Asus MB on Windows 11 bios fails to detect external Optical drive

Just bought a brand new desktop PC after my 8-years old PC quit for good. With the old computer HDD SATA drive I was able to set the boot priority in BIOS, typically to install an OS from the installation. CD I wanted to have this option with the new PC and I bought an external optical drive ( Dell).
Unfortunalely, the ASUS BIOS does not detect the external optical drive. and I am therefore unable to boot from the Windows 7 installation CD ( I need this, because I have an oldish literature collection which was designed for Windows 7.

The BIOS only detects the main SSD drive . No other plug-and-play USB devices are detected.. by the BIOS,as I would have ( perhaps wrongly?) expected. They show in Windows Explorer., though)), ). .
The new computer MB is an ASUS D700 ME...
Is there a way out?

Thanks

Ittiandro


The MB is an ASUS MBD700 ME .

MisterEd said:

Make sure the external DVD drive has a Windows 7 DVD in it when you boot.

In the BIOS menu:

When I start my desktop with the external DVD drive connected I see that the default it to boot from the ADATA SSD



To boot from the Windows 7 DVD I change the boot drive to be the ASUS external DVD drive



If you still can't boot from the external DVD drive you can always create a bootable USB flash drive with the Windows 7 setup on it.

Thanks
\There is only 1 Boot priority in the BIOS: " Windows BOOT manager ( micro n_2400_MTFDKBA1TOQFM"
There is a " SWITCHALL " button, which is inactive.
If I tap on" Boot Priority", it is inactive.
Under the "BOOT" TAB it shows " Boot OPTION as Windows BOOT Manager.
There is also an option to add a new BOOT OPTION. If I select " CREATE" it says " APTIO SETUP-AMI."
Bottom line I see no way to have the External OPTICAL DRIVE show as a boot option.
I assume that If I could set the external drive as 1st boot option, it would give a choice where to install the new Windows 7 or whichever OS, because I wouldn't want to erase Windows 11.


I wish I could attach a screenshot . Normally I can do it with the PRINSCREEN button on the keyboard, but I cannot do it while I am on the BIOS screen

Thanks for your help

Ittiandro

Have a fat32 usb stick plugged in. Try F12 to deposit a bios screenshot on the usb stick.

SIW2 said:

Have a fat32 usb stick plugged in. Try F12 to deposit a bios screenshot on the usb stick.

Thanks a lot!
Making headways: yes, now the BIOS sees a couple of USB UEFI devices as boot options., but still not the optical external drive .
I also see that I can change the priority sequence by dragging the devices up or down the list.
You hinted I can make any of this USB devices bootable, but I am not too sure how. Ideally if the BIOS could detect the external drive, it would be the best solution, though. Why doesn't it do it?

Thanks

Ittiandro

Have the disc in the dvddrive

at post tap F8 should bring up the one time boot menu

dont think screenshot works in one time boot menu but the menu should show the dvd

SIW2 said:

Have the disc in the dvddrive

at post tap F8 should bring up the one time boot menu

dont think screenshot works in one time boot menu but the menu should show the dvd

OK, now the BIOS shows the UEFI Usb drive as 1st boot, with the Windows 11 SSD as 2nd boot. It still doesn't show the External optical drive,, but I should be able to work it out If I can make the UEFI USB drive bootable, with Rufus, I suppose. .
Normally, I burn the OS ISO file on a CD/DVD. Should I copy the OS ISO file on the e USB " drive to make it bootable or are there any other steps?
I'll try RUFUS. If problems, I'll get back to you.

TKS

Ittiandro

MisterEd said:

You can use Rufus to select the ISO and have it create the USB flash drive.

BTW, initially I tried to select the external DVD drive in the boot menu but it didn't work. When I did it thought I was using a floppy disk drive and wanted me to insert a floppy disk!. However, when I selected the external DVD drive in the BIOS it booted with the Windows 7 DVD.

Have been able to make bootable USB drive for the OS iso. Now the computer boots as if swere for a new installatio.. Howeer I can't go any further.The OS cannot be installed in any of the partitions listed.
Here is the message:
Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table On EFI systems Windows can only be installed to GPT disks..Setup does not support configuration of or installation to disks connected through an USB or IEEE 1394 port"

I hop ewe can solve this

Tks
Ittiandro

First off, I checked the drive layout with the Minitool partition Wizard. THe disk are GPT, no MBR partition table..
A copy of the disk and partitions layout (Minitool Partition app) is attached for your reference.
Note that disk 2 is the Seagate USB ( logical ) drive with all my BUPS..