Posted byMany computers do not have the external CD/DVD drive and thus you need the bootable USB drive to install Windows. Creating a bootable USB is fairly easy and all thanks to some really good freeware programs available for this purpose. But, what if the computer wouldn't boot from the USB drive? If you have run into such a problem, here are some solutions for you.
Part 1: Check If Your PC Supports USB Booting
Your computer will boot from the USB bootable drive only if it supports this type of boot. Not all the computers support USB boot. While most modern computers today support USB booting, there are some that do not. In order to find whether your computer is USB bootable or not, you will need to check the BIOS setup. The steps may vary across computer models but remain more or less the same for all PCs:
Step 1. Restart the computer or if it is shut down, power it on.
Step 2. When the PC starts to run, on the first screen it will display the key you need to press in order to enter the BIOS setup. Usually, it is the 'Delete' or 'Del' key
Note: If you have previously set the BIOS password you will need to provide the password to enter BIOS setup. If you forgot BIOS password, you will need to reset it by taking out the CMOS battery from the motherboard. In case you haven't done this before, it is best to take the help of a technician. If you forgot Windows login password, try to reset your Windows 10 password with PC Unlocker software.
Step 3. You will need to explore a bit and find the 'Boot Options' (or something like that). Once you are there you can set the Boot Priority
If you do not see the USB boot option, it means that your motherboard does not support it. You will need to boot using some other method.
Part 2: Re-Make A New Bootable USB with WizBurn
In most cases, you need to reexamine if the ISO burning software is the right one for you? As we know there are many free ISO burning tools out there, like Rufus, RMPrepUSB , Windows USB/DVD Download Tool or ISO to USB, etc. These free burning tools can't be updated continuously and provide any support service, even some tools don't support UEFI BIOS! Eventually, the generated USB disk cannot normally boot the computers. But only a small part of computers can boot win8/Win7 except Win10. These computer will generally display "NTLDR is missing", for this problem there is no good solution currently.
If your computer won't boot from USB, the only solution is try to re-make a new bootable USB disk with professional ISO burning software. We recommend iSeePassword Dr.Boot tool.
Step 1. Click the "Download" button to get the latest version of Dr.Boot software, then install it on another working computer.
Step 2. After installation, launch it and you will see the main interface below. Easy to use and user-friendly interface.
Step 3. Click "Browse" button to import local ISO file and add it to progarm.
Step 4. Now insert an USB drive to the computer and select the drive name from the list undert "Create A Bootable USB".
NOTE: For Win 10 ISO file, if your computer is UEFI, then just select "UEFI boot" from Partition Style.
Step 5. After settings, click "Burn" button to start make a bootable USB disk. It may take around 10 minutes. After making a boot disk, insert it to your computer and boot from USB.
Don't miss: How to Burn ISO Image to USB Drive on Windows 7/8/10
Part 3: Set up Your PC for USB Boot
Even if your computer supports USB booting, remember that USB is not always the first boot priority. It is also possible that your computer has not been set up to boot from the USB at all even though it is supported. So, what you need to do is change the BIOS settings so that your computer accepts USB boot. Follow the simple steps below:
Step 1. Restart your PC or if it is already shut down, turn it back on.
Step 2. When the PC starts to run, on the first screen you will see the key you need to press in order to enter the BIOS setup. More often than not it is the 'F2', 'Del' or whichever is the appropriate key for your computer. It may vary depending upon your computer model. For example, Dell computer has different ways to enter BIOS setup, see how to get into BIOS on a Dell computer.
Step 3. Find the 'Boot Options' or something similar to it (the steps may vary across computers but it is easy to find).
Step 4. Once you are in the Boot section of the BIOS, you can select the 'First Boot Device'. Select the appropriate option from the Boot Menu.
This will instruct the computer to prioritize the boot and select USB drive as the first option, and insert the bootable USB drive and restart your computer.
Part 4: Check If Your USB Drive Is Actually Bootable
If the USB bootable drive has not been created the right way or if it is corrupt, you will not be able to install Windows with it. You need to make sure that USB drive has been prepared using the right tools and the right method. You will be able to boot Windows only if the drive is bootable.
This is why it would be worth your while to check if the drive is actually bootable. For this you will need to install a portable application called MobaLiveCD, which uses QEMU emulator to determine if the drive is bootable. Here are the steps:
Step 1. Download the application from http://www.mobatek.net/ (you don't need to install it as it is a portable app for Windows)
Step 2. Launch the app and click 'Run the LiveUSB' button on the screen.
Step 3. You don't need to create any virtual disk image. You can test the validity of the drive by clicking NO when the next confirmation dialogue box appears:
Step 4. The QEMU emulator runs and if the drive is bootable, you will see 'Press any key to boot from CD or DVD...'
Step 5. If the drive isn't bootable it will ask you to insert a bootable device.
If the USB drive is not bootable, you will need to create the proper bootable drive first. Different versions of Windows use different file systems. If you are trying to use the NTFS formatted bootable drive to install the Windows in the legacy-BIOS or UEFI mode, it will not work. If you are not sure what this is all about, you may contact Microsoft support for more help.
Conclusion
There are a number of factors that may prevent USB bootable from working. You need to make sure that USB drive is actually bootable and has been formatted using the correct file system, make sure that your computer supports USB boot. You will also need enter the BIOS setup to configure your computer to accept USB bootable drive. Hope these methods would be helpful if your laptop can't boot from USB drive.
