Installing Windows 10/8/7 from a USB drive is the same as installing it from a DVD. Creating a bootable USB flash drive to install Windows has become much easier thanks to the tens of free tools out there. The main benefit of installing Windows from a USB is that you can quickly install the OS even on devices that don’t ship with an optical drive to boot from CD/DVD.
A question often asked is, “Why I am not able to boot and install Windows 10/7 from a USB drive?” Many PC users, especially beginners, aren’t aware of the fact that one needs to enable booting from USB in BIOS and change the boot order to boot from a bootable USB drive.
In short, once the bootable Windows 10/7 USB drive is ready, you need to prepare your PC to boot from USB drive by altering boot order settings in BIOS. If for some reason, your PC isn’t booting from a bootable Windows USB drive, you can try out the following solutions to boot from USB and begin installing Windows.
Can’t boot or install Windows 10/8/7 from USB drive?
Solution 1:
Check if your USB drive is bootable
Before you enter into the BIOS to alter boot order settings, make sure that your newly prepared bootable USB drive is really bootable. To test if your USB drive is bootable, you can go through our how to test if your USB is bootable tutorial.
Solution 2:
Check if your PC supports booting from USB
As you likely know, one can’t boot from a USB drive on a machine that doesn’t support booting from USB. In order to check if your PC’s motherboard support USB booting, you can either check your PC’s manual or enter the BIOS to see if USB boot option is present.
And if your PC doesn’t ship with USB booting feature, don’t feel bad. There is an easy workaround to boot from USB on machines that don’t support booting from a USB drive. Follow the instructions mentioned in our how to boot from a USB drive even if your PC doesn’t support guide to boot from a USB drive and install Windows.
Solution 3:
Configure your PC to boot from USB
If your USB drive is bootable and your PC supports booting from USB, then you need to walk into the BIOS and configure it to boot from USB. To enter the BIOS, you need to reboot your PC and press a specific key as soon as you see your PC reboots. Most OEMs use either Delete, F2 or F12 key to enter into BIOS but we advise you check your PC’s manual or PC manufacturer website for the right key to enter the BIOS and to know how to configure your PC to boot from USB.
Solution 4:
Check the file system of your USB drive
If your PC supports UEFI and you’re trying to install Windows in UEFI mode, you should make sure that the bootable USB drive is formatted in the FAT32 file system. In short, you can’t use an NTFS formatted USB drive to boot and install Windows in UEFI mode. To check the file system of your USB drive, connect to a bootable PC, right-click on the USB drive, and then click Properties to see the current file system.
gon says
did not work me for me sorry, i just got a blank screen when i loaded the usb stick on my laptop.
Rock says
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Darlington D. Dennis says
I have my drive as bootable and also my computer is responding to booting from pendrive and still I am told that the computer can not recognize or “No signed of device”
Saeed Iranzad says
I have an old laptop (2010), legacy BIOS, MBR.
I am multi-boot and have installed OSes from USB many times before, but now my Win10 have got some trouble and I can not repair it by a bootable USB Windows.
Although I still can boot all OSes on my HDD, but not from USB any more.
Any suggestion is welcomed. Thanks in advance.
Su says
I desperately wanted to leave this comment. Rufus offers a default format of NTFS for Windows. I tried that for hours in vain. Change it to fat32, and everything gets fixed like magic.
sanojit biswas says
show me operating system not found for restart ctl+alt+del
Ravasco says
I have a Proline Desktop, It was working fine until I tried installing another windows that was already saved on my PC.. While it was installing it said something like corrupt files or something.. Now I cant access my desktop it cant boot from my USB stick. Its a FAT32 disk.. And my BIOS setting are fine as I have made USB the 1st bootable divice… Please help.
anuroop kanayil says
my PC does not support UEFI. but my bootable USB drive is formatted in FAT32 file system..what to do?
ibrahim says
Very good. May God bless you… I was having trouble in booting from usb which was booting from other computer. Exactly as you said, Either we have to change the boot bios from UEFI in to legacy or simply make the bootable usb by formatting in to Fat32 instead of NTFS. Thanks again….
Harold says
And no mention of how UEFI bios has made a disaster of booting and reinstallation of broken operating systems, or the complete replacement and upgrade. I suppose computers are just going to be thrown out now when the operating system breaks or becomes obsolete.