5 Solutions to My Bootable Pendrive Is Not Detecting

Why is my bootable pendrive not detected?

A bootable pendrive is a USB drive that contains a bootable program. It is used to recover a failed system when the computer OS does not load. It is also used to overwrite the existing OS or install the OS from scratch.

Helpful as it is, some users find the boot device not showing in BIOS. Why does this happen? There are four main reasons:

• Loose or broken USB port
• Incorrect BIOS settings
• Outdated BIOS version
• Enabled Fast Boot or Secure Boot

👉 How to fix bootable USB not detected in Windows 10/11🔥
👉 How to boot from a USB device successfully
👉 Easy way to make a bootable pendrive for Windows PC👍

How to fix bootable USB not detected in Windows 10/11

In this part, you’ll learn five ways to fix boot device not showing in BIOS. Let’s get started.

Fix 1: Use a different USB port

Usually, there are several USB ports on a computer. If one USB port fails to recognize your bootable pendrive, try other ones. And the back-panel USB ports are preferable.

Fix 2: Change boot mode to Legacy/UEFI

It should be noted that an MBR disk uses Legacy boot mode while a GPT disk uses UEFI boot mode. So, check the partition style of your bootable USB in Disk Management and make sure your computer is using the corresponding boot mode. If not, try the following steps to change boot mode:

1. Continuously press a specific key (usually F2, F8, F12, Del) to enter BIOS Setup.
2. Then, use the arrow keys to select Boot tab. Under UEFI/BIOS Boot Mode, choose Legacy or UEFI according to your situation.

3. Press F10 to save the settings and exit. Now check if the bootable USB drive is shown under Boot Option Priority.

Fix 3: Install the latest BIOS update

If the USB device is recognized in Windows but not in BIOS, you can download and install the latest BIOS update to fix the issue. Take Dell laptop as an example. Learn how to fix bootable USB not detected in BIOS Dell below:

1. Go to the Dell Drivers & Downloads website for your system.
2. Enter your Service Tag or click the Browse all products link to locate support information for your Dell laptop.
3. Select the BIOS category from the menu.
4. Information on the current BIOS version will appear. Click the Download button to download the file.

5. Double-click the file you just downloaded and follow the onscreen prompts to begin the installation.

Fix 4: Disable Fast Boot

Fast Boot is a feature in UEFI BIOS that reduces your computer boot time. If Fast Boot is enabled, Boot from Network, Optical, and Removable Devices are disabled. Therefore, you should disable Fast Boot before you can boot from a pendrive:

1. Boot your computer into BIOS using a specific key.
2. Click on Boot > Boot Configuration, and then set Fast Boot to Disabled.

3. Click on Exit > Save Changes & Reset to apply.

Note: The available Fast Boot settings may vary per manufacturer.

Fix 5: Disable Secure Boot

Secure Boot ensures your computer to boot using only software that's trusted by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). It also works on UEFI BIOS. To disable secure boot, follow the instructions below:

1. Boot your computer into BIOS.
2. Find the Secure Boot setting and set it to Disabled. The option is usually in either the Security tab, the Boot tab, or the Authentication tab.

Note: On some PCs, you may select Custom, and then load the Secure Boot keys that are built into the PC.

3. Save changes and exit. Then see if your bootable USB drive is recognized now.

How to boot from a USB device successfully

If your bootable pendrive shows up after using the above methods, you can then boot your computer from it.

1. After entering the BIOS interface, go to the Boot tab.
2. Press the + or – key to move the USB drive to the top of the Boot Device Priority list.

3. Press F10 to save changes and exit. Your computer should boot from the bootable USB successfully.

Easy way to make a bootable pendrive for Windows PC

If the boot device not showing in BIOS issue still exists after trying the above methods, there is a possibility that the files on the flash drive are corrupted. In this condition, you can recreate a boot device. AOMEI Backupper Standard, the best free USB bootable software, can do you a favor.

• It allows you to create not only a bootable USB stick but also a bootable CD or DVD.
• You can choose to create bootable media based on Linux kernel or Windows PE. The latter one is recommended because it gives you access to full functions of AOMEI Backupper.
• The bootable USB created by AOMEI Backupper can be used on all Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP. If you need a boot device for Windows Server, try AOMEI Backupper Server.

Learn how to make a bootable pendrive via AOMEI Backupper below:

Step 1. Connect the USB flash drive to your computer and ensure it is recognized by Windows. Then, download and install AOMEI Backupper.

Step 2. Run the free bootable USB creator. Click Tools and select Create Bootable Media.

Step 3. A window pops up. Select your desired bootable disc type and click Next. Here I choose Windows PE.

Step 4. Select USB Boot Device and click Next. You will receive a prompt to format your USB drive. Click Yes to start creating bootable media if you have already backed up important files.

✍ Tips:
◐ The created bootable disc supports both Legacy and UEFI boot modes.
◐ If you don’t want to sacrifice a USB drive to be used as bootable media, you can use higher editions of AOMEI Backupper to create a recovery environment.

Summary

This page offers you five effective solutions to fix my bootable pendrive is not detecting in Windows 10/11. If none of them works for you, you can make another boot device via AOMEI Backupper. In addition, AOMEI Backupper owns many other useful features, such as permanently delete files from computer and clone SSD to larger SSD. Don’t hesitate to try it out!