I've been struggling for a while with creating bootable flash drives. It seems that whenever I make one using a USB 3.0 port, it only boots if I use it in another USB 3.0 port. For example, I created the bootable drive in a USB 3.0 port but when I tried to boot from it in a USB 2.0 port, the system recognized it but just skipped right over it. I had to switch to a USB 3.0 port for it to actually work. This issue happens no matter which tool I use to create the bootable media, whether it's Rufus, the Microsoft Media Creation Tool, or other third-party software. The flash drives I've been using are all USB 3.0. Can anyone shed some light on this?
1 Answer
It sounds like your issue stems from the fact that USB 3.0 ports initialize differently than USB 2.0 ports during boot. Early on, the system doesn't have a full OS or drivers loaded, just firmware. Some motherboards fully initialize USB 3.x ports first, while USB 2.0 may not be ready to function until later in the boot process. That's likely why booting only works in a USB 3.0 port. I also recommend checking out Ventoy; it's a really convenient tool that helps create bootable drives that let you choose from multiple images.
So, you're suggesting I should prioritize USB 3.0 ports for booting? That makes sense. I'll definitely pay more attention to that in the future!