Dec 16, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
- Starting Computer From Usb Drive
- How To Boot Off Usb On Mac
- How To Boot Off Usb Win 10
- How To Boot Off Usb Mac
A Universal Serial Bus or USB drive, also known as a flash drive is a portable data storage device that includes a memory which includes a USB interface. It is typically removable and much smaller than an optical disc. Any sort of data can be stored in this device. The drives are available in various sizes and if we talk about storage, the 2TB(Tera-Byte) flash drives in terms of storage capacity are the largest ones available in the market.
Insert a USB flash drive into a running computer. Open a Command Prompt window as an administrator. Plug a Bootable USB Drive into the USB port of your computer. Note: You can skip steps 1 4. Set Dell laptop or computer boot from USB Drive. Insert the USB stick into a USB port and start or restart computer. When F12 = Boot Menu appears in the upper-right corner of the screen, press. When Boot Option Menu appears, choose USB stick to boot from.
Today, these drives are one of the most consumed used devices in the world. Thanks to their portable nature, affordability, and compatibility, USB drives are being used to send and receive endless information across a surplus of networks and platforms all around the globe. This small tool has opened the world to a stream of limitless options for storing, transferring, copying data, and much more. One of them includes Booting the Mac from such a device.
Part 1. Reasons for Mac Boot from USB:
Booting the Mac from USB in a way gives the power back to the user. The likeliest of the reason for choosing the boot from the USB method is that your Mac won't start which denies the user access to the computer. Using an external source like the USB drive helps the user get around the problem. It provides the user access to the contents of the internal drive, assuming the data is safe and not corrupted. How to use autotune for free. It also helps to repair the Mac disk with Disk Utility and other tools. Here are the top reasons why the user should choose to Boot Mac from USB:
- Allows the user to install a different version of macOS.
- It allows the user to test a new version before you decide to upgrade.
- Allows risk-free testing of the Beta version.
- Faster and efficient.
- By installing older versions through USB, it permits certain Apps to run which are not compatible with the latest macOS.
Plug in bootable USB disk (USB Stick). Shut down the machine first, then press Novo Button; Note: The Novo button allows the PC to power on and go straight to Boot mode.
Part 2. Preparations for Booting Mac from USB:
To ensure a risk-free procedure certain measure should be taken:
- The user should buy a name-brand flash drive.
- The USB should contain 16-32GB of free space.
- The user should scan the flash drive with some reputable Anti-Virus software.
- The user should check to see what size of ports they have on the Mac. A 12' Mac only contains a single C-Type port.
- Make sure to purchase the C port flash drive to avoid any inconvenience.
- It is recommended that the user should go with a USB 3.0 supported drive, with a size of 16GB to ensure a swift transfer of data.
- The USB drive should be formatted with a supported GUID partition.
- It should contain an OS X installer or a usable operating system to work with.
Part 3. How to Create Bootable USB on Mac:
There are a few general guidelines that can help get your machine started which are mentioned above, regardless of the OS the user prefers.
Here are the methods to create a bootable USB drive on Mac.
- Creating a Bootable USB Using Terminal.
- Create a Bootable drive with the help a third party compression software, which is available for free.
Creating a Bootable USB Using Terminal:
The terminal is the default gateway to the command line on a Mac. It is just like the Command Prompt feature works for MS Windows. The Terminal feature ensures a hassle-free experience for the Mac user without the conventional pointing and clicking, the user just has to type the commands and the computer does the rest. The user can find Terminal in the Applications>Utilities folder or it can be checked in the finder utility.
Using the Terminal feature is the most simple way to create the bootable USB drive. The user just needs to follow one easy step which is renaming the MyVolume portion of the command with the name of the drive. The name of the drive can be changed using the Disk Utility of Mac.
Here are the steps required after opening the Terminal feature to create a bootable USB drive.
- Copy and paste the command which is suited for the version of the operating system into the Terminal window.
- The command for macOS Mojave is as follows:
sudo /Applications/InstallmacOSMojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume/Volumes/MyVolume
- Press the Return key.
- Enter the password.
- Confirm to erase the USB drive by typing Y followed by the Return key.
- The terminal will erase all the data inside the drive and create the bootable USB drive.
If there is a need to install a different version of the operating system then the user just has to replace the above-underlined command with their desired version of OS. For example, if the user wants to install Mac OS Sierra instead of Mojave then they would have to replace 'Mojave.app' with 'Sierra.app' inside the command line.
Part 4. How to Boot Mac from USB Media:
After creating a bootable USB drive, the user simply needs to plug the created drive into the open port on the Mac. Here are the steps to boot Mac from the USB flash drive:
- Power on the system.
- Press and hold the Option (Alt) key on the keyboard when the computer starts.
- Select the USB drive as a startup disk when the option appears.
- The system will start the boot process off the USB drive.
- Install the operating system from the macOS utilities.
- Data can be restored by using the Time-Machine backup option.
Part 5. How to Recover Data from Unbootable Mac:
The Mac becomes unbootable when the BIOS which is a firmware that is used to perform hardware initialization during the booting process fails to recognize the startup process. It usually happens when there is a failed system update, system crash, damaged MBR, or when the drive becomes corrupt.
Recoverit Mac Data Recovery tool is the most efficient option to recover all the lost data when Mac becomes unbootable. Developed by Wondershare, Recoverit is one of the most preferred recovery tools in the world. The tool provides an instant preview of what is recovered after a detailed scan. It allows you to connect almost every type of portable device and recover data from them. Data can be restored by performing the recovery and repair process. The process involves the installation of the Recoverit software that offers users the chance to get back the important data that they had lost.
First of all, the user is required to download the Recoverit software on the Mac system from the official website. Here are the following step required to recover data from an unbootable computer:
- Installation: Please Install Recoverit by clicking on the icon.
- Select the folder: Select the 'Recover from Crash Computer' option.
- Initiate Recovery Process: Click on 'Start' for the recovery process to launch.
- Create Bootable Drive: Select the 'Create USB bootable drive' option and click on 'Create'.
- A pop up will appear that will prompt the user to format the USB drive.
- Format the Drive: Click on 'Format' Now.
- The process will start that will create a bootable flash drive.
- Recover Data: After the boot is completed, click on the 'View Guide' option to recover data.
- Start Recoverit: Launch the Recoverit software again.
- Recover Data: Scan the drives for lost data.
All hope gets lost when the computer becomes unbootable and the data gets deleted. Recoverit recovery software is the most convenient program when it comes to retrieving lost data from the computer.
Conclusion:
Installing the macOS from a USB flash drive gives the user an instant solution when the Mac installer due to some reason refused to work. The method to create a bootable drive is easier than it sounds. Now, you know what to do whenever you want to upgrade your macOS from a bootable external source by following different methods to ensure a safe and hassle-free process. If you lose valuable data when the Mac becomes unbootable then you can easily recover the lost files by using the Recoverit recovery software. Recoverit guarantees data recovery in no time.
Video Tutorial on How to Boot Mac into Recovery Mode
What's Wrong with Mac
- Recover Your Mac
- Fix Your Mac
- Delete Your Mac
- Learn Mac Hacks
Many computers do not have the external CD/DVD drive and thus you need the bootable USB drive to install Windows. Creating a bootable USB is fairly easy and all thanks to some really good freeware programs available for this purpose. But, what if the computer wouldn't boot from the USB drive? If you have run into such a problem, here are some solutions for you.
Part 1: Check If Your PC Supports USB Booting
Your computer will boot from the USB bootable drive only if it supports this type of boot. Not all the computers support USB boot. While most modern computers today support USB booting, there are some that do not. In order to find whether your computer is USB bootable or not, you will need to check the BIOS setup. The steps may vary across computer models but remain more or less the same for all PCs:
Step 1. Restart the computer or if it is shut down, power it on.
Step 2. When the PC starts to run, on the first screen it will display the key you need to press in order to enter the BIOS setup. Usually, it is the 'Delete' or 'Del' key
Note: If you have previously set the BIOS password you will need to provide the password to enter BIOS setup. If you forgot BIOS password, you will need to reset it by taking out the CMOS battery from the motherboard. In case you haven't done this before, it is best to take the help of a technician. If you forgot Windows login password, try to reset your Windows 10 password with PC Unlocker software.
Step 3. You will need to explore a bit and find the 'Boot Options' (or something like that). Once you are there you can set the Boot Priority
If you do not see the USB boot option, it means that your motherboard does not support it. You will need to boot using some other method.
Part 2: Re-Make A New Bootable USB with WizBurn
In most cases, you need to reexamine if the ISO burning software is the right one for you? As we know there are many free ISO burning tools out there, like Rufus, RMPrepUSB , Windows USB/DVD Download Tool or ISO to USB, etc. These free burning tools can't be updated continuously and provide any support service, even some tools don't support UEFI BIOS! Eventually, the generated USB disk cannot normally boot the computers. But only a small part of computers can boot win8/Win7 except Win10. These computer will generally display 'NTLDR is missing', for this problem there is no good solution currently.
If your computer won't boot from USB, the only solution is try to re-make a new bootable USB disk with professional ISO burning software. We recommend iSeePassword Dr.Boot tool.
Step 1. Click the 'Download' button to get the latest version of Dr.Boot software, then install it on another working computer.
Starting Computer From Usb Drive
Step 2. After installation, launch it and you will see the main interface below. Easy to use and user-friendly interface.
Step 3. Click 'Browse' button to import local ISO file and add it to progarm.
Step 4. Now insert an USB drive to the computer and select the drive name from the list undert 'Create A Bootable USB'.
NOTE: For Win 10 ISO file, if your computer is UEFI, then just select 'UEFI boot' from Partition Style.
Step 5. After settings, click 'Burn' button to start make a bootable USB disk. It may take around 10 minutes. After making a boot disk, insert it to your computer and boot from USB.
Don't miss: How to Burn ISO Image to USB Drive on Windows 7/8/10
Part 3: Set up Your PC for USB Boot
Even if your computer supports USB booting, remember that USB is not always the first boot priority. It is also possible that your computer has not been set up to boot from the USB at all even though it is supported. So, what you need to do is change the BIOS settings so that your computer accepts USB boot. Follow the simple steps below:
Step 1. Restart your PC or if it is already shut down, turn it back on.
Step 2. When the PC starts to run, on the first screen you will see the key you need to press in order to enter the BIOS setup. More often than not it is the 'F2', 'Del' or whichever is the appropriate key for your computer. It may vary depending upon your computer model. For example, Dell computer has different ways to enter BIOS setup, see how to get into BIOS on a Dell computer.
Step 3. Find the 'Boot Options' or something similar to it (the steps may vary across computers but it is easy to find).
Step 4. Once you are in the Boot section of the BIOS, you can select the 'First Boot Device'. Select the appropriate option from the Boot Menu.
This will instruct the computer to prioritize the boot and select USB drive as the first option, and insert the bootable USB drive and restart your computer.
Part 4: Check If Your USB Drive Is Actually Bootable
If the USB bootable drive has not been created the right way or if it is corrupt, you will not be able to install Windows with it. You need to make sure that USB drive has been prepared using the right tools and the right method. You will be able to boot Windows only if the drive is bootable.
This is why it would be worth your while to check if the drive is actually bootable. For this you will need to install a portable application called MobaLiveCD, which uses QEMU emulator to determine if the drive is bootable. Here are the steps:
How To Boot Off Usb On Mac
Step 1. Download the application from http://www.mobatek.net/ (you don't need to install it as it is a portable app for Windows)
Step 2. Launch the app and click 'Run the LiveUSB' button on the screen.
- A pop up will appear that will prompt the user to format the USB drive.
- Format the Drive: Click on 'Format' Now.
- The process will start that will create a bootable flash drive.
- Recover Data: After the boot is completed, click on the 'View Guide' option to recover data.
- Start Recoverit: Launch the Recoverit software again.
- Recover Data: Scan the drives for lost data.
All hope gets lost when the computer becomes unbootable and the data gets deleted. Recoverit recovery software is the most convenient program when it comes to retrieving lost data from the computer.
Conclusion:
Installing the macOS from a USB flash drive gives the user an instant solution when the Mac installer due to some reason refused to work. The method to create a bootable drive is easier than it sounds. Now, you know what to do whenever you want to upgrade your macOS from a bootable external source by following different methods to ensure a safe and hassle-free process. If you lose valuable data when the Mac becomes unbootable then you can easily recover the lost files by using the Recoverit recovery software. Recoverit guarantees data recovery in no time.
Video Tutorial on How to Boot Mac into Recovery Mode
What's Wrong with Mac
- Recover Your Mac
- Fix Your Mac
- Delete Your Mac
- Learn Mac Hacks
Many computers do not have the external CD/DVD drive and thus you need the bootable USB drive to install Windows. Creating a bootable USB is fairly easy and all thanks to some really good freeware programs available for this purpose. But, what if the computer wouldn't boot from the USB drive? If you have run into such a problem, here are some solutions for you.
Part 1: Check If Your PC Supports USB Booting
Your computer will boot from the USB bootable drive only if it supports this type of boot. Not all the computers support USB boot. While most modern computers today support USB booting, there are some that do not. In order to find whether your computer is USB bootable or not, you will need to check the BIOS setup. The steps may vary across computer models but remain more or less the same for all PCs:
Step 1. Restart the computer or if it is shut down, power it on.
Step 2. When the PC starts to run, on the first screen it will display the key you need to press in order to enter the BIOS setup. Usually, it is the 'Delete' or 'Del' key
Note: If you have previously set the BIOS password you will need to provide the password to enter BIOS setup. If you forgot BIOS password, you will need to reset it by taking out the CMOS battery from the motherboard. In case you haven't done this before, it is best to take the help of a technician. If you forgot Windows login password, try to reset your Windows 10 password with PC Unlocker software.
Step 3. You will need to explore a bit and find the 'Boot Options' (or something like that). Once you are there you can set the Boot Priority
If you do not see the USB boot option, it means that your motherboard does not support it. You will need to boot using some other method.
Part 2: Re-Make A New Bootable USB with WizBurn
In most cases, you need to reexamine if the ISO burning software is the right one for you? As we know there are many free ISO burning tools out there, like Rufus, RMPrepUSB , Windows USB/DVD Download Tool or ISO to USB, etc. These free burning tools can't be updated continuously and provide any support service, even some tools don't support UEFI BIOS! Eventually, the generated USB disk cannot normally boot the computers. But only a small part of computers can boot win8/Win7 except Win10. These computer will generally display 'NTLDR is missing', for this problem there is no good solution currently.
If your computer won't boot from USB, the only solution is try to re-make a new bootable USB disk with professional ISO burning software. We recommend iSeePassword Dr.Boot tool.
Step 1. Click the 'Download' button to get the latest version of Dr.Boot software, then install it on another working computer.
Starting Computer From Usb Drive
Step 2. After installation, launch it and you will see the main interface below. Easy to use and user-friendly interface.
Step 3. Click 'Browse' button to import local ISO file and add it to progarm.
Step 4. Now insert an USB drive to the computer and select the drive name from the list undert 'Create A Bootable USB'.
NOTE: For Win 10 ISO file, if your computer is UEFI, then just select 'UEFI boot' from Partition Style.
Step 5. After settings, click 'Burn' button to start make a bootable USB disk. It may take around 10 minutes. After making a boot disk, insert it to your computer and boot from USB.
Don't miss: How to Burn ISO Image to USB Drive on Windows 7/8/10
Part 3: Set up Your PC for USB Boot
Even if your computer supports USB booting, remember that USB is not always the first boot priority. It is also possible that your computer has not been set up to boot from the USB at all even though it is supported. So, what you need to do is change the BIOS settings so that your computer accepts USB boot. Follow the simple steps below:
Step 1. Restart your PC or if it is already shut down, turn it back on.
Step 2. When the PC starts to run, on the first screen you will see the key you need to press in order to enter the BIOS setup. More often than not it is the 'F2', 'Del' or whichever is the appropriate key for your computer. It may vary depending upon your computer model. For example, Dell computer has different ways to enter BIOS setup, see how to get into BIOS on a Dell computer.
Step 3. Find the 'Boot Options' or something similar to it (the steps may vary across computers but it is easy to find).
Step 4. Once you are in the Boot section of the BIOS, you can select the 'First Boot Device'. Select the appropriate option from the Boot Menu.
This will instruct the computer to prioritize the boot and select USB drive as the first option, and insert the bootable USB drive and restart your computer.
Part 4: Check If Your USB Drive Is Actually Bootable
If the USB bootable drive has not been created the right way or if it is corrupt, you will not be able to install Windows with it. You need to make sure that USB drive has been prepared using the right tools and the right method. You will be able to boot Windows only if the drive is bootable.
This is why it would be worth your while to check if the drive is actually bootable. For this you will need to install a portable application called MobaLiveCD, which uses QEMU emulator to determine if the drive is bootable. Here are the steps:
How To Boot Off Usb On Mac
Step 1. Download the application from http://www.mobatek.net/ (you don't need to install it as it is a portable app for Windows)
Step 2. Launch the app and click 'Run the LiveUSB' button on the screen.
How To Boot Off Usb Win 10
Step 3. You don't need to create any virtual disk image. You can test the validity of the drive by clicking NO when the next confirmation dialogue box appears: How do i download an app to my computer.
Step 4. The QEMU emulator runs and if the drive is bootable, you will see 'Press any key to boot from CD or DVD..'
Step 5. If the drive isn't bootable it will ask you to insert a bootable device.
How To Boot Off Usb Mac
If the USB drive is not bootable, you will need to create the proper bootable drive first. How do you completely wipe a flash drive. Different versions of Windows use different file systems. If you are trying to use the NTFS formatted bootable drive to install the Windows in the legacy-BIOS or UEFI mode, it will not work. If you are not sure what this is all about, you may contact Microsoft support for more help.
Conclusion
There are a number of factors that may prevent USB bootable from working. You need to make sure that USB drive is actually bootable and has been formatted using the correct file system, make sure that your computer supports USB boot. You will also need enter the BIOS setup to configure your computer to accept USB bootable drive. Hope these methods would be helpful if your laptop can't boot from USB drive.
