Dell Studio XPS 9100 from May 2011, Version A04 of its BIOS and USB booting

It doesn't say A04 adds USB boot support, but...

BIOS setup screen for Boot Device Configuration in the Studio XPS 9100 manual lists an option to boot from:

1st Boot Device: Specifies the boot sequence from the available devices.

Removable; CD/DVD; Hard Drive. (Removable by default).

Seems to me that implies it should be bootable from a USB hard drive (but perhaps not from a USB stick).

If you're trying to boot from USB, connect the USB device, reboot and press F12. Look for the boot options and select the external drive you want to boot from.

Hi Rohe... thanks so very much for replying.  Heaven knows where my XPS 9100 manual is. :-)

Before I read this post.. I did some experimenting on my own. I was able to create a bootable USB flash drive and when I stuck it into one of the USB ports on my 9100, lo and behold, the boot option menu presented the flash drive as a choice.

Prior to doing this such an option was never presented. I suppose that the BIOS only presents this as a choice when it makes sense.

I am pretty stoked that this is an option for this model of DELL and it clears away any confusion I had about why a 2011 model of computer wouldn't have had USB bootability as an option. However, believe it or not, in trolling the internet, I couldn't come across any such confirmation. USB bootability is an amazing option.

As it turns out, in desperation (again, before seeing this reply) I did actually install the A04 BIOS version for the Studio XPS 9100 but that by itself didn't do anything. The capability most likely existed before in the A02 version.

Regards.

The option to boot from USB is only visible, either on the F12 menu, or in BIOS Setup on the XPS 9100, if a bootable USB device is connected before you power the system on.

And it appears you're not the only one who doesn't understanding that... :emotion-4:

Glad you're all sorted now...