XPS 8930 - how to boot from USB?

Question

I did a fresh install of Windows 10, using USB (was able to boot from USB then). After the Windows install, F12 no longer presents the option to boot from USB.

In trying to be able to boot from USB, I made the following changes (kind of flailing around trying to find a solution):

BIOS: Secure boot disabled

BIOS: UEFI Booth Path Security in BIOS to Never

Windows: turned off Fast Startup

Still no option to boot from USB. F12 presents the following:

UEFI options:

Windows boot manager
Onboard NIC IPV4
Onboard NIC IPV6

Other options:

BIOS setup
Diagnostics
BIOS flash update
Change boot mode setting

Any ideas?

jd45 · Accepted Answer

Found a solution. Just turn off Secure Boot in BIOS.

An alternative is the first pinned comment by Dimitar Doichinov of video on YT entitled: How to enable boot from DVD and USB option with UEFI boot mode enabled

How to boot from USB:

Press F2 -> BIOS:

General -> Advanced Boot Options -> Enable Legacy Option ROMs -> Disable Secure Boot -> Secure Boot Enable -> Enabled

Apply changes and exit, restart, then press F12:

Change Boot Mode Settings -> Click and ESC after this to restart

Press F12 -> Choose USB device from the Boot options

Using his method, I was able to see various USBs, including one created today with E2B, but trying to boot from it yielded a "Secure Boot Violation" because Secure Boot was still enabled. But I was able to use this method to boot from a bootable Windows installer prepared a few years ago using Rufus, which I was unable to even see in F12 menu during earlier attempts as described in this thread.

You can also turn off Secure Boot from the F12 menu (and turn back on from F12 menu as well). In any case, by turning off Secure Boot, I was able to boot a couple of different 64GB USB sticks (so no need to worry about using a 2GB stick - it's 2022, who even has these anymore?), including a multiboot USB I created today using E2B and AGFM (this creates 2 partitions, one NTFS, one FAT32 - the FAT32 is used for UEFI booting, but once booted into AGFM, you can access ISOs stored in the other partition). My older E2B USB won't work, because as Ron said earlier, it's not compatible; you need that second, FAT32, partition for UEFI booting.

Why would someone want a multiboot USB? It allows you to access various utilities and installers, all from one USB stick. So one could have backup/rescue ISOs such as Macrium, Acronis, etc., antivirus ISOs, disk utilities such as GParted, installers for Windows, Linux distros, etc., again, all on one USB stick.

After this, you will probably want to turn Secure Boot back on, which you can do from BIOS or from F12 menu.

Ron, I appreciate your help and patience in trying to figure this out. Maybe someone who runs into the same problem will find this thread and hopefully it will sort them out. Or just reply and Ron and I will see it.

RoHe · Answer

Are you plugging the bootable USB into the PC with power fully off and then powering on and tapping F12?  If not, you won't see the USB boot option on the F12 menu.

Mary G · Answer

Use Settings> Windows update> Advanced options> Recovery> Restart Now to restart with more boot options. Ridiculously difficult IMO.

jd45 · Answer

'@jd45  Forgot to ask... Did you look on the Boot tab in BIOS setup on your XPS 8930 and make sure USB boot support is Enabled?  On my XPS 8930:UEFI boot path = Always, except internal driveLegacy = OffSecure Boot = OnTPM = OnUSB Boot = enabled As long as I plug a bootable USB into PC with power fully off, the USB boot option appears on the F12 menu.' Adjusted BIOS settings as you advised: Boot path security: Always, except internal HDD TPM: Enabled Secure boot: Enabled Legacy Option ROMs: Disabled Enable USB Boot Support: Enabled Then after saving changes and launching Windows, I shut down, then powered on and then F12: still only see the 3 options listed in the OP. In BIOS boot tab, section Boot Option Priorities shows only those 3 options: Boot Option #1: Windows Boot Mgr Boot Option #2: Onboard NIC IPV4 Boot Option #3: Onboard NIC IPV6 If I select any of those to change, only those 3 options and 'disabled' are available.

Tesla1856 · Answer

@jd45 wrote:

1. I did a fresh install of Windows 10, using USB (was able to boot from USB then).

2. After the Windows install, F12 no longer presents the option to boot from USB.

1. Good. Yes, the Windows-10 Installer is an allowed "Boot-Kit" by Microsoft. There are not many.

2. What are you trying to boot from USB now?

jd45 · Answer

'Use Settings> Windows update> Advanced options> Recovery> Restart Now to restart with more boot options.' There is no Recovery option under Settings> Windows update> Advanced options. But if go to Settings>Recovery>Advanced Startup>Restart now>Choose an option>Use a device . . .  'Use a device' screen provides the following options: Onboard NIC IPV4 Onboard NIC IPV6 These are the same 2 options (apart from Windows Boot Mgr) that are presented in BIOS. Somehow both BIOS and Windows are ignoring USB. Must be a setting somewhere.

RoHe · Answer

@jd45 Forgot to ask... Did you look on the Boot tab in BIOS setup on your XPS 8930 and make sure USB boot support is Enabled?

On my XPS 8930:
UEFI boot path = Always, except internal drive
Legacy = Off
Secure Boot = On
TPM = On
USB Boot = enabled

As long as I plug a bootable USB into PC with power fully off, the USB boot option appears on the F12 menu.

@Mary G - Never needed to do that on my XPS 8930 as long as the BIOS options are set properly... ;o))

RoHe · Answer

Aww... Your bootable USB is out of date! Create a new bootable USB using Rufus (free). That's the problem...

RoHe · Answer

@jd45 Is this the same USB you used to install Win 10?

If not, do you have same issue booting from the Win 10 USB now?

If the Win 10 stick is seen and a different USB stick isn't, how was that other stick made bootable?

Also, go back into BIOS setup and confirm that USB Boot still = Enabled. If it's set to Disabled again, that implies the motherboard battery died, and has to be replaced. CR2032 3-volt coin cell, ~$2. Instructions in the Service Manual.

Edit: You do not want to change any of the Boot Options in BIOS setup that you listed.

Windows Boot Manager should always be first. That's all you need, even when booting from USB via the F12 menu when you power PC on.

Mary G · Answer

I have Windows 11 on my XPS 8940. I have never been able to boot and select F2 or F12 on it even when I had Windows 10.

RoHe · Answer

@jd45  You haven't answered any of my questions...

jd45 · Answer

Yes, trying with power OFF, then powering on and hitting F12.

jd45 · Answer

'2. What are you trying to boot from USB now?' A bootable USB I created using E2B (https://easy2boot.xyz/) a few years ago.

RoHe · Answer

Not 'expiration dates', just compatibility...

jd45 · Answer

'Aww... Your bootable USB is out of date!' bootable USB's have expiration dates?  Interestingly, the Dell USB I used to install Windows is a boot option. But a couple of older Windows USB sticks I have used to install Windows 10 on other machines in the past are not presented as boot options. I'll try creating a new bootable USB using Rufus.

XPS Desktops

XPS 8930 - how to boot from USB?

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