My older HP Envy x360 stopped being usable after its original hard drive was removed or failed, so I installed a new 2.5-inch SATA SSD. I created a Windows installation USB on a Mac using WinDesk Writer, configured for MBR and FAT/MS-DOS, and started the installation. The first attempt powered off roughly halfway through, the second shut down even earlier, and now the laptop turns off before the installer loads at all.
I've tried different USB ports, rearranging the SSD, changing BIOS settings, waiting before restarting, and dealing with a stuck SD card. The laptop doesn't seem unusually hot, and it remains powered on for several minutes in BIOS when the AC adapter is disconnected. I haven't yet disconnected the internal battery, reseated the RAM, or reapplied thermal paste. Could the USB installer be corrupted or formatted incorrectly, or is this more likely a battery, power, RAM, cooling, or other hardware problem?
2 Answers
The USB creation method may be the problem. Tools on macOS can use different partition and boot formats, and MBR/FAT may not match what this HP expects. However, a bad installer usually causes a boot or file error rather than abruptly cutting power. If possible, recreate the USB with a known-good Windows imaging tool and use the partition mode recommended by the laptop’s BIOS, often UEFI/GPT. Also try another flash drive if you have one.
Since the machine is powering off completely instead of showing an installation error, don’t assume the SSD or Windows files are the main cause. Test whether it stays on reliably in BIOS for 20–30 minutes and run the laptop’s built-in memory and hardware diagnostics. Reseat the RAM and check the battery and charger connections, but don’t add thermal paste unless the cooling system has actually been disassembled and the existing paste is clearly a problem. A failing battery, charger, motherboard power circuit, or RAM can all cause sudden shutdowns.
It can stay in BIOS for several minutes on battery, but I haven’t tested it for half an hour yet. I’ll run the diagnostics before changing more parts.
The USB was created as MBR with FAT/MS-DOS. I’ll try recreating it with a different tool and checking the laptop’s UEFI settings.