HP Omen does not want to boot from USB

[_oOoOoOoOoOoOo_]

Hi,

I could not get a new HP OMEN laptop to boot from USB. I changed Windows 11 setting to not boot fast, and I changed the BIOS settings (F10) to boot first from USB, before trying a Windows SSD boot. I disabled secure boot for good measure. It kept booting from the SSD, using various power cycling methods (restart windows, shutdown from start menu, shutdown by power button). I tested the USB drives from the BIOS (F2) as recommended by HP staff in a previous problem description. https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Gaming-Notebooks/HP-Omen-won-t-boot-from-a-USB-flash-drive/td-p/591587...

In the end, I found the solution was to repeatedly press F9 during boot, which brings up a boot selector menu, even if the BIOS was set to boot from USB first, it did not by default. The F9 key was mentioned by-the-by in one of the previous commenters with the issue that I had. Unfortunately that comment was not accepted as the solution, nor was it clear that the F9 was the missing piece of the puzzle. I couldn't comment on that thread anymore, so I thought I'd safe some of you some time by posting it here.

[Sneha_01 · Accepted solution]

Hi @_oOoOoOoOoOoOo_ 

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

Thank you for sharing your solution! It’s great to hear that you were able to resolve the issue of booting from USB on your HP Omen laptop. I’m sure others facing similar issues will find your tip very helpful.

For anyone else with this problem, the key takeaway is:

1. Set BIOS to Boot from USB: Make sure the BIOS is configured correctly (F10) to prioritize booting from USB.
2. Disable Secure Boot: This step might also help when dealing with boot issues.
3. Press F9 During Startup: Even if you’ve set the USB as the primary boot device in BIOS, you might still need to manually select it at startup by pressing F9 to open the boot device selection menu.

I hope this helps.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.