Boot From USB/DVD

I am so confused I don't know whether I'm coming or going. I want to install/dual boot Windows 10 with Windows 8, but with the tutorial, there's so much Win 7/Win 8, 8.1 included that I'm crosseyed!

HP Pavilion g Series Windows 8.1 Pro laptop with BIOS, not UEFI.

I want to start out dual booting Windows 8.1.1 Pro (already on laptop) with Windows 10. I have created a 100 GB (wound up 97.5 GB) partition and named it Windows 10. Using Terabyte Unlimited's BurnCDCC, I created a bootable DVD, but the laptop won't boot with it. So then I managed to get the bootable USB drive created. That won't boot the laptop either!

I watched a video on YouTube, which tells me to go to Settings>Change PC Settings>Update and Recovery>Recovery>Advanced Startup>Restart Now, which is supposed to allow me to boot from the DVD or USB. Instead, I get: Continue; Troubleshoot; Turn off your PC. So I turn off the PC, turn it back on and I'm right back to the Lockscreen! With the DVD or the USB Drive. Sheesh!

I haven't a clue as to what to do next.

Hi Wynona,
With USB inserted, restart your machine, AS SOON as you see the boot screen flash quickly press Esc, then choose the boot device and press Enter.
(make note of the name/description of the usb device)

Kari said:

Hi Wynona, welcome to the Ten Forums.

When you turn your HP laptop on, you have a few seconds time to press the ESC key to enter the boot menu. Depending on the HP model you will see text something like "Press ESC to enter BOOT Menu", in my case (I have both HP Envy and ProBook laptops) my laptops show this text at bottom left corner, white text on black screen. Some HP models show it white on blue background.

Anyway, you have to press the ESC key during these couple seconds; after a short wait a BOOT menu will open:

Select F9 to open a new menu showing all bootable drives the laptop finds, and select the drive you want to boot from.

Kari

Thanks, Kari. I had finally gotten that far, but could get no farther. Seems as how I remembered that I had to press the fn key and a number, which I did to no avail. After picking up the laptop and shining a flashlight onto the keyboard, I found the very, very, teeny, teeny, tiny, tiny function keys on the top row!

And the silly thing didn't want to pay any attention to the "esc" key, but after threatening to let StarFerret bite it, the BIOS came up and I'm ready to start my dual install.

Again, thank you very much.

I'm not out of the woods yet.

I'm told that Windows cannot be installed on a dynamic drive and that I've exceeded the number of dynamic drives.

There are four dynamic drives on the computer: C:\, HP Tools G:\, Recovery D:\ and System; plus the one I created and named Windows 10.

So far, I haven't figured out a way to get rid of the Windows 10 drive; I've deleted it and it turned to unallocated, but it's still there and is still dynamic. I could get rid of the HP Tools (G:\), but I'd probably still be in the same boat; the thing would just become unallocated dynamic.

Microsoft has so succeeded in protecting us from ourselves that we're pretty much crippled as far as doing anything for ourselves.

Ubuntu is looking better and better . . .

AddRAM said:

You don`t have 4 Dynamic drives, you have 1 Drive with 4 partitions and the drive was made Dynamic when you made the 5th partition.

You have to turn your hard drive back to basic, it can be done with Partition Wizard.

How to convert dynamic disk to basic disk with Partition Wizard magic partition manager?

Could you please post a shot of Disk Management.

I think you would be better off installing the TP to a Virtual Machine, before you render your laptop useless.

You're right, of course; one drive with several partitions. And the beauty of this particular project is that if I hose the laptop, I can always start over, since it's an extra, more or less.



Here's the shot of Disk Management. I'll be back in the morning when I'm really awake. :)

Well, the Home Edition of Partition Wizard doesn't support changing from dynamic to basic. Sigh . . .

Stick a fork in me; I'm done! Well, almost. I have learned a whole lot through this experience and I'll do several things:

1. I will be shopping for a "name brand" all around disk management tool that will allow me to do what I need to do without costing an arm and a leg. Hopefully! I am open to suggestions and to understanding what I will need in a disk management tool.

2. I will change the dynamic back to basic with Microsoft's management tool now that I know what can happen! I may even learn to use it. Whoops! I just found EaseUS Partition Manager by accident, so I may give that a try, since it has a trial version.

3. For now, since this laptop is an "extra" that I don't use very much, I'll just wipe it and start over with Windows 10. It's a test machine anyway.

4. Once I get Windows 10 on this 15.6" laptop, I will set up the 17" HP Pavilion laptop as a dual boot. I won't make the same mistakes twice! I will definitely make sure I have less than four drives when I'm done.

5. And finally, it's 9:40 AM and the sky is darker than dark. Looks like we may get a tad bit wet before long. Don't guess I'll be painting the new back porch we built.

This issue is far from solved, but I know what I have to do next, so should I mark it solved or not?