Windows 10: Can I use a new external HD as a Windows 10 boot media in lieu of a USB flash drive, then...

My PC got caught in a scary loop where it starts booting then restarts during my motherboard splash screen, then shows a message reading "Preparing automatic repair" during the motherboard splash screen, then reboots, and the whole cycle repeats. I can get to my BIOS with F2 (no changes to that since I build my PC last summer), but I can't get to the Windows Troubleshooting screen with F11. The alternating boot loop is too fast and doesn't get that far along.

I'm away from home so I've ordered a pair of USB flash drives from Amazon to arrive tomorrow, but I may need a new external HD to backup my files in any case, so I was considering driving to Costco today to buy one, hoping I might first just use that drive as my USB boot media temporarily instead of waiting on the USB flash drives in the mail.

Does this make sense? Since it's a brand new drive, I'd just be formatting it anyway, so might I just use it as boot media (I'd have to create the media from my family's Mac... fun) then later format it again to use for storage in case I need to extract my SSDs and back the files up using another PC.

If that'll work, I may go ahead and cancel my Amazon order and just drove on over to Costco this evening. I'm on a bit of a work deadline so the timing sucks.

Thanks!

submitted by /u/Help_An_Irishman
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:)

 

Windows 10 USB boot

Hi there, am not a windows 10 expert. I have a pc in the bedroom on windows 10, I messed up the bootloader trying to fix the xp on that system.

System wont boot, trying to repair via win 10 usb installer.

Downloaded the media creation tool to install windows 10 installer on usb stick. Not compatible with a host of usb sticks I have. Tried the usb sticks that others use, but I think they use rufus; as the media creation tool by win 10 does not detect the usb stick.

So quick question, the win10 machine i am trying to repair the bootloader is a win7 upgraded to win10.
If i were to use the usb win10 installer to "repair installation" does the version of the iso downloaded via the media creation tool matter?

There is three options:
Windows 10
Windows 10 Home
Windows 10 N

Also is there a step by step instead of using rufus as I want to try an alternative method of creating a usb win 10 installer. Preferably with more compatibility.

System is a asus sabertooth 990 (r2?) with AMD phenom X 6.

Also is there any other software I can load onto the usb that can repair the bootloader easily?
That would be the ideal alternative. Thanks

 

Can I use an external HD like a usb flash drive to use the media installation tool?

an I use an external HD like a usb flash drive to use the media installation tool?

 

Windows 10 reinstallation fails - Media on USB drive does not boot

Folks,

I need to replace my failing (but still functioning) Hard Drive on my Dell XPS 8300 Desktop. The operating system is Windows 10.

My plan has been to buy a brand new hard drive (DONE), install a fresh bootable Windows 10 operating system on it while connected via USB, swap the old and the new drives, and then reinstall all other applications on the new drive one by one, and finally copy the data back on. No rush, but should work.

I bought the new drive, connected it to the computer via USB (using a USB 2.0 to SATA/IDE device made by SIIG), then from (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10) downloaded the Media Creation tool (MediaCreationTool.exe), ran it from the desktop, created the ESD-USB file structure on the new hard drive, and restarted the computer.

When restarting the computer, I went into the setup (F2) to change the boot order:

• First time, I placed the ‘USB Hard drive’ ahead of the Main hard drive. The Main hard drive booted ignoring the ‘USB’ Hard drive.
• Second time, I tried again by fully disabling the main Hard drive, but with that setting, the computer didn’t start at all and I got the following message:

‘Reboot and Select proper Boot device
Or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key’

So why am I failing to boot from the external hard drive?

Is my strategy of directly installing the new Windows 10 on the external Hard drive wrong?

The Microsoft support site’s instruction is to use a ‘USB flash drive or DVD.’ But instead of the USB flash drive, I used the actual Hard Drive that I intend to install Windows 10 on. Is that wrong? And why? I did so on the understanding that the instruction to use a flash drive or DVD is so as to install the operating system on a different PC. In my case I want to install on the existing PC but on a new drive.

One way of course would be to follow the Microsoft instruction create the new installation media on the flash drive or DVD, swap the drives and boot from the flash drive or DVD. But why would the Windows Creation media boot from the flash drive or DVD but not from the USB Hard drive?

Another reason for wanting to install Windows directly on the external Hard Drive is to have access to all my application at all times.

Help please.