Cannot boot from USB

[Metal A]

I was playing around with Linux on a hard drive partition since I only have one hard drive and I wiped out Windows 10 along with my hard drive when I installed Linux Mint. Since I need Visual Studio, Unity3D, and TS3 makes my games crash, I want to go back to Windows 10. Here's where the problem starts. I made a bootable Windows 10 ISO USB drive, but ever since I uninstalled Windows, booting from USB isn't an option anymore in my BIOS. It just shows that I can boot from two Ubuntu drives, when I only have one.(They both boot to the same thing) Also, when I try to boot from the USB drive after Mint has loaded up, the setup file is an .exe. I think Wine would probably introduce some problems in installing Windows. I need help. Should I put my HDD in another PC and wipe it? I don't know how that would work out though.

[Guest]

What did you use to make the USB Drive and what fomat is the USB?

[wasab]

Download a windows 10, 8, 7 or even xp iso file. Install virtual box, use it to boot up the iso in a virtual machine. Download plugins to allow usb device support on virtual box. Connect your usb to the virtual machine. Next use the virtual machine to run windows installer tool to create a bootable windows 10 usb. 

 

I am not sure how your Linux installer partitioned the drive. To ensure the installer is doing it right, I usually use gparted to erase all the drives on the computer and then use the installer to install. You should still be able to boot from the bios. Are you using uefi or legacy bios? If it is the former, you may need to disable secure boot. Also, reconfigure the boot order and press hotkey for the boot menu(if there is one) when booting. There should be an usb listed if it is plug in regardless if it is bootable or not.

 

if you see do see the usb but selecting it does not boot, that is a different matter, it has nothing to do with the bios.

[wasab]

Oh, if you aren’t too familiar on how to use virtual box, I suggest you just plug your usb into another windows machine and have it make a bootable windows usb there. I still havent yet gotten my usb plugin on virtual box working to be honest. Windows doesn’t seem to recognize usb device for some reason.

[Wild Penquin]

The same problem was discussed here less than a week ago. See here:

The very first google result (using any sensible search words) will point to a page telling about WoeUSB, which is the tool you will need (EDIT: using another windows PC to make the bootable USB is another way. This is what MS probably recommends / assumes users are doing EDIT2: Or burning the ISO to a DVD).

 

The issue here is that the Win 10 ISO images downloadable from MS are not bootable from USB (thumb drive) if you just write them to with DD (unlike, say, practically any Linux distro ISO; and this is probably the false assumption some people make: writing a ISO to a USB drive does not always make it bootable).

 

Also, don't use virtual machines for this. It is way to complicated and unnecessary way to work around a problem that is most likely just this (though I can not be 100% sure from the information OP has given).

 

Cheers!

 

p.s. I don't mean to sound rude, but try to learn to use search, it might save you some time.

 

Edited February 8, 2018 by Wild Penquin
whoops, not WeoUSB!

[wasab]

There is a much easier way to create bootable windows usb 

http://www.webupd8.org/2012/01/tool-to-create-windows-usb-install.html

Follow the instruction here. 

[Wild Penquin]

WoeUSB (I had a typo on my previous post) is a fork of WinUSB, which hasn't been maintained since 2012 (see it's website). I'd presume it's as easy to use as WinUSB, since it's a fork, but maintained.

 

(last time I installed any Windows was Windows 7 and back then just writing the ISO to USB with dd worked just fine... so I haven't used either one personally)