I'm unable to boot my Windows 10 installer USB in UEFI mode?
I'm having this problem with my Toshiba L875-S7308 where I cannot boot my USB while in UEFI mode.
I have formatted the USB (tried MBR and GPT - same result), and restored the ISO using the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. When I try booting the USB, the laptop simply ignores it and continues booting Windows. I have tried changing the boot order, or manually selecting the USB with no positive result. It seems like it's not even recognizing it (it's not showing the USB's name in the boot menu).
However, when I try booting in CSM boot mode, the USB boots just fine. I tried installing Windows 10 in CSM then setting the boot mode back to UEFI mode, but I can't. I'm trying to dual-boot Windows 10 with Windows 8.1 (already installed) and I'm currently using GPT, so I need to format the drive to MBR but I don't want to go through that trouble.
I made sure that Fast Boot and Secure Boot are both disabled.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Solution 1:
Two important points:
1: The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool is not compatible with USB 3.0. To create a USB stick that is compatible with USB 3.0 using the native boot experience of the Windows 10 Technical Preview media (or Windows 8/Windows 8.1), use DiskPart to format the USB stick and set the partition to active, then copy all of the files from inside the ISO to the USB stick.
2: UEFI (CSM disabled) requires the USB stick to be formatted FAT32. If your stick is formatted NTFS, it would explain the behavior you have described.
Solution 2:
You will be able to boot in by using Rufus.
- Prepare the usb device in Rufus. Select GPT for UEFI only. Select FAT32. UEFI specs define FAT32 as mandatory. (Source)
- Set your bios to default settings. (This enables all uefi options and secure boot)
You can now install windows 10 in uefi mode.
Solution 3:
Many of the hurdles that you might face when making a Windows installation USB drive are overcome with the right tool. The most versatile one at the moment is Easy2Boot. By following one of the tutorials out there, you can keep your USB drive (even large USB hard drives) formatted as NTFS, rather than limiting your options with FAT32. Even UEFI is possible. In my case, I have an NTFS-formatted USB 3.0 stick that I use to boot multiple installation ISOs in UEFI mode, and some ISOs are larger than 4 GB, which isn't possible with FAT32 formatting.
Solution 4:
If the ISO is > than 4 Gb, rufus will use NTFS. So, in order to boot
- disable secure boot in the bios
- press f9 to change boot order
- select your usb
- DON'T PLUG THE USB ON THE USB 3.O PORTS, OTHERWISE IT WON'T WORK!