[SOLVED] Unable to use boot USB to install Windows 10 on new motherboard

[HBgamer]

Hi all. My brother recently had a motherboard failure and our local PC shop sourced and fitted a refurb Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD5-B3.

I have since tried to use a boot USB to install Windows 10 but it seems to ignore it and go straight to the 'Preparing Repair Diagnosis' Windows screen. I have used the USB twice before on other machines so know it works. I've also set the boot order and know it 'should' be looking at that first.

But no matter what I do it will always end up back at that screen. I'm slightly confused why it shows a Windows screen when the 3 HDDs (blank SSD I'm trying to install to, 2 file-filled HDDs) don't have a Windows install.

While I don't think I should be in that menu at all I have tried to select options there but all of them fail / don't start. If I select boot from media it does actually show the USB but does nothing when I click it. Just restarts machine and within seconds I'm back at the 'Preparing Repair Diagnosis' screen.

Could someone give me some other steps to try to help get me to the Windows install screen?

Thanks in advance. Hadley

 

[jay32267]

I would try it again....but this time....disconnect all the other drives except the blank SSD you are trying to install to.

 

[HBgamer]

I would try it again....but this time....disconnect all the other drives except the blank SSD you are trying to install to.

Just out at the moment but will give that a go. Thank you

 

[jay32267]

Just out at the moment but will give that a go. Thank you

You're welcome....and just FYI....when you do a clean install....your risk of having problems goes down significantly if you only have the drive connected that you are installing to. It's quite common to have install problems with more than one drive connected.

 

[HBgamer]

You're welcome....and just FYI....when you do a clean install....your risk of having problems goes down significantly if you only have the drive connected that you are installing to. It's quite common to have install problems with more than one drive connected.

That does seem the logical path but I have been known to lack common sense sometimes

Tried it with just the SSD connected and same issue occurred - goes straight to 'Preparing Automatic Repair' (had wording wrong before) and can't progress.

Then tried without boot USB being plugged in and same result. So if something Windows is managing to launch on an SSD I previously formatted by guess now is that the PC repair shop have put something on it? Doesn't explain why I can't repair / install Windows from menu I'm in but gets me somewhere.

I also noticed that the USB that appears in Choose an Option > Use a device still comes up without my USB plugged in. So must be a default or something they used in the shop? (Displays as OsLoader0000)

Luckily I have a cable that I can read SSD with on my own PC so going to take a look now to see if anything on there. If I do find something am I better to format and start over?

 

[HBgamer]

I have now resolved the issue and install is underway. Unfortunately I can't say for sure what did it but I'll rattle them off below in case it helps anyone else.

- Removed other HDDs and any other peripherals not in use. Didn't fix issue but imagine it helped later.

- Moved USB to yet another port

- Disconnected ethernet. Couldn't understand how I kept getting a Windows repair screen when I had literally nothing connected or installed that had anything Windows-related on it. I assumed it was connecting via internet but assume this is wrong.

- Plugged SSD into my other machine and found a folder called Windows within. Only 300kb and contents looked like logs of some kind. Deleted these before putting SSD back in tower.

- Unplugged CMOS / reset via switch on motherboard

After all the above I found that on going back to BIOS the Samsung SSD now appeared whereas I realised before it hadn't in a certain screen. All 3 drives had appeared in one place but not the 0/1 list (can't remember name) so had to be significant.

My USB stick also now appeared in this list. While I had set boot option to USB then HDD it still didn't seem to do it before. This was a different menu but I also prioritised USB FDD here using PgUp so may have made a difference.


Sorry if that's too many moving parts but I got there in the end. Thanks for your help. Hadley

 

[jay32267]

Good to hear.
I wonder where this came from....and I wonder if it had something to do with it.

"found a folder called Windows within. "