Starting another maker's computer from the stick

Before you start

On Windows, have the BitLocker recovery key ready: Faraday Starter's BitLocker step shows it. On Linux, have the disk's passphrase or recovery key ready.

Find your computer's two keys: one opens the BIOS, one opens the boot menu. Search online for your computer's model and "boot menu key". The screen at power-on often names them.

BIOS: often F2, Delete, F1, F10 or Esc.

Boot menu: often F12, F11, F9 or Esc.

On some laptops the key is pressed with Fn. On some computers Esc opens a menu that lists the other keys.

Steps

1. Plug the stick in.

2. Restart the computer. Use Restart, not Shut down: with Windows' Fast Startup on, Shut down can skip the key.

3. When the maker's logo appears, tap the BIOS key about once a second.

If it doesn't open: use Faraday Starter's Restart into the BIOS, or try the next key.

4. Find Secure Boot, usually on the Security, Boot or Authentication tab, set it to Disabled, then save and exit.

Leave the Secure Boot keys as they are. Do not delete or clear them.

5. The computer restarts. Tap the boot menu key when the maker's logo appears. On Windows, do it on this restart, before Windows starts.

6. Choose the stick. If it is listed twice, choose the one that starts with UEFI.

The stick is usually listed under its maker's name, the one printed on it (SanDisk, Kingston…), often after "UEFI:". It is not Windows Boot Manager, a Linux name such as ubuntu, or the computer's own disk.

If the stick is not listed: see "If something is different" below.

Afterwards

7. Turn the computer off from Faraday and pull the stick out.

8. Tap the BIOS key at power-on, turn Secure Boot back on, then save and exit. Do it before Windows starts: with Secure Boot off, Windows asks for the BitLocker recovery key unless Faraday Starter suspended BitLocker.

If Secure Boot does not stay on: load the computer's own Secure Boot keys. On some computers this is Restore Factory Keys or a Custom setting that loads the keys built into the computer.

If something is different

Stick not in the boot menu: set Fast Boot to Disabled, or to Thorough where that is the choice. Where there is a USB Boot setting, set it to Enabled.

Secure Boot greyed out: on some computers it can be changed only once a supervisor password is set.

Sources

The keys are the ones the maker pages here give, each from its maker's own documentation. Microsoft: "Boot to UEFI Mode or Legacy BIOS mode" and "Disabling Secure Boot" (learn.microsoft.com, Windows hardware manufacturing). All read 2026-10-12.