My newer laptop failed because of a motherboard problem, so I'm trying to bring an older HP Envy x360 back to life. I installed a new 2.5-inch SATA SSD, but since it's empty, I need to install Windows from a bootable USB drive. I created the installer on a Mac using WinDeskWriter and initially got partway through setup before the laptop suddenly powered off. When I tried again, it shut down earlier, and now it turns off before the Windows installer even loads.
I've tried reseating the SSD, using different USB ports, changing BIOS settings, turning the laptop off for 20–30 seconds, and attempting to remove a stuck SD card. The laptop doesn't seem unusually hot, and it remains powered on for several minutes in BIOS even when I disconnect the AC adapter. I haven't yet disconnected the internal battery, reseated the RAM, or reapplied thermal paste.
Could the USB installer have been created incorrectly on the Mac, especially since it was prepared for MBR with FAT/MS-DOS formatting? Or does the behavior suggest a battery, cooling, RAM, or other hardware problem?
2 Answers
Since the shutdown happens at different points and eventually occurs before setup starts, test the installation media first rather than immediately adding thermal paste or changing hardware. Try a different USB drive if you can, verify the Windows ISO, and recreate the installer using a reliable method. A bad or incorrectly formatted boot drive could explain why the installer fails inconsistently.
The USB installer may not have been created in a format the laptop can boot reliably. Creating Windows media on macOS can be tricky, and the MBR/FAT setup may not match the laptop’s UEFI boot configuration. If possible, recreate the installer with a known-good tool such as balenaEtcher on macOS, or use Rufus from a Windows computer and choose the partition scheme that matches the laptop—usually GPT for UEFI systems.
I originally tried balenaEtcher, but that didn’t work either. The installer I made afterward was set up for MBR and FAT/MS-DOS.
That makes sense. I’ve already swapped USB ports, but I haven’t tested with a completely different flash drive or rebuilt the installer from a verified ISO.