USB flash drive does not boot anymore

virtuality

Member
Mar 22, 2013
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I checked in Windows 7 / Tools w/ Bad Sector check and all; it found no errors. I can copy/delete files and directories to and from the drive.

I tried to make it boot two ways:

- pendrivelinux.com (FAT32)
- simply copying a Windows 7 install ISO file to it (NTFS)

Both said after copying the files it is OK; just the drive did not boot.

Booting from it worked before, with the exact same two methods. What possible could have gone wrong?

Important: my computer is still to boot from other USB drives.

I tried to make this one particular drive boot in 3 different notebook computers, to no avail.
 

virtuality

Member
Mar 22, 2013
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Use the HP USB format tool.

Btw, just copying an ISO to a USB flash drive doesn't make it bootable.

Wait... The Pendrive Linux tool is supposed to make the USB bootable (FAT32)

And for the Windows 7 ISO, simply copying it to an NTFS formatted USB used to work so far; strange?

Thank you both.
 

Elixer

Lifer
May 7, 2002
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And for the Windows 7 ISO, simply copying it to an NTFS formatted USB used to work so far; strange?

Thank you both.
Nope, never. You need to "burn" the ISO onto the USB device to make it bootable (assuming the ISO is bootable). A simple copy just stores that onto the USB device.
 

virtuality

Member
Mar 22, 2013
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Then I might be Santa Claus, since up until now I could create a Windows 7 ISO by simply copying the file to an NTFS formatted USB. Whatever, it is not the point.

The point is, I still can't proceed with my original request.

1. Even if I burn the Windows 7 ISO to my NTFS formatted drive (with software you suggested), it won't work anymore. It worked before, see the OP.

2. FAT32 formatted Pendive Linux doesn't work, either. It worked before as well.

I tried on 3 machines; 1 USB flash drive. I need or want to work/fix this drive. It shows no errors. Eh, I just repeat my original post here.

Any help with this? Thanks; really.
 

Valantar

Golden Member
Aug 26, 2014
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Since multiple reformats of the drive have returned no results, even reformatting with tool that specifically should make the drive bookable, might this be a firmware issue? I don't have the knowledge to answer this, but it seems like there are no issues otherwise. In which case there is nothing to do - end users don't get access to USB drive firmware (at least in my experience). Otherwise, might the partition table be corrupted somehow? Have you tried erasing all partitions from the drive, and then creating a new one? Google tells me there is no secure erase option for USB drives, but finding a tool to write zeroes/junk data to every sector of an unformatted drive should reset anything not hardware or firmware based, which might be worth a try. Otherwise, I'd get a new drive.

And for the record, copying an iso file to a drive does not make it bootable - if that works for you, your computer must somehow be able to unpack iso files and check if they're bootable without an OS. That's pretty cool.
 

virtuality

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Mar 22, 2013
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And for the record, copying an iso file to a drive does not make it bootable - if that works for you, your computer must somehow be able to unpack iso files and check if they're bootable without an OS. That's pretty cool.

And all our family computers can do that. ;) At least, with the Windows 7 install ISO.

Yeah, I understand there are different IMGs (they are IMGs, not ISOs), which you need to 'flash' onto the USB stick, such as some unofficial Chrome OS version with which I experimented in the past.
 

ArisVer

Golden Member
Mar 6, 2011
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And all our family computers can do that. ;) At least, with the Windows 7 install ISO.

Yeah, I understand there are different IMGs (they are IMGs, not ISOs), which you need to 'flash' onto the USB stick, such as some unofficial Chrome OS version with which I experimented in the past.


You came here asking for help and you got at least three answers telling you that what you said in your OP cannot be done.

When someone finds this thread looking for answers to his own problems, it is of no good to give misleading information.

IF (and maybe I am wrong here), you flag your stick to make it bootable and format it to the appropriate file system, then mount the ISO and copy its contents to the stick, it MAY boot.

So, unless you know the exact procedure that you used to do AND describe it for us and the rest of the world, don't be an a** and keep saying that "it used to work like that; OR; my computers can do that".
 

mostsurpremepon

Junior Member
Aug 24, 2015
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You came here asking for help and you got at least three answers telling you that what you said in your OP cannot be done.

When someone finds this thread looking for answers to his own problems, it is of no good to give misleading information.

IF (and maybe I am wrong here), you flag your stick to make it bootable and format it to the appropriate file system, then mount the ISO and copy its contents to the stick, it MAY boot.

So, unless you know the exact procedure that you used to do AND describe it for us and the rest of the world, don't be an a** and keep saying that "it used to work like that; OR; my computers can do that".

This, times at least a hundred. OP, you saying you dragged and dropped a Windows ISO (or IMG file it doesn't actually make a difference in this context) from your hard drive to the USB stick and the USB stick then was able to boot into Windows 7 is truly stupid. That isn't possible. That's not how it works, period. It's like saying you started a car that doesn't have a battary or an alternator. It's non-sense.

I signed up to this forum specifically to say this. Every time, everytime I look online to try and find some tech support, or any support in general, I'm blindsided by masses of ignorant people who don't know what they're speaking of but insist on speaking anyway. It's truly maddening. It's maddening because it's some disgusting form of willful ignorance and incompetent malice. And it sounds like your problem was a corrupt partition table like someone said. Or, it could be the fact that a USB drive cannot boot an operating system via copy/pasting a disk image. Maybe your PC is set-up in such a way so that it recognizes the disk-image and automatically installs the operating system, but if that's the case, you should apologize for wasting these peoples time asking the same idiotic question over and over again until someone finally gave you a solution, which happened to be wiping the entire drive clean and starting from scratch. Also, I'm being an asshole because right now, to me, you are the embodiment of every ignorant jackass, from Yahoo Answers to even the most reputable forums, who, despite not knowing what they're talking about, deem it necessary and appropriate to answer anyway and in the process end up giving some poor soul an entirely incorrect answer or piece of advice.


Yeah, I understand there are different IMGs (they are IMGs, not ISOs), which you need to 'flash' onto the USB stick, such as some unofficial Chrome OS version with which I experimented in the past.
Ugh. Are you you actually trying to argue with these kind folk who are trying to help you even though you come across as a snide jackass? If anything you said actually made sense, fine, but all I've read so far is non-sense.

Guyd, I've got a problem. I had to reinstall windows and so I copied/pasted all my programs on my desktop onto a floppy disk. One of the programs was Photoshop which I need to do a school project. Anyway, IDK what the problem is, it doesn't make sense. I copied like 40 programs onto the floppy disk but not even one of them works, all that happens is it comes up with some error about not finding the file.. but I had just clicked on the file. Windows has really gone downhill I don't understand how they can release an operating system that doesn't even let you copy and paste programs. I feel bad for any business that has to deal with this, hopefully MSoft gets sued again.
 
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Paavin

Junior Member
May 11, 2017
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1
getting an error while installing windows on my lap: error showing is "windows can not be installed to this disk the selected disk has an MBR partition table on EFI systems, windows can only be installed to GPT disk…."
next what to do?

p.s wanted to start a new thread but don't know how?.
 

deustroop

Golden Member
Dec 12, 2010
1,915
354
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getting an error while installing windows on my lap: error showing is "windows can not be installed to this disk the selected disk has an MBR partition table on EFI systems, windows can only be installed to GPT disk…."
next what to do?

p.s wanted to start a new thread but don't know how?.

Research the error using google and the manufacturers web site .
 

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
27,370
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Paavin is perma banned - no need to continue the discussion.