Windows failed to start - booting Intel NUC from USB SSD

[Tman8816]

Hi All!

I'm having troubles booting a NUC from an external SSD.

NUC model: D54250WYK
SSD: 2.5" Crucial 125GB
External Enclosure: Sabrent model No: EC-UASP

So first thing: I do NOT have any drive in the mSATA slot, so if I didn't plug in the USB case it wouldn't go anywhere. I am trying to basically move a computer drive from another computer (that was a tower) to this NUC. So I updated the BIOS, set the boot order to USB first, and restarted.

What happens is, the Windows 7 logo comes up, and you know those 4 colored lights that swirl to then form the Windows 4 pain window logo...it starts to swirl, then crashes and restarts. Then I get the 'Windows failed to load/boot/start' message with only 2 options: try to repair the Windows install, or load Windows like normal.

I tried booting into safe mode, and after it loads the individual files, it gets hung up on CLASSPNP then crashes again. I don't know what that does, or if that is actually the last thing to be loaded, but it is always at that point.

I have seen some forum trails on the actual Intel NUC forums where external HDD booting crashes and has to go through a VERY specific set of settings and connections, but those are ALWAYS for 3.5" ones, with the issue being power and not the drives/USB connection. I'm trying to boot from a 2.5" SSD, so the power is not external.

Any ideas all? Appreciate the assistance!

If it matters, the SSD is back in its original tower, and is working just fine and dandy.

Thanks!

 

[mazboy]

Basically, windows is not going to let you do this. On a new build, you almost always have to do a clean install on an internally connected SSD/HDD using a bootable WinXX USB drive. Your old SSD is not bootable as a USB-connected drive.

A bootable drive (whether a disk--CD or DVD--or USB), is a .iso file, which is not what is on your old SSD.

 

[Tman8816]

Then I guess I don't understand what the bios setting I selected 'USB boot' as primary boot drive. I can't imagine that this can't work somehow... It IS finding and booting Windows, it just isn't completing the system load

The SSD I am trying to boot from IS the boot drive from another computer...?

Isn't a .iso a copy of a disk, how does that tie into this situation?