HP Elitebook 820 will not boot from USB to re-install WIndows 10

[Enrico000000094]

This seemed to be very similar to a problem posted in 2019 - sorry, I don't know how to link to than question - but the advice given there does not work.

HP Elitebook 820 G3.  BIOS version N75 ver. 01.09  07/05/2016

I recently replaced the hard drive in a HP Elitebook 820 G3 with a SSD.  Before doing so I created a bootable Windows 10 USB using the instructions found in the answer to the 2019 question.  I confirmed the USB has the correct files on it.

On start-up the computer just says

"Bootdevice not Found

Please install an operating system on your hard disk.

Hard Disk - (3F0)

F2 System Diagnostics

For more information, please visit www.hp.com/go/techcenter/startup".

The BIOS screens look nothing like those shown in the answer to the 2019 question.  I found the Disable Secure Boot option and unticked it (below), but there are a lot of other options.

For example, there is a "Boot Menu" option at the top level, which just lists "UEFI - WDC WDS250G2B0A..." which must be the new SSD I installed, or "Boot from file".   If I select "Boot from file" it says "No media present.  Please insert a media and try again".

In the main BIOS setup menu from the top level, there are 20 or 30 sub-menus.  Under Security there is "TPM Embedded Security" which says "TPM Specification Version 1.2".

There is a "BIOS Surestart" which has a number of options, all unchecked.  The only one active is "BIOS data recovery policy" which is set to Automatic.

Under Boot Options, there is a list of devices.  I checked "USB storage boot" and unchecked the others (CD-ROM Boot, Fast Boot, Network (PXE) Boot.  There are other options here such as "Prompt on battery errors" that were checked. 

At the bottom of this menu it says "UEFI boot order" and then

-----------------------------------

USB:

SATA0 : WDC WDS250G2B0A

-----------------------------------

Underneath that, greyed out, is "Legacy boot order" and "Enable legacy boot, save settings and exit, then return to setup"

In the next menu - "Secure boot configuration"  I have selected "Legacy support enable and Secure Boot DIsable" from the drop-down list.

There are other check boxes here: Clear secure boot keys, Reset secure boot keys to factory defaults, Enable MS UEFI CA key.  All are unchecked.

So I am stuck.  No matter what combination of options I select, the machine boots into either System Diagnostics or the "BootDevice Not Found" error.  Unfortunately the help given on other pages here doesn't address the options in my BIOS.

All advice gratefully received.

Thank you.

[iomare · Accepted solution]

Hi,

You created the USB drive by downloading the media creation tool from Microsoft and choosing to create installation media

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

The USB drive is functioning well?

Reset the BIOS to default settings. You can disable Legacy boot as you want to install in Uefi mode. You can Reset secure boot keys to factory default. You can leave Secure boot on. Save these changes. Make sure USB boot is enabled.

Turn off the PC. Insert the USB drive and turn on the PC. Repeatedly keep pressing ESC until startup menu appears. Press F9 to enter Boot Menu. Do you see the USB drive listed?

If not listed try inserting the USB drive in a different USB port and retry. What option is listed?

Let me know,

David

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

Since you didn't copy and paste the link of that discussion to this one, the only suggestion I can offer would be to see if this works...

Instead of letting the Media creation tool make the bootable USB installer, download the 64 bit ISO file instead, and use the free Rufus utility to transfer the ISO file and make it a UEFI bootable device.

Here is the Rufus download link...

Rufus - Create bootable USB drives the easy way

Watch this video for how to set the utility to make a bootable UEFI installer...

How To Create A Windows 10 UEFI Boot Media Using Rufus Tool - YouTube

Plug the flash drive into your notebook's USB port.

Turn on or restart the PC.

Press/Tap the ESC key to get the menu of options.

Select the F9 boot options menu, and from that, select the USB flash drive that Rufus created, and press the Enter key.

Hopefully, the PC will boot from the flash drive and the installation should begin.

[Enrico000000094]

Thank you very much.   I'll try that tomorrow and report back.  Much appreciated.  I hadn't tried that combination of options.

[Enrico000000094]

Thanks.  Yes, I tried to copy the link to the earlier post, but the copy failed and I lost the thread.  It was a similar question, but the BIOS options seemed a world apart from what I was seeing, so not really that helpful.

That's a really good point, and I did wonder if there was something amiss with the bootable USB - although it did have an EFI and boot file when I checked.

I will try those options and (as with the previous reply) report back.

Enrico0000000000000094

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

[Enrico000000094]

Hi David,

sadly it didn't work.

I got to the boot menu as you described after making the BIOS changes, the pressing Esc and F9.

The subsequent menu offered me the following:

UEFI - WDC WDS250G2B0A

Legacy = WDC WDS250G2B0A

Legacy N/W - Intel corporation: IBA CL Slot 00FE v0106

Boot from file

If I select the last one, it reports "No media present.  Please insert a media and try again"

Before all this, after setting BIOS to manufacturer's defaults and then making the suggested changed (default was Legacy boot enable and Secure Boot disable), it asked me to enter a 4-digit code.  It then went straight to a screen that said "Intel  Boot agent v CL 0.1.06

Initialising...

Media test failure - check cable

Exiting Intel boot agent"

USB is checked in the list of boot devices.

I created a new USB stick following the instructions at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 

I haven't tried the Rufus method that the other response suggested, so will to that later.  I'm fed up with sitting in front of laptops at the moment!

I'll also try the USB stick I created in a different computer to see if that will boot from it.

That's all I have for now.

Eric

[Enrico000000094]

Thank you both.

In the end I'm not quite sure what got it working.  I confirmed the USB stick was bootable by trying in a different laptop with a different BIOS.  What I did find during that experience was that plugging the USB stick in while the computer was looking for media seemed to allow it to be recognised.  If it was already plugged in then the UEFI bootloader couldn't see it.

Trying that on the Elitebook 820 didn't work, but I then tried every possible combination of MS UEFI CA key checked and unchecked, default Secure boot keys etc. and even - probably superstition - refitting the back panel to the laptop in case it had a proximity switch to prevent tampering!  One of those worked, and the USB drive suddenly appeared in the list of boot options.

Thanks again for your time and ideas, both David and Paul.

[iomare]

You're welcome.

Glad you worked out.

Take care,

David