Media Creation Tool boots and then loads and reboots... HP Paviliion

[DeweyDD]

I have a bad hard drive on my laptop.  I created Windows Media Creation tool both on USB key and on DVD.  I can boot up from the USB key or the DVD, but after getting to the "loading files" step, the laptop then loops back to reboot again and reload the media creation tool.  If I hit F8 (advanced options) and try to go to command prompt (safe mode) I get the same behavior - it starts doing something then reboots.  I am having the same result with a Windows 10 recovery CD it starts loading files and then reboots, starting all over again.

I have tried switching the BIOS from secure boot to legacy boot enabled, and back again... every combination possible.

I have also replaced the internal hard drive with a spare drive, and it boots up into Windows 10 without issue.  However, if I try to boot (with that replacement drive in place) from the USB key  (Windows Media Creation Tool) I get exactly the same behavior as described in the first paragraph.

What is going on and how can I get this to boot up?  My goal is to reinstall Windows 10 (clean install) from Media Creation Tool.

BTW if I just let the Automatic Repair run, it just hangs ... I've waited all day to see if it would do anything.  This is with consistent with the disk being bad (confirmed by running system diagnostics at boot using the escape key).

Oh, and BTW - both Media Creation Tool formats (USB key and DVD) boot up and run successfully on other laptops I own, so I am certain that there is no problem with the media or the installation of MCT on the media.

[pbroussard]

You need to move USB down the list instead of being the first option in Boot menu. Then reboot and quickly get into bios to select the Boot from to select the USB installer.  What is happening is that if a USB boot disk is installed it wants to boot from it. The Windows installer first copies all the files onto the drive and then reboots to start the install from your main drive, but can't because your USB boot drive is present.

[DeweyDD]

Unfortunately that doesn't get me to where I want to be.  It DOES prevent the USB key from rebooting on restart, but now the system just boots into the default installed Windows on the hard drive.  [I mentioned that I had replaced the bad hard drive with one that had Windows installed; now it just boots into the normal Windows from that drive.]  So... next I reformatted that drive so that there are no partitions on it at all.  Now when I boot from USB key, select 64-bit install and wait for "loading files" and reboot ... it just boots up the USB key again.  Which 'sort-of' makes sense since that is the only bootable drive.  If I remove the USB key as it is restarting, it cannot find anything to boot from.

Help!