Cannot boot from external CD or USB - Help please!

[chris301up]

Evening all. I have recently inherited a HP 15-DA0008NA laptop which has Windows 11 installed but is very, very slow. I have upgraded the RAM to maximum 8mb which has helped slightly so thought I would add a Crucial SSD from my old, now defunct laptop. However, I have run into a major problem. The 15-DA0008NA doesn't have an integral CD/DVD so obviously unable to install another operating system by normal means. I invested in a plug in external CD/DVD but keep getting a message that drivers are missing and the installation stops. Today I thought I'd try to install by a USB drive but that doesn't work either. I've tried all sorts of different BIOS settings but just getting nowhere. Can any of you kind people please help? Thank you.

Just an addendum. After giving this matter some thought I decided to remove the hard drive from the laptop and, with the aid of an adaptor, installed it into my desktop PC. From here I was able to install Windows 10 and then re-install the loaded hard drive back into my laptop. This worked and is in the process of updating as much as possible now that support for Win 10 has now ended. It's so very annoying that CD/DVD drives are no longer included as an integral part of modern laptops and even more annoying that its so difficult to install programs without a great deal of hassle. If anyone has any advice with regard to this it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Garp_senchau]

@chris301up, Welcome to HP Support Community,

Thank you for posting your query; I’m here to help by guiding you through steps to resolve this issue

You’ve done a great job finding a workaround by installing Windows on the drive using your desktop that was a smart move! The challenges you faced with external CD/DVD drives and USB boot are common on modern laptops because:

• No built-in optical drives: Most laptops now rely on USB or network installs.
• Missing drivers during install: Windows setup sometimes needs USB 3.0 or storage drivers, especially on older hardware.
• BIOS boot settings: Secure Boot and UEFI can block external media if not configured correctly.

Best Practices for Installing Windows on HP Laptops Without CD/DVD

Use HP Cloud Recovery Tool
HP provides an official tool to create a bootable USB with the correct drivers for your model: HP Consumer PCs - Using the HP Cloud Recovery Tool in Windows 11 and 10 | HP® Support
This ensures all HP-specific drivers are included.

Check BIOS Settings

• Press F10 at startup → System Configuration → Boot Options.
• Enable Legacy Support (if needed).
• Disable Secure Boot temporarily.
• Set USB Boot as first priority

Create Bootable USB with Microsoft Media Creation Tool

• Download from Microsoft Windows Download.
• Use an 8GB+ USB stick.
• Format as FAT32 for UEFI compatibility.

Load Drivers During Install

• If you see “Missing drivers” error, click Browse and point to HP chipset/storage drivers from your model’s support page: Official HP® Support.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to reply here if you have any questions or if you need further clarification on any of the steps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Regards,

[chris301up]

Good evening. Thank you so much for the comprehensive information. I spent quite some time trying some of the suggestions mentioned. I used the Microsoft Media Creation Tool with Windows 10 and have formatted the flash drive in both FAT 32 and NTFS but neither will work. I then tried the HP Cloud Recovery Tool but cannot complete that as it will not accept my product details as being correct? Any further suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[chris301up]

Thank you so much for the information. I spent quite some time trying some of the suggestions mentioned. I used the Microsoft Media Creation Tool with Windows 10 and have formatted the flash drive in both FAT 32 and NTFS but neither will work. I then tried the HP Cloud Recovery Tool but cannot complete that as it will not accept my product details as being correct? Any further suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[chris301up]

Is anyone able to help with this problem please? I've tried all suggestions and getting nowhere. In the event that I need to reinstall an operating system I don't wish to keep going through all the palaver of removing the hard drive from the laptop and inserting it into my desktop PC to install Windows. There must be a way of creating a USB flash drive that will actually boot or adding an external CD/DVD drive so that I can install any software as necessary. If I had hair I would now be pulling it out!

[Garp_senchau]

Hey @chris301up, 

Thanks for reaching out! Since the issue remains unresolved, I suggest contacting our phone/chat support team for personalized assistance. They can provide one-on-one help and may even be able to work their remote assistance magic to fix the problem.

Note: There might be a nominal charge for the service they provide.

Regards,