I created a Windows installation USB with the Media Creation Tool, and the BIOS recognizes it as a UEFI USB device. However, selecting it manually or setting it as Boot Option #1 only sends the computer back into the BIOS instead of starting Windows Setup. What BIOS settings or boot options should I check?
2 Answers
Confirm that the firmware is configured for UEFI boot mode rather than Legacy or CSM. Secure Boot should generally be enabled for a normal Windows 11 installation, though temporarily disabling it can help diagnose why the USB will not start. In the one-time boot menu, make sure you choose the UEFI version of the USB rather than a legacy entry.
Try moving the USB drive to another port, preferably a rear motherboard port. You can also power the PC off completely, turn it back on, and use the one-time boot menu key—often F11, F12, or a similar key—to select the entry labeled something like “UEFI: [USB name].” If it still loops back to BIOS, temporarily disable Secure Boot and test again.
Disabling Secure Boot let the Windows installer start, but it then reported that the PC needed TPM 2.0. I enabled Intel Platform Trust Technology in the BIOS, since this system uses an i7-9700F and had previously run Windows 11. It still seemed inconsistent at first, but PTT had somehow become disabled, and re-enabling it fixed the issue.