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755, won't boot from bootable FAT32 USB
I would like to boot my Windows 10 OP755 from a USB. OP755 lacks UEFI and Secure Boot, and uses Legacy USB boot. I've tried 3 different bootable USBs in all the slots. All 3 boot on my other computer running Win7. On my OP755, I am able to choose the USB in the boot sequence (F12) or give it first boot order in BIOS. In all cases, I get the error "Selected boot device is not available." I tried Start Up Repair and examined the log file, which found no problems. Anyone have a fix?
TIA
fireberd
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January 30th, 2018 03:00
Dell only supports Win XP and Vista with this "old" system. USB flash drives were not thought of yet and USB boot was not an option back then. Probably no way to boot from USB.
speedstep
8 Wizard
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January 30th, 2018 04:00
USB Booting FAT16 or FAT32 WIN9X DOS Works fine on these models. USB booting goes all the way back to GX260 models.
speedstep
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January 30th, 2018 04:00
USB3 flash drives exhibit this problem because the USB2 ports on the unit do not provide enough power to run the units. USB2 flash drives don't have that issue.
Sole Public
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January 30th, 2018 09:00
Speedstep
OK - I will make a dos bootable usb (2.0) and test that.
I naively copied the bootable USB content (a Linux live USB) to a CD, since I can boot from CDs on the OP755. I got the same error message "Selected boot device is not available."
I will try to find out how to make a bootable CD from the USB, since simple copying doesn't work.
I don't know if the obstacle is my machine, the USB, or my unfamiliarity with the process.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Sole Public
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January 30th, 2018 09:00
Speedstep,
That's good to know.
I don't own any 3.0 USBs, but I'll keep it in mind for when I do.
The ones I have are readable, just not bootable.
It could be time to upgrade...or go Linux
Sole Public
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January 30th, 2018 09:00
Fireberd,
Thank you!!!
I will stop trying to do the impossible.
Funny it's is an option on the BIOS, though.
speedstep
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January 30th, 2018 10:00
Simple copying never works. There are several easy ways to make bootable USB flash drives. You will need to copy the hidden files from a bootable dos floppy. And use the HP USB format tool.
http://bay-wolf.com/usbmemstick.htm
Step 1 - Download and install the Windows based HP USB Disk Format Tool. For your convenience, you can download it from HERE.
Step 2 - Download the Windows 98 system files from HERE. This is a zip file that contains all of the system files that you will need. Create a new folder and extract these files into the folder that you just created. Make sure that you preserve the directory structure.
Step 3 - Insert the USB Memory Key into the USB port of your computer.
NOTE: Make sure that the lock/unlock switch (if present) is set to the unlock position.
OR The Pendrive Linux Easy as 123 utility to make bootable usb from Linux ISO's
https://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/
Philip_Yip
7 Technologist
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January 30th, 2018 15:00
Use Rufus to make the Bootable USB from the Windows 10 Version 1709 .iso. The USB needs to be made using the MBR partition scheme for Legacy BIOS and the file format needs to be NTFS.
Sole Public
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February 5th, 2018 17:00
I will try that! Funny, I had read something of yours on a website and thought about asking you. Thanks so much for answering my post.
Philip_Yip
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February 8th, 2018 23:00
Your welcome. It should work fine, I've installed Windows 10 64 Bit on several OptiPlex 755 and 760 models in the past.
jwill266
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October 7th, 2018 09:00
It works. I boot a Dell 755 with USB all of the time. Most things are possible with the right tools. Rufus is an awesome tool.