Getting Started
Plug in, start your PC from the USB, and you’re in the command center. Most people are up and running in a couple of minutes.
Plug in the FATALnet USB
Use a USB port directly on the computer, not a hub or dock.
Open the boot menu
Restart, and tap F12, Esc, F10, or F9 repeatedly as it powers on. The right key is usually shown on the startup screen.
Choose the FATALnet USB
Pick the FATALnet drive from the list of boot devices.
The toolkit loads
It starts on its own from a clean on-screen menu. Nothing installs, and your drive isn’t changed until you choose an action.
If your PC skips past the USB
Many computers come with a feature called Secure Boot, which only allows pre-approved startup software and can block recovery tools like this one. Turning it off is a quick, fully reversible setting, it takes about 30 seconds and does not touch your files, Windows, or settings. This is a normal step for booting any recovery or diagnostic tool.
Changing Secure Boot can make Windows ask for your BitLocker recovery key the next time it starts. Your data is safe, but without that key you can be locked out of Windows. Before you change anything, find your key on a phone or another computer at aka.ms/myrecoverykey (sign in with the Microsoft account used on that PC) and write down the 48-digit number.
Not sure whether you have it? Many Windows 11 PCs turn on “device encryption” or BitLocker automatically, if you’re unsure, get the key anyway. It takes a minute and saves a lot of worry.
To turn Secure Boot off:
- Restart and enter BIOS/UEFI Setup, tap F2, Del, or F10 as the computer powers on. This is a different screen from the boot menu above.
- Find Secure Boot under the Boot, Security, or Authentication tab.
- Set Secure Boot to Disabled.
- Save and Exit (often F10), then start from the FATALnet USB.
Still skipping the USB? In the same BIOS/UEFI screen, also turn off Fast Boot (sometimes called “Ultra Fast Boot”), and double-check you picked the FATALnet drive in the boot menu.
All done? You can switch Secure Boot back on whenever you like, the same steps, set to Enabled.
Common keys by brand
Keys vary by model and year, so treat these as the usual ones, the key shown on your own startup screen is always the final word.
| Brand | Boot menu | BIOS / UEFI setup |
|---|---|---|
| HP | Esc or F9 | Esc or F10 |
| Dell | F12 | F2 |
| Lenovo | F12 | F1 or F2 |
| ASUS | Esc or F8 | F2 or Del |
| Acer | F12 | F2 |
| MSI | F11 | Del |
| Gigabyte | F12 | Del |
Still stuck?
If the USB still won’t start after turning off Secure Boot and Fast Boot, we’re glad to help, send us your computer’s make and model and what you’re seeing on screen.