Do you know what is the most common question for users who first decided to install Windows from a USB flash drive?
They constantly ask why Bios does not see the bootable USB flash drive. To which I usually answer, but is it bootable? 😛
In this short note, I would like to dwell on the main issues that you need to go through if you have a similar problem ...
1. Is the bootable USB drive written correctly?
The most common is that the flash drive is not written correctly.
Most often, users simply copy files from a disk to a USB flash drive ... And by the way, some people say that it works for them. Perhaps, but this is not worth doing, especially since this option will not work for the majority ...
It is best to use a special program for writing a bootable USB flash drive. we have already gone through the most popular utilities in detail.
Personally, I like to use the program most of all: it can at least write Windows 7, at least Windows 8 to a USB flash drive or external hard drive. In addition, for example, the recommended utility "Windows 7 USB / DVD Download Toll" allows you to write an image only to an 8 GB flash drive (at least for me), but UltraISO can easily write an image to 4 GB!
To burn a USB stick, follow 4 steps:
3) A settings window should appear. There are several important clauses to note here:
In the Disk Drive column, select exactly the USB flash drive to which you want to write the image;
Select the USB HDD option in the recording method column (without any pluses, points, etc.);
Hide Boot Partition - select the no tab.
Then click on the recording function.
4) Important! When writing, all data on the flash drive will be deleted! What, by the way, the program will warn you about.
After the message about the successful recording of the bootable USB flash drive, you can start configuring the BIOS.
2. Is the BIOS configured correctly, is there a function to support a bootable USB flash drive?
If the USB flash drive is recorded correctly (for example, as described just above in the previous step), most likely you simply configured the BIOS incorrectly. Moreover, in some BIOS versions, there are several boot options: USB-CD-Rom, USB FDD, USB HDD, etc.
1) To begin with, we restart the computer (laptop) and go to BIOS: you can press the F2 or DEL button (look carefully at the welcome screen, you can always see the button to enter the settings there).
2) Go to the download section. In different versions of Bios, it can be called slightly differently, but the presence of the word "BOOT" is invariably there. Most of all we are interested in the priority of loading: i.e. queue.
Below in the screenshot is my boot section on an Acer laptop.
The important thing here is that the first place comes from the hard disk, which means that the queue simply will not reach the second line of the USB HDD. It is necessary to make the second line of the USB HDD become the first: on the right in the menu there are buttons with which you can easily move the lines and build the download queue as you need.
ACER laptop. Configuring the boot partition - BOOT.
After the settings, it should look like the screenshot below. By the way, if you insert a USB flash drive before turning on the computer, and after switching on go to BIOS, then you will see the name of the flash drive opposite the USB HDD line and you will easily find out which line you need to raise to the first place!
When you exit BIOS, do not forget to save all the settings you made. Typically, this option is called "Save and Exit".
By the way, after a reboot, if the flash drive is inserted into USB, the OS installation will start. If this did not happen - for sure, your OS image was not of high quality, and even if you burn it to disk - you still will not be able to start the installation ...
Important! If your version of Bios does not, in principle, have a choice of USB, then most likely it does not support booting from flash drives. There are two options: the first is to try (this operation is often called firmware); second - .
Perhaps the flash drive is simply damaged and therefore the PC does not see it. Before throwing out a non-working USB flash drive, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with it, perhaps it will serve you faithfully ...
If the computer does not see the USB flash drive after restarting the computer, then the first thing to do is to check - is the USB flash drive really bootable? In order to make a bootable USB flash drive from an ordinary USB drive, it is not enough just to copy data from a computer there.
Also, even if you have previously used this drive and can confirm that it can be used to install the operating system, this does not solve the problem. Today there are different types of downloads, so even if there is a USB flash drive and worked on one computer, it is not at all a fact that it will work on another. In order for everything to go well, the data must be rewritten according to a different principle, using different software.
Is there a function to support a bootable USB flash drive in BIOS? Is it configured correctly?
In some cases, problems arise not with the flash drive, but with the BIOS itself. Different versions have different boot types: USB_CDRom, USB_FDD, USB_HDD, etc.
After entering the BIOS, you need to go to the boot partition present in each version. The section names may vary, but one way or another the word "BOOT" will be present. The line is important to us: "Boot priotity order", that is, the boot order.
It should be borne in mind that the hard drive is loaded first, that is, what is located after it no longer matters - in this case it is a USB HDD, which does not reach the queue after loading the hard drive. Thus, you just need to swap these values.
It is interesting that if you turn on the computer after the USB flash drive has been inserted there, then it will appear in the BIOS already with the name.
When exiting the BIOS, be sure to save all the changes made.
The note! some older devices do not initially have the option to select USB. This only means that the BIOS simply does not support this technology. This issue is resolved by the firmware.
How to create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows installation
First of all, in order to create an installation disc with an operating system, you need to use a flash drive with a total memory size of 8 gigabytes or more. Why is this volume required for the installation disc? Simply because today the size of installation files for operating systems varies between two and four gigabytes.
- Windows Seven;
- Windows 8 (8.1);
- Windows 10;
- Ubuntu 15.
Windows 7
It will take 15 to 30 minutes to properly prepare your USB drive for use as the installation source for Windows 7, depending on the speed of your computer.
First download the licensed ISO image of the operating system.
Then download the Microsoft Windows USB / DVD Download Tool.
After downloading, execute the file and follow the instructions of the installation wizard.
It is a free program from Microsoft that runs on Windows 7, Winsows 8, Windows 10, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. You will need to format your USB drive first and then copy the contents of your Windows 7 ISO file to your USB flash drive.
Step 1. Run the Windows 7 USB DVD Tool boot program, most likely located on the Start menu or on the desktop. You will need to select the iso file: click "Next". Find and select the Windows 7 ISO file. Then open it.
Note! It is better to download the Windows image directly from the official Microsoft website.
Step 2. Click "Next" , back to the first screen. After that, you will be taken to the next window. Click on the "USB-Device" button , after which you will be transferred to the screen for selecting a USB-drive (flash drive).
Step 3. When the device is selected, click on the "Begin copying" button. The installation files are copied to the media. Confirm "Erase USB device" if the dialog box "Not enough free space" pops up ». After that, all files from the drive will be permanently deleted.
Step 4. Then confirm "Yes" to go to the next window.
Step 5. After selecting the required flash drive, click the "Begin copying" button. The process of copying the installation files to the USB flash drive will begin. Also, be careful, as all previously stored files on the USB stick will be erased. A notification about the start of formatting will appear for a few seconds, and then copying of files will begin. This part can take up to 30 minutes, or even longer, depending on which version of Windows 7 the ISO file belongs to, as well as the power of the computer and the USB drive itself.
On this screen, you will see Status: Backup completed, which means that the bootable USB device has been successfully created.
Windows 8 (8.1)
In the case of Windows 8, you will need another utility - it's called the Media Creation Tool, and you can download it from the official Microsoft website.
Step 1. When you start this program, a window will open in which you will need to select the operating system, its language, version, and architecture.
Step 4. Moving on to the next window, you will come across a loading screen and a notification that a file is downloading. Uploading files to a USB flash drive can take a long time, and of course the flash drive will be formatted.
Step 5. When the download is complete, a notification screen will appear indicating that the bootable USB flash drive is complete. Close the window by clicking the "Finish" button.
Windows 10
If you have problems with the drive in Windows 10, then its solution will be similar to the solution with Windows 8 / 8.1: first, download the Media Creation Tool from the official Microsoft website and follow the entire sequence of steps above. If you first run the program on Windows Seven or on the eight, then you will be offered two options: upgrade, or create bootable media. Choose the latter.
Create installation media in the same way as for the G8.
Ubuntu 15
Unlike the same interface of different versions of Windows, Ubuntu 15 is a completely different operating system, so completely different methods of creating bootable USB drives are applied to it.
In the case of Ubuntu, you need to download the free UNetbootin program from GitHub.
Methods for booting from a USB flash drive to UEFI
Now let's see how to boot devices in the UEFI_BIOS system from a USB drive. As a test object, we will use an ordinary average motherboard MSI-A58M-E33, on which the latest existing version of UEFI_BIOS is present.
After restarting, the computer will automatically load the specified device. However, if the flash drive is not recognized by the computer even after that, then the problem may be as follows:
- the image was written to a USB flash drive with errors;
- "Safe boot" safe boot mode works (below it will be presented how to disable this mode);
- there is also the possibility that the problem is in the flash drive itself - for example, since the moment the image was written to it, it was somehow damaged.
Booting a USB flash drive on older BIOS versions
Users using older computers can boot from a flash drive in the same way, although the rules may differ.
Save and restart your laptop. From this moment on, the download will be carried out from the specified device. This BIOS model is installed on most older laptops, so it will fit 90% of the models.
USB drive for UEFI computer
All newest personal computers support the latest versions of UEFI_BIOS. Such a system has a huge number of advantages, so when buying a flash drive, make sure that it is UEFI compatible.
When you create an installation flash drive for Windows Seven, 8, or 8.1 using the Media Creation Tool, you can be sure that UEFI will be compatible with it. But the Windows USB / DVD Download Tool, designed for the G7, no longer has such guarantees.
How to Create a Guaranteed Bootable Media for Windows Seven
Rufus is a universal program, so it is also applicable to older BIOS versions. A distinctive feature of this utility is a fairly high speed of copying and writing ISO files to drives.
Thus, you can create bootable discs for any operating system. Most of the problems will disappear as soon as you correctly download the image to the USB flash drive.
To disable "Safe boot" you need to do the following:
Most often, the computer stops seeing the bootable flash drive due to the lack of synchronization between the flash drive and the BIOS (UEFI), due to the specifics of their boot modes.
Almost all modern personal computers have basically two boot modes: UEFI (which is usually the default on most machines) and Legacy.
If you try to create a bootable drive for Legacy mode (Windows Seven) when the BIOS only has UEFI boot, the resulting drive will not be detected by the computer and you will not be able to select it in the BIOS.
To solve this problem, you can enable the appropriate boot mode in BIOS. In most cases, you will need to enable Legacy mode. This can be done by entering the BIOS, in the corresponding boot menu (Boot), and enable / switch to the "Enabled" mode of any of the following items:
Also, if you are using a Only Legacy boot drive, you must turn off Secure Boot.
Further, if the image that is written to the flash drive can boot in both UEFI and Legacy modes, then it makes sense to write it without changing the BIOS settings (although this does not mean that you do not need to disable Secure Boot).
The already mentioned Rufus program is the most convenient boot device in this case. In the settings, you can also select boot types: MBR for machines with BIOS or UEFI_CSM _Legacy, or GPT for machines with UEFI.
Video - BIOS does not see the bootable USB flash drive
So, you decided to install a new system, or use some kind of utility to work with the same system, but it must be written to a USB flash drive. You insert a USB flash drive into a USB port, and then you have a question, why the BIOS does not see the bootable USB flash drive?
You have created a bootable USB flash drive, but the BIOS does not see it. Many factors play a role here, for example, you made the wrong bootable USB flash drive, the BIOS needs to be reset or even updated, the program with which you created the bootable USB flash drive turned out to be damaged, and much more. Let's try to solve this problem.
What to do if BIOS does not see the bootable USB flash drive
How to make a bootable USB flash drive and how to do it correctly
First, you need to make sure that the flash drive does not really work with your computer. You can check this using a drive on another PC or laptop, if it is the same there, then you probably incorrectly created a bootable USB flash drive.
I want to note that if you just threw the files on the USB flash drive and think that it will work, then I hasten to upset you. To record the distribution of a system or program, special utilities are required. I will now list them:
- WinSetupFromUSB
- Rufus
- Windows USB / DVD Download Tool
- WinToHDD
- Windows To Go
- UltraISO
And this is not all the programs, but I have listed the most basic tools. For each, I have a review. For example, if you want to make a bootable USB flash drive with Windows, then use Rufus or WinSetupFromUSB. If the first one does not work and the USB flash drive is not visible in the BIOS, then use another one.
I will list the articles that I talk about creating a bootable USB drive. You probably know many of the ways.
If you have used all of these utilities, and the flash drive still does not work, make sure it is working properly, try formatting in NTFS or FAT32, and try to boot from another computer. And if that doesn't help, then use another flash drive.
How to configure BIOS for a bootable USB flash drive
First you need to understand that the flash drive is not visible in the BIOS at all, that is, there is no line "USB-name of the flash drive", or there is a line, but when you click on this item, you have nothing but a black screen.
There are two options why this happens - your flash drive is faulty, or you recorded the image incorrectly, or problems with your BIOS, so BIOS does not see the bootable USB flash drive.
The best option is to boot from a USB flash drive -. You can enter it using the ESC or F8 key. It is different on different devices, therefore. Having opened the Boot Menu, your gaze will be presented with a list of devices from which you can boot - flash drives, hard disks, CD-DVDs. You need to find something like USB Kingston 8 GB or similar, depending on the brand of your flash drive.
If you do not have a Boot Menu, or is disabled, then in the BIOS on the tab Boot or Advanced you need to move your flash drive to the first place. It is done using the F5 and F6 keys, but I repeat, each BIOS model may have different parameters, you will have to figure it out on your own, or write in a comment so that I can help you.
After you have put the bootable USB flash drive in the first place in the BIOS, press the key F10 to save the current BIOS settings. Or on the tab Exit select the option Save Changes and Exit.
Finally, you can if none of the above helps. Follow the link and read about it. Usually, the reset option is located in the Exit tab and is called Load Optimal Defaults or a little differently.
Let's summarize all of the above and say why Bios does not see the bootable USB flash drive:
- The flash drive is defective. Use a different flash drive, or try using it on a different PC.
- The wrong program for creating a bootable USB drive has been selected.
- The image on the USB flash drive is damaged and needs to be replaced.
- BIOS settings are incorrect, you need to reset it.
- The BIOS does not support booting from flash drives (it also happens), then the BIOS needs to be updated.
If you have such "misunderstandings" with a flash drive, then try to create a disk with Windows or the desired program. I would like to point out that you need to be extremely careful. Firstly, you need to find the correct firmware that fits your motherboard, if you choose the wrong version, or from another board, then there is a high probability of failure of the entire motherboard, and you certainly do not want that.
Typically, these types of problems are detected when trying to boot from a specific Flash drive. If your computing device does not see the USB flash drive in the BIOS, then most likely you have not made the necessary changes to the basic computer system, or your removable storage device is simply not bootable. However, let's take a closer look at such a confusing situation "the flash drive is inserted into the PC, but does not work properly."
Is your USB Flash Drive defective?
Of course, you can suffer for a long time and conduct unsuccessful experiments in the BIOS system itself, which ultimately turns out to be a waste of your valuable time. Because the flash drive may simply be inoperable. To be convinced of the opposite, try to enlist the help of a verification device - insert the "capricious" USB flash drive into another PC.
And in general, check if (seemingly faulty when booting the PC) the storage device is seen in the Windows environment. That is, whether the USB memory is detected in the operating system itself. If not, the Flash Drive needs to be repaired. Perhaps everything will be resolved after using a special software tool, for example, a proprietary USB flash drive recovery utility from its manufacturer.
Priority BIOS settings or what, where and how ...
- Insert the USB stick into the USB port of your PC.
- Restart your computer.
- Enter BIOS using the corresponding button on the keyboard (for those who do not know how to do it -).
- Depending on the version of the basic microsystem, the name of the section in which the connected flash drive is displayed may be different from the "BOOT" tab discussed below. And still, be guided by the abbreviated values "USB" while searching for the necessary section in the BIOS.
- We set the boot from the flash drive.
- Also check if the USB hardware controller is disabled.
- We save and restart the computer.
It's great if the USB Flash Drive is detected and the PC goes into boot mode from the USB flash drive. Otherwise, proceed to the next section of this article.
Bootable properties of a USB flash drive
Let's say you want to install an operating system whose distribution is written to a removable storage device. However, in order for a USB flash drive to be defined as a bootable drive, it is necessary to make it so. In other words, in the process of writing Windows installation files, you need to use a special utility, for example, "Rufus" (to download, click here ). Only in this case will the USB flash drive really become bootable.
Hardware incompatibility of the storage device
In some situations, the system BIOS does not see the USB flash drive due to the outdated interface of the memory device itself. Make sure your USB stick is not a receiver of the "ancient" 1.1 standard. However, new flash drives with technological characteristics 3.0 may also not be perceived by outdated computer systems.
So, the detailed characteristics of your storage device can be found on the official technical support website - enter the flash drive model and read the information you are interested in. By the way, this action can help in solving problem situations related to any malfunction of your USB device (meaning the presence of a specific recovery utility on the site).
Updating the BIOS of the system - as a solution to the "invisible" USB problem
Sometimes it is advisable to carry out the process of software update of the BIOS of the microsystem. How to do this is described in detail here. However, in modern computers, this operation is performed by a fairly simple method.
- Visit the support site for your motherboard.
- Download the new version of BIOS (a).
- Using a special flasher, flash the BIOS of your computer.
However, before embarking on the implementation, albeit not difficult, but still very important operation "upgrading the version of the basic microsystem of the PC", carefully and in detail study the background information on the correctly implemented upgrade process (perhaps this will be invaluable help for you - go ).
Bootable USB incompatibility of legacy computer systems - there is a solution!
Let us call such computers "exotic". However, if you need to give your old computer the properties of "booting from a USB drive", then follow the instructions below.
- Use this link - https://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager/download.html.
- After you have downloaded "Plop Boot Manager" - burn it to a CD disk.
- Prioritize the boot from the optical drive in BIOS.
- Then, after the “Plop” utility workspace is displayed on the screen, insert the USB drive into the appropriate connector (preferably the main one, which is located at the back of the PC system unit).
- Select in the bootloader window - USB.
Now your "old man" can use the USB flash drive as a bootable drive.
Summing up
So, the author of this article is sure that after you have read the material of the presented article, you will certainly succeed. And yet, I would like to note one not unimportant fact: most of the users make mistakes only because they misunderstand the problem and resort to the sometimes meaningless advice of "kind Internet GURU". At the same time, exposing his car to critical danger "complete failure". Be wise when choosing one or another solution to your computer problems and your experience will always be fruitful!
Advances in technology have made it possible to significantly increase the volume of flash drives. During this time, CDs completely disappeared from our lives, even Microsoft began to distribute Windows 10 on flash drives. But what if the BIOS does not see a bootable USB flash drive that has the software you installed.
Causes and ways to eliminate them
There are not so many reasons, they are almost all related to the BIOS setting.
Important! First, you need to make sure that the flash drive is working properly. Having connected to another computer or laptop, check if it is displayed.
Incorrect image recording
The installation flash drive is created using special programs, it is not enough just to upload the file to the drive, it must be written correctly.
If you want to capture an image of Windows 7, then use a proprietary Microsoft utility.
For other versions of Windows and other programs, it is better to use UltraISO.
BIOS settings
What if the USB flash drive is recorded correctly, but it does not boot from it? Most likely the problem is in the BIOS settings.
Device startup order
Advice! Connect the drive to the USB port before performing the following steps. This will make it easier to detect.
Boot Mode
The second reason may be that the flash drive is not visible in the Boot Menu due to a mismatch in the boot mode. Most devices support two boot modes: Legacy and EFI. If the BIOS is set to Legacy mode, and the flash drive is written for EFI (or vice versa), then the system will not be able to recognize it.
The only thing that needs to be done in this case is to specify the desired mode through the Basic Input / Output System.
USB port support
Sometimes there are situations when the PC does not see the USB flash drive through the USB 3.0 port when trying to install the system from it. This is most likely due to the BIOS configuration. To solve the problem, simply move the flash drive to USB 2.0.
