Definition: The boot order is the order of devices listed in BIOS that the computer will look for operating system information on.
Hard drives, optical drives, floppy drives, flash drives, and network resources are all typical devices that are listed as boot order options in the BIOS.
After the POST, BIOS will attempt to boot from the first device listed in the boot order. If that device is not bootable, BIOS will attempt to boot from the second device listed, and so on.
More About Boot Order: How to Change the Boot Order in BIOS
Also Known As: BIOS boot order, boot sequence
Examples:
"I tried to boot to my Linux setup CD so I could install Linux on my computer, but my PC continued to start Windows XP from my hard drive. After doing some research on the Internet, I found out that I needed to change the boot order in BIOS to boot to the CD drive first. After I did that, the Linux setup program began after I restarted! It was easy!"
