Toshiba Tecra M11 - unable to promote boot sequence

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ChrisGreaves
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Toshiba Tecra M11 - unable to promote boot sequence

Post by ChrisGreaves »

This is an older laptop – Toshiba Tecra, not my new laptop. https://techcrunch.com/2010/04/14/toshi ... -notebook/ This page says that the Tecra M11 was released in 2008, and I bought it new (from a carton) in August 2008; So, a discounted model back then.
I have used Acronis TrueImage2020 to make a recovery partition and C: backup on a 465GB USB external drive. I have reason to believe that Acronis has worked because 2GB is “missing” from the USB drive and Win7HP Disk management shows a 2G partition on that USB drive.

My problem appears to be with the laptop BIOS. I have previously been able to boot from a recovery CD created by Win7 (“Press any key to boot from CD …”), so a boot sequence other than the Laptop HDD works today (I just tested my recovery boot CD).
When I use <F12> to modify the boot sequence, none of the options is movable.
Bonavista_20200702_051939.jpg
Above is the startup screen after using <F12>
I press <Enter> for the Setup menu screen
Bonavista_20200702_052014.jpg
Above, I have used the right-arrow and down-arrow keys to navigate to “Change Boot Order”, so I believe that the BIOS menu system can read the cursor keys. I tap <Enter>
Bonavista_20200702_052035.jpg
And now, above, I am trying to change the boot sequence. Neither the up-arrow nor the down-arrow keys has any effect. I had hoped to migrate #6 (the USB HDD) to position #1.

I am supposing that this 2008 model did not support a “boot from USB” option, but that the menu system is derived from a bog-standard template. That is, we can “see” the USB and that in other models there may well be the option to migrate boot priority; just not in this laptop model.

I note too that this would suggest that the optical disk (ODD) is hard-wired into position #1, which is why booting from CD is an option when a CD is in the drive, but otherwise I boot straight off the hard drive (HDD)

Thanks for any forthcoming elucidation
Chris
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StuartR
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Re: Toshiba Tecra M11 - unable to promote boot sequence

Post by StuartR »

Do the number keys have any effect?
StuartR


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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Toshiba Tecra M11 - unable to promote boot sequence

Post by ChrisGreaves »

StuartR wrote:
02 Jul 2020, 13:05
Do the number keys have any effect?
Hello Stuart.
I will reply "no", because I don't have any number keys.
I think that by "number keys" you mean the numeric keypad (of "NumLock" fame).
I have the ten digits above the qwerty row,
I have one <Enter> key.
I have four arrow-keys at the bottom RHS, and that's it!
There is no cluster of cursor-keys that can serve as numeric data entry keys.

Cheers
Chris
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HansV
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Re: Toshiba Tecra M11 - unable to promote boot sequence

Post by HansV »

I think Stuart meant: what happens if you press 2, for example - not necessarily on a numeric keypad.
Best wishes,
Hans

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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Toshiba Tecra M11 - unable to promote boot sequence

Post by ChrisGreaves »

ChrisGreaves wrote:
02 Jul 2020, 09:34
This is an older laptop – Toshiba Tecra, not my new laptop....
Well, experimentation:
I installed Macrium Reflect, and ran that. It creates a Rescue Media of WinPE - which may not be suitable for this old and cheap laptop.
I did the "create rescue media" thing to my USB drive (remove/create volume & quick format) and to a 1GB memory key.

I don't know how I did it, but I fell into the menu system that I wanted:-
Bonavista_20200702_114605.JPG
I know that I don't have a USB Optical Disk, that's just where i was when I thought to take a photograph!
Bonavista_20200702_114656.JPG
I selected the only other USB option "Memory") and tried with the USB drive
Bonavista_20200702_114747.JPG
This failed to boot.
As mentioned: I suspect that this is related to the laptop not being WinPE compatible.
Then I tried with the 1GB memory key, and the system just froze.
In all cases I watched in vain for the USB equivalent of “Press any key to boot from CD …”.

So: I might go back and try once more with Acronis.

But at least I know now that I can shuffle the boot sequence.
That first screen (third image in my first post) where it reads something like "use up and down arrows" appears to be merely a display of current settings; I need to tap <Enter> or something to open up a second sub-menu to effect the edits.

More after lunch.
Thanks
Chris
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Argus
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Re: Toshiba Tecra M11 - unable to promote boot sequence

Post by Argus »

ChrisGreaves wrote:
02 Jul 2020, 14:41
Well, experimentation:
I installed Macrium Reflect, and ran that. It creates a Rescue Media of WinPE - which may not be suitable for this old and cheap laptop.
I did the "create rescue media" thing to my USB drive (remove/create volume & quick format) and to a 1GB memory key.
[...]
As mentioned: I suspect that this is related to the laptop not being WinPE compatible.
Then I tried with the 1GB memory key, and the system just froze.
In all cases I watched in vain for the USB equivalent of “Press any key to boot from CD …”.

So: I might go back and try once more with Acronis.

But at least I know now that I can shuffle the boot sequence.
That first screen (third image in my first post) where it reads something like "use up and down arrows" appears to be merely a display of current settings; I need to tap <Enter> or something to open up a second sub-menu to effect the edits.
Good that you have found a way to change the settings. (You can sometimes find at the bottom of the screen (some instr.) something along the lines: <Enter> Select sub menu.*)

With more BIOS options than you usually find in laptops, i.e. at least in desktops motherboards, you can often find three options for USB initialization, or similar, to support USB devices (at least in more recent). I have found that with at least one recovery "environment" (AOMEI PE Builder) I needed full USB initialization (i.e. not only USB keyboard, if I had any) to be able to boot from that USB stick. Then it's a different matter that they can turn up as twins in the list if you go to BIOS setup (or the temp. Boot Device Menu, usually another key), one mentioned as only a simple USB memory. (There was a time of great tribulation, testing the patience, when I created such an USB stick the other year.)

* (Then it's a different matter that one sometimes need to use the Space bar to select a drive or something when moving about in non-graphical UI, but I'm sure you know that.)
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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Toshiba Tecra M11 - unable to promote boot sequence

Post by ChrisGreaves »

Argus wrote:
03 Jul 2020, 17:17
I have found that with at least one recovery "environment" (AOMEI PE Builder) I needed full USB initialization (i.e. not only USB keyboard, if I had any) to be able to boot from that USB stick
Argus thanks for this, especially the congratulations.
Every answer generates a question:

Is WinPE suitable as a general boot(strap) for Win7 and onwards?
That is, if I follow the instructions here can I create a boot memory key or a boot USB drive that will serve to obtain system images for any of my (now) three laptops?

Right now I have a boot CD for this Toshiba.
If I had a WinPE memory key, then I might use it to bootstrap a system image for no matter which laptop.
Is that correct?
Thanks
Chris
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