F12 boot the f12 boot menu is in black letters and i can't move the arrows to enable it

Repeatedly tap the F1 key when the Lenovo, ThinkPad, ThinkStation, or ThinkCentre logo appears, The computer may beep once to indicate that it will boot to BIOS.

How to Enable Boot device List F12 Option The following example shows a system that has an option to enable or disable the Boot device List F12 Option.
Go into the BIOS to enable Boot device List F12 Option (option is usually under the Startup tab).

can you click on f12 before it goes to boot password?
The F12 Boot Menu allows you to choose which device that you would like to boot the computer's Operating System from by pressing the F12 key during the computer's Power On Self Test, or POST process. Some notebook and netbook models have the F12 Boot Menu disabled by default.
If this sounds like your problem then try this:
If this sounds like
To enable the F12 Boot Menu:

1. Restart the computer.
2. Press the F2 key to enter computer's BIOS Setup during Power-On Self-Test, or POST, process while the Acer logo is being displayed.
3. Press the Right Arrow key to select Main
4. Select F12 Boot Menu
5. Press the Enter key
6. Select Enabled
7. Press the Enter key
8. Press the F10 key and then press the Enter key to save the changes and restart the computer.

Note: Not all Acer notebooks or netbooks have the F12 Boot Menu feature. Computers that do not have the F12 Boot Menu feature will not be able to enable the feature within the BIOS. I hope this works for you if not, then the problem is obviously not the boot menu. Go to Acer support for more help

You need to update the bios, go the manufacture brand put the model and download the bios update, install it and try again to enable the f12 at the satrt up.
Thanks

Restart your computer, press repetedly a key to enter BIOS, normally Del, go to Advanced BIOS Features probably and change to boot primarly from CD/DVD (1st Boot Device CD/DVD , or something like that), save and exit BIOS, and restart your computer with Linux Mint CD inside. Be aware that if you make wrong changes in BIOS, you could damage your computer.

Hi and welcome to Fixya!

In order to revert the machine back to its factory setting, you need to have the recovery disk (if you don't have it, call the warranty support line of e-machines so they can provide it to you).

To restore Windows from your recovery discs, you will need to
insert the first backup disc and enable the F12 Boot Menu via the BIOS Setup
Utility.
1 Turn on your computer and insert the first system recovery disc into the
optical disc drive. Restart your computer.
2 During startup when the eMachines logo shows, press the F2 key to enter
BIOS Setup, where you can set system parameters.
3 Use the left and right arrow keys to select the Main submenu.
4 Use the up and down arrow keys to select F12 Boot Menu.
5 Use the F5 or F6 key to change F12 Boot Menu to Enabled.
6 Press the ESC key to enter the Exit submenu, press the ENTER key to Exit
Saving Changes. Press the ENTER key again to select Yes. The system will
reboot.
7 After rebooting, when the eMachines logo shows, press the F12 key to
open the Boot Menu. Here you can select which device to boot from.
8 Use the arrow keys to select the IDE1*, then press the ENTER key. Windows
will be installed from the recovery disc.
9 Insert the second recovery disc when prompted, then follow the onscreen
prompts to complete the restore.
10 Remove the recovery disc from the optical drive once the restore is
complete. Do this before rebooting your computer.

Hope this helps!

Takasashi

Hi.

1. Turn on the computer. When the Compaq logo displays, press F10. Or,
2. During Power On Self Test (POST), and after the memory check completes, press F10 as soon as you see a small white square flashing on the top right corner of the screen.
3. In the computer setup, use the right arrow to move the selection to the Advanced menu.
4. Use the down arrow to move the selection down to Boot options, and press Enter. The Boot options menu pops up with four boot order options.
5. Use the down arrow to move the selection.
6. Press the left arrow to change the order of Notebook.
7. Press F10 to accept the change.
8. Press ESC to jump back File menu, and then move the selection down to "Save changes and exit".
9. Press Enter. If asked to save changes and exit, press F10.

On some laptops you can change the boot order by tapping the F12 key as the computer starts up.



Regards.

Restart you computer then hit F2 for Boot Bios Setting then GO TO Advance. Change the SATA Mode . ACHE. ot IDE. or Comfatibility.. then enable the F12 boot. make in enable. the hit F10 for save and exit...

Insert you cd os Installer then hit F12 for **** menu. select the CDROOM for boot....

Shut the notebook completely down. Now turn it back on, and as soon as the Acer screen comes up, hit the “F2′ key to enter the BIOS. Navigate to the second page of the BIOS (titled “Main”) by pressing the right arrow key.

You may wish to turn of “Network Boot” by selecting it with your arrow keys and hitting enter, then changing it to disabled. This is often used in a cluster-lab environment, and for normal users only slows down your boot process.
You must now turn on the F12 Boot Menu by selecting it with your arrow keys, hitting Enter, and changing it to “Enabled”
Now switch to the “Exit” page, and hit Enter to “Exit Saving Changes”. The BIOS will ask you to confirm, tell it “Yes”.
Now the notebook will reboot, and you must hit F12 to boot from your CD.
On the “Boot Manager” screen, chose the second option which should be an ATAPI drive, such as a DVD-RW or CD-RW, highlight it with your arrow keys and press Enter.thank u,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Turn on (or restart) your computer.
When F2 = Setup, F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, press <F12>.
The Boot Device Menu appears, listing all available boot devices. Each device has a number next to it.
At the bottom of the menu, enter the number of the device that is to be used for the current boot only.

If this works and you want to change the setting permanently do the following:
Turn on (or restart) your computer.
When F2 = Setup, F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, press <F2>.
Use the arrow keys to highlight the Boot Sequence menu option and press <Enter> to access the menu.
NOTE: Write down your current boot sequence in case you want to restore it.
Press the up- and down-arrow keys to move through the list of devices.
Press the spacebar to enable or disable a device (enabled devices have a checkmark).
Press plus (+) or minus (–) to move a selected device up or down the list.