not booting with USB drive

Question

I tried doing dule boot on my window 11 machine laptop it went wrong

I must deleted drive but it would only boot in linux mint

I made a boot tool with window creation tool but booted into a loop asking reboot it but no keys working to reboot only turn off.

Any help please

Answer 1

Hi @James Harris,   

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Thank you for reaching out. The current boot loop and unresponsive keyboard suggest that the UEFI is attempting to hand off control to a bootloader that no longer exists, likely the Linux Mint GRUB remnants, while being blocked by a Fast Boot flag. 

To resolve this, please follow these steps to ensure your USB media is recognized and prioritized: 

1. Perform a hard reset: Hold the power button for 20 seconds to fully discharge the system. 
2. Access the boot menu, upon restart immediately tap the boot menu key (typically F12, F9, or Esc) to bypass the internal drive and select the USB installation media directly. 

If the USB is still not recognized, please access your BIOS/UEFI settings to verify the following configurations: 

1. Secure Boot: Disable this temporarily to ensure the Windows 11 media can override the previous boot records without signature conflicts. 
2. Boot Mode: Ensure this is set to UEFI. Windows 11 will not initialize in Legacy or CSM modes. 
3. USB Boot: Confirm this setting is Enabled in the configuration menu to allow external media to start. 

Once you successfully boot into the Windows Setup environment, select the Custom installation option. I advise deleting all existing partitions on the primary drive until only unallocated space remains. This process wipes the corrupted bootloader and allows Windows to create a fresh EFI partition and GPT structure. 

If the media creation tool continues to fail, I suggest re-imaging the USB using Rufus with the partition scheme set to GPT for UEFI. This often resolves compatibility issues that the standard creation tool might overlook during the flash process. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Answer 2

It sounds like you're experiencing issues with booting your Windows 11 machine after attempting to set up a dual boot with Linux Mint. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Check Boot Order: Ensure that your BIOS/UEFI settings are configured to boot from the USB drive first. You can access the firmware menus by pressing the appropriate key during startup (common keys include Esc, Delete, F1, F2, F10, F11, or F12).
2. Use a Different USB Port: If you're using an external USB drive, try connecting it to a different USB port, preferably a USB 2.0 port, as some systems may have issues with USB 3.0 ports during boot.
3. Recreate the Bootable USB: If the USB drive is not booting correctly, consider recreating it using the Windows Media Creation Tool. Make sure to follow the instructions carefully to ensure it is set up correctly.
4. Disable Secure Boot: Sometimes, Secure Boot can prevent booting from USB drives. You might need to disable this feature in your BIOS/UEFI settings under the Security section.
5. Repair Boot Configuration: If you can access the Windows installation media, you can try repairing the boot configuration. Boot from the installation media, select Repair your computer, and then navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt. You can run the command bootrec /fixmbr and bootrec /fixboot to repair the boot sector.
6. Check for Hardware Issues: If none of the above steps work, there could be a hardware issue. Ensure that your hard drive is functioning properly and that there are no loose connections.

If you continue to face issues, you may want to consult with a professional or refer to the manufacturer's support for further assistance.

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References:

• Boot to UEFI Mode or legacy BIOS mode
• BCDBoot Command-Line Options