This shortcut will let you boot into the BIOS directly from Windows

The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is like your computer's backstage manager, making sure the hardware and operating system can talk to each other smoothly and keeping everything running behind the scenes.

To access the BIOS, most people restart their computer and hit a specific key -- this can vary depending on the manufacturer and model. Common keys are F1, F2, F10, F12, Delete, or Esc, and a prompt will usually appear on the screen during startup to tell you which one to press. While this method is fairly simple, there's an even easier way to boot directly into the BIOS from Windows.

SEE ALSO:

• How to keep using Windows 10 safely after Microsoft ends support
• How to access the hidden Emergency Restart option in Microsoft Windows

What you need to do is create a shortcut. Right-click a blank area on the desktop and go to New > Shortcut.

In the wizard that opens, click in the box underneath Type the location of the item, and enter the following:

Shutdown /r /fw /t 1

/r means restart, /fw means boot to firmware (aka the BIOS) and /t introduces a delay in seconds before the restart begins. In the example above, that's one second.

Call this new shortcut Restart to BIOS. Right-click your new shortcut on the desktop and select Properties. Click the Advanced button.

In the Properties box, tick the Run as administrator box and click on OK a couple of times to close the windows.

Now when you want to restart to the BIOS, just double-click this new shortcut. Before you do, ensure that you have saved and closed all open files and applications to prevent any potential data loss or corruption.