Boot Win 7 from DVD/CD

I've just got a Gateway laptop with OEM Win7 (which I've just upgraded from MSoft). One of the things I've learned to do first with a new computer is reorder the boot sequence such that the DVD/CD is first. If the c: drive fails, I can then boot with the DVD rescue disk and perhaps load a disk image of C: from an undamaged partition (I've divided the one disk into three partitions) onto the damaged boot partition.

I'm a new user of Win7, however, and the F8 key gets me only to a sort-of BIOS that does not offer to change the boot sequence. Thus, when I run a practice drill with a recovery disk in the drive, the boot process ignores it and boots normally. Is Win 7 written such that it will try the DVD drive if C: won't boot? If not, how do I get to the drive image on another partition or on an external drive?

Oyster

I believe Gateway recovery is F11.

F2 or Esc will get you into the bios, F10 should get you to the boot options

No need to set it in BIOS, you can use the one-time Boot Menu (f10 on gateway) just as easily and it won't slow your bootup speed - if you want.

Thanks all. Gateway (via Best Buy) sent me a surprisingly able and elegant machine (their NV series), but included no docs at all: thus my confusion about BIOS and bootup. I suppose Gateway has some sort of site for these things, but a geezer like myself looks for paper, not ghostly emanations from cyberspace. (Your own helpful offerings excluded, of course). Much obliged!

Oyster