boot Sequence vs Boot Menu: What’s the Difference? Discovered

An Overview of Boot Sequence and Boot Menu

The boot sequence refers to the order in which a PC checks different devices for a bootable operating system. In essence, the boot sequence contains a list of priorities set in the BIOS. For instance, it can include device options like hard drives, USB drives, optical drives, floppy drives, and network resources.

The order is generally decided by the PC’s BIOS or UEFI firmware. Sometimes, it can be customized by the user. Generally speaking, the hard drive is the main device that users want to boot from.

As for the boot menu, it’s a temporary interface that appears during startup, which allows you to decide which device to boot from. It can include options like a hard drive, USB drive, or CD/DVD.

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Boot Sequence vs Boot Menu

After reading the above content, you may have an overall understanding of boot sequence and boot menu. What’s the difference between boot menu and boot sequence? In this section, I will illustrate the “boot sequence vs boot menu” topic, helping you distinguish them easily.

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Difference 1: Function

Both the boot sequence and boot menu allow you to decide which device to boot from. However, they are different in certain aspects. The boot sequence is a permanent setting that defines the order of boot devices, while the boot menu offers a one-time option to choose a boot device during startup.

Difference 2: Access

If you want to access boot sequence, you need to restart your computer and enter the BIOS setup by pressing the BIOS key (F2, F12, Del, etc.) while the PC loads up. Then navigate to the Boot tab by hitting the arrow keys on the keyboard.

To change the boot sequence, set the desired boot device as the first boot option and click F10 > Enter to save changes and exit BIOS.

How to access the boot menu? Restart the computer and keep pressing the boot menu keys of the PC. The boot menu key varies depending on the computer or motherboard manufacturer. It can be the F2, F10, F11, F12, Esc, or other keys.

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Difference 3: Use

You should access and use the boot menu in some cases. For instance, if you want to boot the computer from a USB drive or a digital versatile disc, you can access the boot menu and choose the desired boot device. Moreover, the boot menu is convenient if you need to select an OS to run from multiple systems installed on your computer.

When to use boot sequence? Well, some cases where you should use boot sequence are summarized as follows.

• System updates: You are required to restart the computer after applying a crucial software update or system patch. The boot phase ensures that the new updates integrate with the present system during the startup.
• Dual-booting: The boot sequence is important for devices with several operating systems installed. You need to choose a system to boot after the PC loads up.
• Hardware diagnostics: If a technician detects hardware issues with a PC, they will restart the device. Then any issues in essential parts can be recognized during the booting sequence.
• System recovery: If a system crashes or gets unresponsive, a forced restart begins the boot sequence.

Boot menu vs boot sequence: how to distinguish them? You can distinguish them according to the difference between boot menu and boot sequence summarized above.

Bottom Line

This post offers an introduction to boot sequence and boot menu. Based on that, it discusses the topic “boot sequence vs boot menu”. You can learn the difference between boot menu and boot sequence from the post.