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<!-- retain these comments for translator revision tracking -->
<!-- $Id$ -->

  <sect2 arch="any-x86" id="bios-setup"><title>Invoking the BIOS Set-Up Menu</title>

<para>

The BIOS provides the basic functions needed to boot your machine and
to allow your operating system to access your hardware.  Your system 
provides a BIOS setup menu, which is used to configure the BIOS.
To enter the BIOS setup menu you have to press  a key or key combination
after turning on the computer. Often it is the <keycap>Delete</keycap>
or the <keycap>F2</keycap> key, but some manufacturers use other keys.
Usually upon starting the computer there will be a message
stating which key to press to enter the setup screen.

</para>
  </sect2>
  
  <sect2 arch="any-x86" id="boot-dev-select-x86"><title>Boot Device Selection</title>

<para>

Within the BIOS setup menu, you can select which devices shall be
checked in which sequence for a bootable operating system. Possible choices
usually include the internal harddisks, the CD/DVD-ROM drive and USB mass storage
devices such as USB sticks or external USB harddisks. On modern systems there
is also often a possibility to enable network booting via PXE.

</para><para>

Depending on the installation media (CD/DVD ROM, USB stick, network boot)
you have chosen you should enable the appropriate boot devices if they
are not already enabled. 

</para><para>

Most BIOS versions allow you to call up a boot menu on system startup in
which you select from which device the computer should start for the
current session. If this option is available, the BIOS usually displays
a short message like <quote>press <keycap>F12</keycap> for boot
menu</quote> on system startup.
The actual key used to select this menu varies from system to system;
commonly used keys are <keycap>F12</keycap>, <keycap>F11</keycap> and
<keycap>F8</keycap>. Choosing a device from this menu does not change
the default boot order of the BIOS, i.e. you can start once from a 
USB stick while having configured the internal harddisk as the normal
primary boot device.

</para><para>

If your BIOS does not provide you with a boot menu to do ad-hoc choices
of the current boot device, you will have to change your BIOS setup to make
the device from which the &d-i; shall be booted the primary boot device.

</para><para>

Unfortunately some computers contain buggy BIOS versions. Booting &d-i; from
a USB stick might not work even if there is an appropriate option in the
BIOS setup menu and the stick is selected as the primary boot device.  On
some of these systems using a USB stick as boot medium is impossible; others
can be tricked into booting from the stick by changing the device type in
the BIOS setup from the default <quote>USB harddisk</quote> or <quote>USB
stick</quote> to <quote>USB ZIP</quote> or <quote>USB CDROM</quote>. 
<phrase condition="isohybrid-supported">
In particular if you use an isohybrid CD/DVD image on a USB stick
(see <xref linkend="usb-copy-isohybrid"/>), changing the device type to
<quote>USB CDROM</quote> helps on some BIOSes which will not boot from a USB stick in 
USB harddisk mode.</phrase>

</para><para>

If you cannot manipulate the BIOS to boot directly from a USB stick you
still have the option of using an ISO copied to the stick. Boot &d-i;
using <xref linkend="boot-drive-files"/> and, after scanning the hard
drives for an installer ISO image, select the USB device and choose an
installation image.

</para>
  </sect2>