Windows 8 Knowledge Base

[#1]

Access to the system BIOS will depend on Windows 8 installed on your computer.

• If you upgraded to Windows 8 from Windows 7, then you will follow the instructions under UPGRADE.
• If your computer came from the factory with Windows 8 installed, then follow the instructions under PREINSTALLED.

NOTE: On Windows 8 operating systems that came preinstalled on the laptop from the factory, the BIOS has been replaced by UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface).

UPGRADE

IMPORTANT: The following procedures ONLY apply to Windows 8 operating systems that were upgraded from Windows 7 or earlier. These procedure DO NOT apply to factory Windows 8 operating systems installed on the laptop from the factory when purchased new.

To enter the BIOS from a Windows 8 upgrade, you must first shut down the laptop completely (not suspended, or in standby mode, or in hibernation mode). If an external keyboard is attached to the laptop (either directly or via a docking station or a port-replicator), disconnect it until you have completed this procedure.

To shut the Windows 8 laptop down completely, How to Shut Down a Laptop with Windows 8.

Use one of the following methods to acess the BIOS.

F2 key method

1. Turn the computer on.
2. If you see an invitation to press the F2 key to enter Setup, do so.
3. The Setup (BIOS) screen will appear.

F12 key method

1. Turn the computer on.
2. If you see an invitation to press the F12 key, do so.
3. Boot options will appear along with the ability to enter Setup.
4. Using the arrow key, scroll down and select <Enter Setup>.
5. Press Enter.
6. The Setup (BIOS) screen will appear.

Toshiba Hardware utility method

The Toshiba Hardware utility (HWSetup) can also be used to change some of the settings if F2 or F12 does not work. This method may be the only way to access the BIOS settings on some laptops.

1. On the Start Screen type in HWSetup.
2. In the search returns select HW Setup to open.
3. Make changes as necessary and select "Apply."
4. Reboot the computer if not prompted to do so.

If not already installed, the Toshiba Hardware utility can be downloaded from http://support.toshiba.com after clicking "Downloads" and selecting your computer information.

PREINSTALLED

IMPORTANT:The following procedures ONLY apply to Windows 8 operating systems that came preinstalled on the laptop from the factory when purchased new. These procedure DO NOT apply to Windows 8 operating systems that were upgraded from Windows 7 or earlier.

NOTE: On Windows 8 operating systems that came preinstalled on the laptop from the factory, the BIOS has been replaced by UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface).

To access the UEFI on preinstalled versions of Windows 8, perform the following:

IMPORTANT: There are many possible ways to enter the Advanced Startup Options, for additional ways to enter, refer to the How To: Safe Mode and other Advanced Startup Options in Windows 8 article.

1. While on the Start screen type “BIOS” or "UEFI".
2. Under “Settings” select “Advanced Startup Options”.
3. Under the “General” menu item, scroll to the bottom.
4. Under “Advanced Startup” click “Restart Now” button.
5. When the “Choose an Option” screen appears, select “Troubleshoot”.
6. In the Troubleshoot menu select “Advanced Options”.
7. In the Advanced Options menu select “UEFI Firmware Settings”.
8. Click the “Restart” button to boot into the “Setup Utility” (UEFI) screen.
9. When the laptop restarts, the UEFI screen will be displayed.

[#2]

These instructions seem to be saying that if windows 8 is not preinstalled, you can use a key on boot to get to the setup, but if it is, you have to boot to Windows to get there. Is there any way to get into the setup program without booting into Windows?  A lot of people want to install Linux on these machines, and to do that you have to disable the SecureBoot feature. Many if not most of them, including myself, would prefer to do that without booting Windows or agreeing to a Windows eula. In fact it's a dealbreaker for them if they have to do so.

I and some of my friends are looking for laptops we can install Linux on, and I have liked a lot of Toshiba laptops. This new feature, though, we'd need a method to turn off.

[#3]

When I get to Step #5, Troubleshoot is not an option. Can it be enabled?

I logged in as a user and administrator; neither has the Troubleshoot option.

Satellite L875D-S7332

[#4]

On about the 10th attempt, the Troubleshoot option was available - and was available for a few attempts afterwards (just to make sure).