How to Make Your Computer Boot From a USB Flash Drive

Table of contents:

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

A bootable USB flash drive can be a very useful tool for diagnosing a computer. Fortunately they are easy to make and use. Check out this guide for a full explanation.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Create a bootable USB flash drive

Set Your Computer to Boot from USB Flash Drive Step 1

Step 1. Determine the purpose of your USB flash drive

An often useful tool is the MS-DOS bootable drive. Starting MS-DOS will allow you to troubleshoot old Windows installations, as well as run various diagnostic and repair tools. To create an MS-DOS bootable USB flash drive, you'll need a blank USB flash drive, along with the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool and Windows 98 MS-DOS file systems.

Set Your Computer to Boot from USB Flash Drive Step 2

Step 2. Download the file systems

Windows 98 MS-DOS file systems are freely available on the Internet. Downloading them is absolutely legal.

The files will be downloaded as a.zip file. Extract this file to an easy-to-find temporary folder, such as the desktop. You will be able to delete this folder once the USB is done

Set Your Computer to Boot from USB Flash Drive Step 3

Step 3. Download and install the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool

It is a free tool created by Hewlett-Packard that will allow you to quickly format any USB flash drive. You will need to create a USB flash drive with a boot sector. Insert the USB flash drive you want to use into your computer and run the format tool.

Choose the USB flash drive from the "Device" drop-down list box. Be careful to select the correct drive.
The second drop-down list box, "File System" must be changed to FAT32.

Set Your Computer to Boot from USB Flash Drive Step 4

Step 4. Under "Format Options", check the box that says "Create DOS boot disk"

Then click the "…" button below "using DOS file systems located in:"

Go to the location where you downloaded the Windows 98 MS-DOS file systems. Select the folder and click "OK"

Set Your Computer to Boot from USB Flash Drive Step 5

Step 5. Click the "Start" button

The program will ask you to proceed, warning you that all data on the drive will be lost. Your bootable MS-DOS USB flash drive is ready.

Set Your Computer to Boot from USB Flash Drive Step 6

Step 6. Explore other possible uses of bootable USB flash drives

A common use is for installing Windows on computers that don't have a hard drive, such as netbooks. To learn how to create a Windows 7 or Vista installation drive, see the Create a Bootable Windows 7 or Vista USB Drive guide.

Method 2 of 2: Boot from the USB flash drive

Set Your Computer to Boot from USB Flash Drive Step 7

Step 1. Insert the USB flash drive

Make sure it is plugged into your computer directly and not through a USB hub.

Set Your Computer to Boot from USB Flash Drive Step 8

Step 2. Turn on your computer

Depending on the manufacturer, the startup screen will differ. As soon as the logo appears you have to press F2 or F10, or Del to enter the BIOS menu. These are the most common keys for entering the BIOS menu. The key to press will be shown below the logo.

This part of the boot process can be very fast, and if you can't get into the BIOS, you'll need to restart your computer

Set Your Computer to Boot from USB Flash Drive Step 9

Step 3. Locate the Start menu

If you pressed the right key at the right time, you should now be in the BIOS menu. This is where basic computer functions are set, before an OS (Operating System) is loaded. Go to the Start menu. Each manufacturer has a different BIOS setting. Some have the menu in a column; others have tabs on top. An example is shown here:

Set Your Computer to Boot from USB Flash Drive Step 10

Step 4. Change the boot order

Once in the Start menu, you will see a list of devices. This is the order of devices that the computer will try to find when OS is active. Typically, the first device on the list is your computer's hard drive, followed by the CD / DVD drive.

Select the first boot device and replace it with the USB flash drive. The menu will say "Removable Device" or the model name of your flash drive. This way, when you turn it on, your computer will check the USB flash drive first, instead of the hard drive

Set Your Computer to Boot from USB Flash Drive Step 11

Step 5. Save and Exit

Go to the Exit menu in BIOS. Select "Exit and save changes". Alternatively, many BIOSes at the bottom of the screen feature a key combination that allows you to save and exit with a single keystroke.

Saving and exiting causes the computer to restart

Set Your Computer to Boot from USB Flash Drive Step 12

Step 6. Wait for the USB flash drive to load automatically after rebooting

After a few seconds, depending on the purpose of your USB flash drive, you will get control. If you made an MS-DOS USB flash drive, you'll get a command prompt after booting. If you made a Windows 7 installation USB flash drive, the installation process will start automatically.

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