How to access the BIOS on Windows 8

One of the changes that appears on Windows 8 product key and the new computers designed for this operating system is the system BIOS access. Instead of having to press a key while the system is booting, an option now allows BIOS access to be placed on the boot menu in Windows 8 allowing users to enter the BIOS from within the operating system. This is the ideal change for future hardware upgrades.
Previously, when starting the machine, a message will be displayed, such as "Press F2 to enter setup". After pressing this key during boot, the system will access the BIOS of the machine. However, the new computer systems built into Windows 8 use UEFI instead of the traditional BIOS, just like on the Mac. Some PCs are equipped with solid-state drives. SSDs have such a fast boot speed that users do not have enough time to press the BIOS key combination.
Windows 8 compatible hardware and older PCs running Windows 8
Note that this new method only applies to new Windows 8-based computers. These models use UEFI instead of the BIOS. However, if you have installed Windows 8.1 product key on an older computer using a traditional BIOS, you will still be able to access the BIOS in a conventional way (pressing the key during the boot process).
The BIOS access key is usually F2 or Delete depending on the motherboard and manufacturer. If this does not appear on the screen when the computer is booting up, please check the user manual to see how to enter the BIOS.
Access boot options
There are several ways to access the startup menu in Windows 8. The simplest method is to use the PC Settings application. Click on the Windows + C key combination to open the Charm bar, click Settings, and select Change PC settings to access the application.
In the PC Settings application, select the General category and click Restart now in the Advanced Startup section. The computer will restart and go to the boot menu. Here, users can access the UEFI BIOS or edit other settings.
Or, hold down Shift while clicking Restart in the Shut Down menu to boot into the above menu. This is a very fast way since we can choose to shut down from the Charm anywhere on the machine.
Alternatively, you can use the Shut Down command in the command prompt to reboot the machine directly into the boot options menu: Shutdown.exe / r / o
Access UEFI BIOS
The boot menu is designed in conjunction with some of the options that users frequently use when accessing the BIOS. For example, if you want to boot your computer via a USB, DVD or CD drive or other device, you can click the Use a device icon in the menu and select the device you want to boot.
If you only want to access the UEFI BIOS, select Troubleshoot.
The Advanced Options screen will appear with a variety of tools. UEFI Firmware Settings will guide you to the BIOS.
If you do not see this icon, then the computer does not use UEFI. You will need to access the BIOS in the traditional way, by pressing a specific key during boot up.
Why change?
Although this may be a bit inconvenient to boot into Windows product key before accessing the BIOS, it's certainly not necessary. With a faster boot speed, users do not even have to press the key during the boot process (only takes 200 milliseconds) to access the BIOS.
Although this new method is a bit inconvenient when you have to restart Windows before accessing the BIOS, but this is still very necessary. With the very fast startup speed of SSD solid state drives, users will not even be able to press the key while the computer is turned on to access the BIOS. The boot process takes less than 200 milliseconds.
This also provides the consistency needed for Windows 8 machines. These machines have a unified way to access the BIOS instead of having to press different keys on different computers.