My old SSD stopped working, so I installed a new SSD in my older HP Pavilion. The computer detects the new drive, but it displays "Boot device not found—please install an operating system on the hard disk." I have a USB flash drive advertised as a bootable Windows 11/10/8.1/7 installer, but the USB does not appear in the boot menu. I'm not very familiar with BIOS or boot settings and need simple, step-by-step guidance. I'm trying to reinstall Windows rather than replace the entire computer.
3 Answers
The new SSD is expected to be unbootable until Windows has been installed on it. Turn the HP completely off, plug in the installer USB, then power it on while repeatedly tapping Esc. When the Startup Menu appears, press F9 for Boot Device Options and select the USB drive. The Windows installer should start, allowing you to install Windows onto the new SSD.
The USB you bought may not actually contain a valid bootable Windows installer, even if the listing says it does. On another working computer, download Microsoft’s official Windows installation media tool and use it to create a bootable USB drive. Simply copying an ISO or buying a preloaded drive doesn’t always create usable installation media. Then try the Esc, F9 boot-menu steps again.
If the USB is missing from the boot menu, try another USB port—preferably a basic USB port rather than a hub—and confirm the drive works on another computer. In the HP firmware, check that USB booting is enabled and use UEFI mode if available. If the drive still never appears, the installer USB is probably defective or was created incorrectly.
The drive is labeled as a 64GB bootable Windows installation and recovery USB, but I’m not sure whether it was made correctly.
I tried that, but the flash drive still doesn’t appear in the boot options.