Enter BIOS from Windows 10 (UEFI mode)

Question

I have Windows 10 installed on my Asus N550 notebook and want to enter the bios to install windows from scratch. (I have to change the boot order).

However, I'm unable to get into the BIOS.

Usually the advanced start options in windows have a setting called "UEFI Firmware settings" which should do the trick. However, this button does not appear on my system.

This is the tutorial I was following: https://grok.lsu.edu/Article.aspx?articleId=17376. Disabling hibernate with powercfg -h off didn't change anything.

Answer 1

First, there are two features of the firmware that are likely to be useful to you. (You have a firmware, not a BIOS, although many people and even manufacturers mis-apply the term "BIOS" to non-BIOS firmware)

• Firmware setup utility -- This is what you seem to be trying to enter. You can use it to permanently set the boot order and adjust many other features. You can usually enter this tool by hitting Delete, Enter, or a function key during a brief window during system startup; by using a feature to enter the setup utility that's present in some boot managers; or by using a special OS feature to reboot into the firmware setup utility. You seem to be aware of the Windows feature to reboot into this utility but can't find it. I can't help you with that. My own ASUS motherboard uses Del or (IIRC) F2 to enter the firmware setup utility, so you might try that -- but even within a manufacturer's line, the "magic key" often changes from one model to another. Also, this boot-time entry to the setup utility is sometimes disabled or active for such a brief period that it's useless. My own rEFInd boot manager offers a feature to reboot into the setup utility; it's a second-row icon that looks like a computer chip. GRUB 2 has such a feature, too, but it's often disabled.
• Firmware boot manager -- Hitting Esc, Enter, or a function key at boot usually activates the boot manager, which enables you to make one-time changes to the boot order. The boot manager is a better tool than the firmware setup utility for your purpose, so you should try to find it. My ASUS motherboard uses F8 to enter this tool -- but as with the key to enter the setup utility, this function can be disabled or broken, and the key to activate the feature varies even within a single manufacturer's line, so you may need to use trial-and-error to find it. If you can't get this to work, you could install rEFInd to your hard disk; it should present an option to boot from your external device. This is an ugly overkill solution for a one-time problem, but you can always uninstall it later. (In fact, re-installing Windows will deactivate, although not completely uninstall, rEFInd.)

Answer 2

--- Normal behaviour to call Firmware (BIOS/UEFI): ---
Method 1: If you're in Windows 10/11 already and making SHIFT keystroke while click the restart button (Advanced options -> UEFI Firmware Settings) won't do the trick for you, use a setup image instead. Download the appropriate Windows ISO (language does not need to match) and decide whether you'd like to run the setup.exe from within Windows or boot from a created install device like DVD or USB.
Method 2: If you use an older Windows or power is turned off currently, try to hit F2/ESC/F11/ENTER as many times as possible after turning on the power button (when the initial motherboard screen greets you). [The exact button might differ on special systems but usually its one of the named.]

--- If BIOS/UEFI don't react on mouse/keyboard (then RESET it): ---
If you use the correct keystroke and the BIOS ignores it (maybe your mouse too on GUI systems), then either Ultra-Fastboot was enabled before or in storage there exist options for backward compatibility with USB 2.0/3.0 devices that were disabled. No matter the cause the cure is the same: You've to force a Firmware reset (in this situation unfortunately there is no alternative):
ATTENTION: THIS RESETS YOUR FIRMWARE (BIOS):

1. Turn off the power supply completely
2. Open your computer case
3. Remove the BIOS battery
4. (According to the instructions of its manufacturers manual) make a CMOS reset. It means, somewhere on the MB there is are three very tiny pins (lets call them A-B-C), from which two pins are covered by a "bridge" - a little plastic module that sits on A and B. Search for it now until you find it:
5. You've to pull the plugin-in out resp. flip the switch (bridge is "open" now) and place it on pins B and C instead carefully. Now the "bridge" is "closed" on CMOS.
6. Together with battery removed wait at least two minutes while holding the power button that normally would start your PC to release the remained surge.
7. After that undo everything - revert the bridge to the place of A and B again to close the bridge on not-resetting, put the BIOS battery back to its position and close the case.
8. Now you can start your PC again - the BIOS settings became resetted but you can interact with it again like before. Only make sure that you let Fastboot disabled and compatibility with old USB 2.0/3.0 devices enabled. It slows down the postscreen speed but this is urgently necessary to interact with UEFI/CSM firmware.

--- Firmware damaged: ---
If, despite of the steps above, your device is still unresponsive to letting you navigating the firmware settings, there is a high possibility of irreversible hardware damage in your motherboard - you probably need to buy a new one then. Unfortunately this is not unlikely to occur, especially after several years or accidently folting over an element.