Final answer:
The boot priority order is stored in the BIOS or UEFI settings of a computer, telling it which devices to check first when booting. The BIOS or UEFI can be accessed during startup to change the boot order, which typically includes the hard drive, USB drive, or CD/DVD drive.
Step-by-step explanation:
The boot priority order for devices is kept within the system's BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) or UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) settings, depending on the type of firmware the computer uses. This order tells the computer which devices to check first for the necessary software to start up, or "boot," the system. When you start the computer, the BIOS or UEFI checks the list of boot devices in the order they are set. If the first device does not have a bootable system, it moves on to the next one, until it finds a suitable boot device or fails the process.
To change the boot priority, you need to enter the BIOS or UEFI settings during the initial startup of the computer, which is typically accessed by pressing a specific key such as F2, Delete, or ESC, as indicated on the screen during the power-on self-test (POST) phase. Once in the BIOS or UEFI settings, you can navigate to the boot options or boot priority section, where you can set the preferred order for the boot devices. Common boot devices include the internal hard drive, an external USB drive, a CD/DVD drive, or the network.