   Tails does not start at all
   ---------------------------

   The following section applies if the <span class="guilabel">Boot Tails</span>
   menu does not appear when starting on a USB stick.

   It is quite common for computers not to start automatically on a
   USB stick with Tails installed. Here are some troubleshooting techniques. You should try them
   one after the other.

   ### Getting to the boot menu

   On most computers, you can press a *boot menu key* to display a list of
   possible devices to start from. The following instructions explain how
   to display the boot menu and start on the USB stick. The following
   screenshot is an example of such boot menu:

   [[!img install/inc/screenshots/bios_boot_menu.png class="screenshot" link="no" alt="Boot menu with list of devices"]]

   1. Shut down the computer.

   1. Make sure that the first USB stick is plugged in the computer.

   1. Identify the potential boot menu keys for the computer depending on
   the computer manufacturer in the following list:

      <table>
        <tr><th>Manufacturer</th><th>Key</th></tr>
        <tr><td>Acer</td><td>Esc, F12, F9</td></tr>
        <tr><td>Asus</td><td>Esc, F8</td></tr>
        <tr><td>Dell</td><td>F12</td></tr>
        <tr><td>Fujitsu</td><td>F12, Esc</td></tr>
        <tr><td>HP</td><td>Esc, F9</td></tr>
        <tr><td>Lenovo</td><td>F12, Novo, F8, F10</td></tr>
        <tr><td>Samsung</td><td>Esc, F12, F2</td></tr>
        <tr><td>Sony</td><td>F11, Esc, F10</td></tr>
        <tr><td>Toshiba</td><td>F12</td></tr>
        <tr><td>others&hellip;</td><td>F12, Esc</td></tr>
      </table>

   1. Switch on the computer.

      Immediately press several times the first potential boot menu key identified in step 3.

      a. If a boot menu with a list of devices appears, select your USB stick
         and press <span class="keycap">Enter</span>.

      a. If the computer starts on another operating system, then:

         1. Shut down the computer.

         1. Press-and-hold the potential boot menu key identified in step 3.

         1. Switch on the computer again while holding the potential boot menu key pressed.

            a. If a boot menu with a list of devices appears, select your USB stick
               and press <span class="keycap">Enter</span>.

            a. If the computer starts on another operating system or returns an
               error message, then shut down the computer again and repeat step
               4 for all the potential boot menu keys identified in step 3.

   If none of the potential boot menu keys identified in step 3 work or if
   the USB stick does not appear in the list, then try the second
   troubleshooting technique described below.

   ### Check our list of known issues

   Similar problems might have been reported already for your model of computer
   in our [[list of known issues|support/known_issues]].

   ### Edit the BIOS settings

   You might need to edit the BIOS settings of the computer.

   <div class="tip">
   <p>Search for the user manual of the computer on the website of its
   manufacturer to learn how to edit the BIOS settings:
   <ul>
     <li>[Acer](http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/drivers)</li>
     <li>[Asus](https://www.asus.com/us/support/)</li>
     <li>[Dell](https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Products/)</li>
     <li>[Fujitsu](https://www.fujitsu.com/global/support/products/software/manual/)</li>
     <li>[HP](https://support.hp.com/us-en/products/)</li>
     <li>[Lenovo](http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/)</li>
     <li>[Samsung](http://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads)</li>
     <li>[Sony](http://esupport.sony.com/US)</li>
     <li>[Toshiba](http://support.toshiba.com/support/products?cat=Computers)</li>
   </ul>
   </p>
   </div>

   In the BIOS settings, try to apply the following changes one by one and
   restart the computer after each change. Some changes might not
   apply to certain computer models.

   <div class="caution">
   <p>Take note of the changes that you apply to the BIOS settings, to be
   able to revert them if they prevent the computer to start on its usual
   operating system.</p>
   </div>

   1. Edit the **Boot Order**. Depending on the computer model you might
   see an entry for **removable devices** or **USB media**. Move this entry
   to the top of the list to force the computer to try to start from
   the first USB stick before starting from the internal hard disk.

   1. Disable **Fast boot**.

   1. If the computer is configured to start with **legacy BIOS**, try to
   configure it to start with **UEFI**. Else, if the computer is configured
   to start with **UEFI**, try to configure it to start with **legacy
   BIOS**. To do so, try any of the following options if available:

      - Enable **Legacy mode**
      - Disable **Secure boot**
      - Enable **CSM boot**
      - Disable **UEFI**

   1. Try to upgrade the BIOS to the latest version provided by the manufacturer.

   ### Report the problem to our support team

   <div class="bug">
   <p>If none of these options work, we are sorry but you might not be
   able to use Tails on this computer.</p>
   </div>

   Please, [[send an email to our support team|support/talk]], including
   the following information:

   1. Which version of Tails are you trying to start?

   1. How did you verify the ISO image?

   1. Which is the brand and model of the computer?

   1. What exactly happens when trying to start? Report the complete error
      message that appears on the screen, if any.

   1. Are you trying to start Tails on a USB stick or a DVD?

   1. If you are trying to start on a USB stick, which program did you
      use to install it:

      - <span class="application">Universal USB Installer</span>,
      - <span class="application">GNOME Disks</span>,
      - <span class="application">Tails Installer</span>, or
      - <span class="command">dd</span> on the command line?

      Note that these are the only supported installation methods.

   1. Have you been able to start Tails successfully on this computer
      before, from another USB stick or DVD, or with another version of Tails?
      If so, which ones?

   1. Does the same USB stick or DVD start successfully on other computers?
