Question Formatting an old Lenovo B575

[Alexandre cl]

I have an old Lenovo B575 which won't load windows (7) anymore. It says code 101: initialization failed, then it starts auto repairs and says I'll need to use a recovery tool or an installation media. So I tried booting from a windows 7 disk, and then it says windows is loading files, but nothing happens once the loading bar is full (I've let it stay there for over an hour).

No clue what to do, your advice is very much appreciated.

 

[lvt]

Try to make a USB installation with Win10 to see if it works. Win10 is free to use, for your laptop you should use the 32-bit version.

 

[Alexandre cl]

Try to make a USB installation with Win10 to see if it works. Win10 is free to use, for your laptop you should use the 32-bit version.

When I tell it to boot from the USB key most of the times I tried it went to a black screen and nothing happened. This one time it went to an orange screen with white vertical lines on it and nothing else. Any other ideas?

 

[Grobe]

When I tell it to boot from the USB key it goes to a black screen and nothing happens.

You need to flash the iso image to the usb stick with a appropriate software, or it won't boot.

Here is a random recipe <link> on how to use Rufus to flash an iso image. If that doesn't work, then try some alternatives to rufus.

 

[Alexandre cl]

You need to flash the iso image to the usb stick with a appropriate software, or it won't boot.

Here is a random recipe <link> on how to use Rufus to flash an iso image. If that doesn't work, then try some alternatives to rufus.

I used MS's MediaCreationTool22H2 for windows 10 installations and told it to make a USB flash drive. Is that not what I should have downloaded?

 

[Grobe]

Seems right, but I had to bring it up to rule out potential misunderstandings in terms on how to make a bootable usb stick.

Can you try that same usb stick on another computer - just to rule out problems with the usb media itself ?

 

[lvt]

Just download the official tool from Microsoft, insert an USB flash (8GB or more), run the tool and you are good to go.

Download Windows 10

 

[Alexandre cl]

Seems right, but I had to bring it up to rule out potential misunderstandings in terms on how to make a bootable usb stick.

Can you try that same usb stick on another computer - just to rule out problems with the usb media itself ?

All the files are there yes

 

[Alexandre cl]

Just download the official tool from Microsoft, insert an USB flash (8GB or more), run the tool and you are good to go.

Download Windows 10

That's what I did, but it isn't working. When I tell it to boot from that drive nothing happens.

 

[lvt]

That's what I did, but it isn't working. When I tell it to boot from that drive nothing happens.

Did you set the USB as the first boot device in the Bios?

 

[Grobe]

All the files are there yes

No, that doesn't confirm anything - you need to actually boot it up to verify.

 

[Alexandre cl]

Did you set the USB as the first boot device in the Bios?

Is the BIOS the boot menu you get to by pressing the f key at the start? If so then yes, I told it to boot from the usb stick.