How to Boot from CD

If you are completely clueless about how to boot from CD or DVD, then this article will be a helpful read. Here you will find a clear explanation of how to boot from CD on Mac and Windows machines.

Every computer user should know the basic computer troubleshooting and setup techniques. One of the most important tasks that you need to know about is installation of the computer operating system. This requires that you know how to boot from CD or DVD. If you have no idea what booting means, let me explain it before explaining the method to boot OS from CD.

What is Booting?

Booting from CD or a DVD is actually loading an operating system, whose contents are burned on the optical disk. There are many types of computer operating systems and each one of them needs to be booted and installed from a DVD or a CD. This includes the Windows OS version (Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7), Mac and Linux operating systems. There are various reasons why you may need to boot from CD or DVD set up disc of any operating system. One of the most common reasons for booting from an optical disk is the installation of a new OS, while another reason might be to repair an existing installation.

When a computer is started, it first goes through the POST (Power On Self Test) schedule to ensure that all the basic systems are working; after which its control is passed over to BIOS (Basic Input Output System), which handles the OS booting. The BIOS is a set of basic software programs stored in a memory chip on the computer motherboard and they control all the hardware level functions of all input and output systems. If you need to make any hardware level changes, you need to edit BIOS settings.

The booting process is handled by BIOS via the boot loader program that is pre-installed in it. This program has a specific boot order of storage media from which it boots an OS. If the order has the hard drive listed at the top, your computer won't be able to boot from CD or DVD, but it will directly load the OS from hard drive. Most computers are configured by default to have the DVD ROM as the first device in boot order, to facilitate booting from DVD. However, if it is not so, you will have to change the boot order settings. Let us see how it's done in the next section.

How to Set BIOS to Boot From CD or DVD?

To set the BIOS order to boot from CD or DVD, switch on your computer. As soon as the POST message disappears and its diagnostic tests are over, you will see a message which will mostly say 'Press Del to Enter BIOS Setup'. It will either be Delete key or F2 key which may have to be pressed to enter the BIOS setup. Once the setup screen shows itself, locate the boot order settings and follow instructions provided to set the DVD or CD drive to be the top booting choice. Once you have changed the order, save settings and exit.

How to Boot From CD or DVD?

To be able to boot from CD or DVD, your computer needs to be equipped with a CD ROM or DVD ROM to be able to load the operating system. Here is the procedure explaining how to boot from CD or DVD on a Mac or Windows machine.

How to Boot From CD or DVD on Mac?
To be able to boot from CD or DVD on Mac, firstly you will need an Mac OS X installation CD or DVD. Once you procure the setup disk, all you have to do is insert it in the DVD ROM and restart your computer. If the boot order is right, it will directly boot the OS and you will see the installation screen of Mac OS X. All you have to do is follow onscreen instructions to install the OS or repair it. Check out boot camp instructions, which is a software that lets you load Windows OS on a Mac.

How to Boot From CD or DVD on Windows?
To boot from CD or DVD on a Windows machine too, you will obviously need the Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 installation disc or recovery disc. Just insert the DVD or CD in the optical disk drive and restart the computer. Again, if the boot order is set right, your computer BIOS will automatically load Windows and its set up screen will appear. For installation or repair, you must then follow onscreen instructions.

Quite often, you may have to boot from a CD, as part of a computer repair job. Booting OS from CD is a simple matter and all you need to do is follow the above instructions. Once you set the boot order right, there is nothing much you need to do other than load the CD or DVD in the optical drive and wait for the computer to boot from it. After reading through this article, I hope there are no doubts left in your mind about how to boot from CD or DVD to install any operating system or to undertake other repair jobs.

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