New
#500
Surprise: Boot blew right by the Win10 install USB drive and booted normally. USB drive in one of the front USB3 ports. Doing a clean install on a Dell XPS 8700 desktop. Using a RUFUS-built drive. Using F2 at boot. F2 option showing when I selected it. Secure Boot definitely off. USB definitely first device for boot.
I had already confirmed the ISO had the Win10 Pro at Index 6. I checked that the USB drive was bootable by trying F12 and Dell didn't have any problems booting to the drive. Drive 0 was the only powered up drive.
I ended up ok after some unnatural acts and am running fine, but now I'm paranoid about following all the rules and not having things go well. I'm about to do the same thing to my wife's XPS 8700 and that's always risky.
Any tips on what else I can check before pulling the trigger? What did I forget? Something as obscure as using a particular brand of USB drive?
TIA for any insight.
Dick