Trying to boot from USB is not working

[MikeLuethold]

Trying to transfer to an SSD from old hardrive. Was instructed to load Windows 10 setup to a USB flash drive, disconnect old harddrive, restart and go to boot settings to select USB first in the boot order. But it keeps giving me the same black screen, "no boot disk has been detected"

[Paul_Tikkanen]

In order to boot from the W10 USB flash drive, have it plugged into your PCs USB port.

Turn on or restart the PC.

Immediately tap the ESC key to get the menu of options.

Select the F9 boot options menu, and from that, select the USB flash drive with the Windows 10 installation files and press the Enter key.

The PC should boot from the flash drive.

[MikeLuethold]

Yep that's exactly what I tried, but instead of booting, it gives me a black screen that says "no boot disk detected or the disk failed"

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Unfortunately, I don't know what the problem is.

Did you use the Microsoft media creation tool to automatically create a bootable W10 USB installation flash drive?

Download Windows 10 (microsoft.com)

If not, that is what you need to do.

[MikeLuethold]

I suppose that's where I'm lost. I don't see directions on the download page to make it a "bootable install drive".... I just downloaded the exe file straight to the flash drive. What else do I need to do?

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Yes, that is the problem.

You download and install the media creation tool exe file to another PC.

Then you follow the on-screen instructions to have it download W10 and it will automatically create a bootable USB flash drive with the W10 installation file.

Watch this video.

How to Create Installation Media for Windows 10 | Microsoft (youtube.com)

[MikeLuethold]

Thank you. Simple fix. I thought it would launch the exe during re boot. Didn't know I had to run it first. I'm good to go 👍👍 thanks for the help

[Alexgoodwin]

It sounds like you're on the right track, but there are a few things you might want to check to resolve the "no boot disk has been detected" issue:

1. Ensure the USB Drive is Bootable:

   • Make sure that the USB flash drive is properly set up as a bootable drive. You can use tools like the Windows Media Creation Tool or Rufus to create a bootable Windows 10 USB drive.

2. Check BIOS/UEFI Settings:

   • Double-check that the USB drive is indeed set as the first boot option in the BIOS/UEFI. Sometimes, it might not save the changes, so make sure to save and exit the BIOS properly.
   • Ensure that Secure Boot is disabled and Legacy Boot (or CSM) is enabled, if applicable. Some systems require these settings to boot from a USB drive.

3. Try a Different USB Port:

   • Sometimes the USB port itself can be the issue. Try plugging the USB drive into a different port, preferably a USB 2.0 port if available, as some systems have compatibility issues with USB 3.0 ports during boot.

4. Verify the USB Drive:

   • Test the USB drive on another computer to make sure it's working correctly. If it boots on another system, the issue might be with your current computer's settings.

5. Recreate the USB Boot Media:

   • If all else fails, recreate the bootable USB drive. Sometimes files can get corrupted during the creation process.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Glad to have been of assistance.