Inspirion 14 boot from USB

Hi isnochys,

Thanks for posting.

1. Restart the computer and press f2 while starting up. This enters the setup program.
2. Select the Boot tab and change to Legacy Boot, Secure Boot Off. After restarting, this shows the boot sequence and the order can be changed using +/- keys.
3. Then change the boot order to. CD/DVD. USB drive. Hard drive.

Secure Boot is disabled, and boot list option is permanently selected to UEFI. Legacy is not selectable. I've tried everything. What gives? 

To anyone who found this through a google search like I did, I finally figured it out. The bios on the inspiron 14 3473  (and probably similar systems) implies that the boot type can be changed from UEFI to Legacy, but it CANNOT. Don't bother updating to the latest BIOS if your goal is to clean-install windows from a USB drive onto a new HDD (because the one that comes with it is so tiny and worthless).

You need to use a tool like rufus (search for rufus USB tool), and create a bootable USB from the Windows ISO that is comptabile with UEFI boot. If you don't do this, you'll have trouble getting the thing to boot into the USB, and even if you do, you'll just eventually trigger Dell's utterly useless ePSA screen.

If you're using Microsoft's media creation software, select the option for just the ISO, rather than the USB stick, then once you have the ISO of windows, use Rufus to create a UEFI-comptable boot device. Then you're smooth sailing, baby.

I had to go through all of this because my friend's son was trying to a do project, and he discovered that his inspiron 14 3473 shipped with a useless 30g hard drive. He couldn't do his work, because he ran out of space almost immediately. I slapped a 500Gig HDD in this P.O.S, and had to go through all this needless BS to install windows on it, but it's finally a usable laptop.

Here's to all the poor souls who bought this thing who will never be able to replace the hard drive and install windows.

F12 booting works with USB 2.0 optical drive and OEM System Builder DVD.

There is no room to put anything other than clean install onto erased drive when you have 32 gigs of storage. Even the models with 4GB Memory - 128GB eMMC Flash Memory do not have enough room to go from windows 1809 to 1903 because there is just not enough space available.

https://www.neweggbusiness.com/product/product.aspx?item=9b-32-350-238

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-8x-external-usb-2-0-blu-ray-disc-double-layer-dvdrw-cd-rw-disc-rewriter-black/9243009.p?skuId=9243009

I have used the above Items with ALL Dells All Models from 2006 to 2019 and it works fine.

The other issue with only having 32 gigs of storage is that Feature updates do not work.  There is not enough room on 32 gigs to fit the update and windows.

So if you want to go to 1903 you have to clean install from there.  You cannot start with 1809 or earler and update to 1903.

this is the way to make boot for dell inspiron 14 3000 or inspiron 3482

see my video

https://youtu.be/jquW7wUAfzc

thank you for posting this. i have been trying for days to wipe the hard drive clean as I'm getting rid of them and was going to donate them to the local library. I've spent so much time on this it's not worth it-there's no information on them i'll just destroy them somehow.