- Make External Usb Hard Drive Bootable Windows 10
- Make Hdd Bootable Windows 10
- Windows 10 How To Make A Bootable Hard Drive
- How To Make Hard Drive Bootable To Install Windows 10
- Make A Hard Drive Bootable Windows 10
I have DELL Alienware Aurora R4 machine with three hard drives:
1. (Local Disk)C: - (Windows 7) the “original” one that I bought with the computer.
2. (OS)D: - (Windows 10 with all updates) the one I’ve added after the “original” started to show signs of degradation.
3. (STORE)F: - (no OS) the one I use just to store stuff.
I’ve had dual boot and everything was hunky-dory until last week the C drive have finally kicked the bucket.
First the computer refused to shut down until I forced it. And next morning it took more than TWO hours to boot. When I finally got to the window explorer the C drive was still there but I couldn’t access or do anything to it.
In the old times I could just remove it and set boot priorities in BIOS to boot from drive D. But if I actually remove the dead drive now, the computer says that it has nothing to boot from.
It appears that with UEFI mode enabled
1. I don’t see the actual drives in the BIOS (It only shows general source types, like Hard Drive, CD/DVD, etc.) and therefore cannot boot from a particular internal drive.
2. I cannot assign Active Partition
3. I cannot remove the dead C drive
So, what the heck am I supposed to do?
P.S. Could I just buy a new drive, clone the D drive to it, call it C and use the D for something else?
Please, HELP!
Make External Usb Hard Drive Bootable Windows 10
BIOS
The BIOS controls what devices and in what order the computer boots from. Hiren's Boot CD or another Linux based partition editor can set the hd to be bootable.
Type 'select disk X', replacing 'X' with the number assigned to the relevant drive. Press the 'Enter' key. Enter 'list partition' and press the 'Return' key. Note the number assigned to the partition you want to make bootable. How to Create a Bootable Clone of your Windows 10 Drive Make Clonezilla Live Disk: Download Clonezilla. Boot into Clonezilla Live. Ensure both your source and goal hard disks are associated with your PC. Initialize Clonezilla Live. Once Clonezilla Live begins, you’ll see a sprinkle screen.
As stated above the BIOS is where you need to look
As you have neither a Floppy or Optical Drive which is how all Net Books come you need to use a USB Thumb Drive to hold the Install Files and set the BIOS to Boot From USB before the HDD in the Net Book.
Col
OK but...
...the laptop will only boot to the hard drive, I cannot change the BIOS settings. So I cannot boot from a USB stick. This is why I've had to remove the hard drive and access it using another machine.
I haven't used Linux before but I'll read up on Hiren's Boot CD and give that a go.
Thank you.
Reponse To Answer
What Model NB is it then?
The only ones that can not boot from USB are very old.
Col
Make Hdd Bootable Windows 10
It's not a netbook as such...
...it's a Panasonic ToughBook from 2010 - not that old. I can't boot from USB because I cannot enter the BIOS. The previous owner - who was almost completely computer illiterate and wouldn't know what BIOS was if it jumped up and bit him on the behind, somehow managed to set a password on it. The model is made specifically so this cannot be undone. I called Panasonic and they confirmed it - they also said they could replace the BIOS chip (eeprom) but wanted ??400 ($600) to do it.
OK then try this but I'm not sure that your Mac will be able to do it
You need to create a Boot Partition of about 1 Gig on the Root of the HDD as a FAT 16 or maybe 32 Partition.
That will be the problem part as I'm not sure that OSX can make a FAT 16 Partition and I know that 7 can not natively.
When you have the FAT 16 Partition Created at the Root of the Drive copy the files from the Windows Install Disc to that partition and leave the rest of the drive blank and untouched.
After you have finished copying the Install Files off the Windows Install Disc return the HDD to the NB and start it running. If the system can read the Root Partition it will read the Windows Install Files and allow you to install Windows to the remainder of the unused HDD.
You may get away with making a FAT 32 Partition and the computer may be able to read it but honestly a FAT 16 Partition is the best alternative.
Also depending on which version fo Windows you want to install a 1 GIG Partition may not be big enough but if it's XP that is involved here it's pleanty big enough. It's just 7 or Vista 1 GIG will not be big enough and to be perfectly honest if it's so badly knocked around it probably will not run either of those OS either.
Col
Reponse To Answer
Windows 10 How To Make A Bootable Hard Drive
Hi Col,
Thanks for all this info - really useful.
I have built up a collection of Windows CDs over the years and could install any of them on my Mac. I think I have Win7 and WinXP at the moment. Can you do the things you describe using XP? If so:
How do you create a boot partition? This is the main question above.
Don't worry about what OSX can or can't do, I'll do it in Windows.
When you create a boot partition, are some files copied across? System files or DOS or something?
Or are the boot files copied across when I copy over the contents of the Windows install disc?
It will run Vista, it came with it originally. It's not a new laptop but has Intel Core 2 Duo and 4Gb RAM. It cost nearly ??4,000 two years ago.
Thanks again,
KaiBosh
OK in that case
Make the Recovery Partition about 2.5 GIG in capacity and copy all of the Vista Install Disc to the Root of the C Drive.
If it's too big for that size partition make sure you copy the main files but not the Folders labeled Value Added and Documents. You need the loose files and the i386 Folder if it's a 32 Bit OS I'm not sure off the top of my head what the main folder is called for a 64 Bit OS but it will be obvious.
XP can make a FAT 32 Bit Partition so I would start with that the worst that will happen is that it doesn't work.
What you are doing here is moving the Boot Install Disc to the Root of the HDD and it's important that you don't stick it into any Folders the Base Files need to be located on the Root of the Drive so that when the hardware starts looking they are the first thing that are seen. It's not difficult to do just don't copy the Install Disc into a Folder.
Col
How To Make Hard Drive Bootable To Install Windows 10
Reponse To Answer
Hi Col,
Thanks very much for the clarification. I shall copy the contents of the install DVD to the root of the drive.
The bit missing here is that I still don't know how to make a Recovery Partition or a Boot Partition. I have created partitions using Windows' own Disk Management tool (in Utilities) and also a third party app called Partition Wizard but it does not make the partition bootable.
In Partition Wizard, for example, it shows the C-drive (virtual drive set up to run the virtual Windows machine) as a bootable partition - it has 'Boot' included as one of its attributes - but not the E-drive (the laptop HD plugged into the USB dock).
I have searched every toolbar, all the help files, multiple Google searches. I have posted questions on 10 forums. I just don't know how to make a drive bootable. It seems like it should be such an easy thing to do but no-one seems to know.
Recovery Partitions are a lot more difficult
They require some form of Script to launch the Recovery Process and this is where things get difficult.
The Script and Base Files need to be located in a small Partition at the Root of the Boot Drive where as the Recovery Partition needs to be another Partition and the Work/Windows Partition is yet another. The Root and Recovery Partitions need to be setup prior to installing the OS where as the Windows Partition is setup from the Recovery Partition.
Copying things to the Root of the CD Drive means that they are read when the computer starts, well goes beyond the POST Part, the Root of the C Drive is the first thing that gets looked at once the POST Process is finished.
If you copy things to the Root of the C Drive you'll get a message something along the lines of To Install Windows press any key much like you get the Prompt nowadays to Boot from an Optical Drive when it's the First in the Boot Order no matter if there is a Disc in it or not somethign like Boot from CD/DVD.
The thing here is that to be Bootable the Root Partition need to be readable and not require software to allow the system to be able to read the HDD Data. NTFS Partition are not readable without the necessary software which is installed by default as you install Modern Windows, you are not asked if you want it or not it's just placed in there.
As for the drive plugged into the USB Dock it can not be bootable because the system doesn't read it as a first alternative even if you where to set it in the Drive Chain before the HDD in the computer you are using it's unlikely to be readable because USB Drivers are needed for a HDD where as a Thumb Drive doesn't need those drivers. If the Root Partition is readable by the Hardware it's by Default the Boot Drive.
I hope that explains things in a way that you understand though I think I've made a mess of trying to explain.
Col