BIOS does not see a USB flash drive. Why does not the BIOS see the boot drive?

Portable storage media based on solid-state memory chips have become so widespread that somehow they almost replaced conventional CDs. Now it's hard to surprise anyone with a newly purchased motherboard, the accompanying drivers for which are supplied by the manufacturer on a small flash drive.

Analyzing the development of storage media, we can conclude that in the near future the disks will be completely forgotten in favor of alternative USB-devices. In the light of all that has been said, it is quite clear that if in a modern computer for some reason the BIOS does not see a flash drive, then this is equivalent to a small local catastrophe.

Differences in connections

The owner of a personal computer, which at least in general terms was familiar with the specification of the installed motherboard, was probably wondering why there are only a few pieces of USB universal serial bus output in its computing system, although they mention at least a dozen instructions.

In fact, there is no deception here. In the manufacture of the motherboard, only a limited set of USB outputs is soldered to it, and all the others are performed in the form of two rows of thin copper pins on the main board. They are easy to find, because there is necessarily a corresponding signature-designation (USB 3-4, etc.). A special plug is connected to them, from which there is a loop of wires to the classic USB-connectors. Such a solution is convenient because the bar with outputs can be placed not only on the back of the system unit, where it is often very difficult to reach, but also on the front panel, as well as on the side and top of the case. And if BIOS does not see a USB flash drive, then first of all it is necessary to determine to which port the drive is connected.

External USB port: good or headache

Developers, having created such a modular system of exits, pursued a remarkable goal - to provide flexibility and user-friendliness. However, physics laws have not been canceled, which sometimes causes problems with the BIOS, which does not want to see a USB flash drive connected to the computer.

Indeed, direct soldering of the connector to the contacts on the board is one thing, but the use of additional conductors with their own length and resistance is completely different.

Is it any wonder that one day, connecting a USB-drive to a remote bracket with connectors, the user will ask a question about why there is no USB flash drive in the BIOS? Thus, with such problems, the first thing that should be done to the owner is to insert the USB drive into any of the ports located on the back of the system unit, i.e., the one that is physically soldered to the board. Usually this simple action is enough to solve this problem. It is necessary to recognize that the outriggers are not so bad. It is important to use a quality train when using them, and the shorter it is, the better.

What are USB-drives fed?

Being electronic devices, all flash drives for their work require electricity. The same is true for all internal and peripheral computer components. Hence the conclusion - if the parameters of the applied voltage or current differ from the nominal ones, then there will be malfunctions, up to the point that BIOS errors can appear. Power supply to all components of the system unit is "managed" by a special unit inside the case.

Speaking specifically about USB drives, the control and power distribution scheme for ports is "tied" to controllers. Each of these elements can pass through itself a limited electrical power. Thus, if a device with a high current of consumption (external HDD or DVD) and a USB flash drive is connected to two ports serviced by one controller, then the latter can work completely unpredictably. You can talk a lot about this. If you do without theory, and immediately answer the question of why the BIOS does not see the flash drive, it will be quite simple: if the drive is included in the port, and all nearby are busy, then for verification you need to remove foreign devices, leaving only one USB storage.

Alternative solution

If you can not refuse to use all USB-equipment: (you need a printer, mouse, scanner, keyboard, etc.), then you should think about purchasing a special device - an external USB-hub with its own power. This is a kind of tee, in terms of power supply does not depend on the computer.

Extension

Some computer system owners use an intermediate wire to connect external USB storage devices. This is a thin cable, on one side of which there is a "mother" socket, into which flash drives are inserted, etc., and on the other - a common plug for the port connector. The reasons for using such an extension cord can be very different. Sometimes it is impossible to do without such a solution. Another important thing is that if the BIOS does not see the flash drive, and it joins the system unit through the extension cable, then its use should be discarded. At least for the time of verification.

Incompatibility of standards

Now there is a gradual replacement of USB-version 2.0 in favor of 3.0. In that this is inevitable, there is no doubt: it is unlikely that modern users are experiencing because of the disappearance from the market of mass devices based on USB 1.0.-1.1. The problem with the transition is that when you try to connect a 2.0 device to a standard 3.0 port, no one can guarantee that it works correctly.

Theoretically, the standards are compatible, but in some rare cases, the BIOS does not see the previous-generation flash drive on the boards with the latest version of the BIOS. To restore functionality in the operating system, you must install drivers for support. BIOS can also try to update. To do this, you need to visit the site of the motherboard developer, download the corresponding software package and flip it. Or it's even easier to do it: do not understand why BIOS can not see the USB flash drive, but remove it from the USB 3.0 port (usually they are highlighted in color) and connect to the 2.0 connector.

Errors of the base system

The work of any motherboard is carried out with the direct participation of a special set of programs - BIOS. It is he who configures all ports, assigns them interrupts, configures the DMA channel, etc. Unsurprisingly, if there are BIOS errors, the USB flash drive may not work. In this case, you need to update the mentioned software package.

To solve this problem, you can use several ways: download the file of the new version of BIOS from the motherboard manufacturer's website and "sew it" into the non-volatile memory of the motherboard with the help of a special program.

You can also update via the Internet by selecting the appropriate item in the flash builder. BIOS on XP is updated in the same way as in other operating systems from Microsoft. And in the same way before performing a flashing it is necessary to disable the antivirus. We recommend that you read the instructions carefully before installing the firmware, and also read all the warnings issued by the update program. This tool should be the last thing you should resort to if the BIOS does not see the boot drive.

Invalid entry

An increasing number of users begin to work with flash drives as well as with CDs. With such carriers loaded, install the operating system, even update the BIOS. However, it is not enough just to rewrite the package of files to a similar USB drive. To be able to boot from it, you need to prepare it in a special way.

A number of programs are used for this purpose. For example, it can be Ultra ISO, WinSetupFromUSB, RuFus and others. If the BIOS does not see a bootable USB flash drive, then it's likely that the recording of the boot area itself was not performed correctly. In this case, you need to use another application to prepare the USB drive. Often this helps.

Device performance

And, finally, you can not ignore the fact that the flash drive itself can be damaged. Sometimes it can work as a simple storage medium, but downloading from it is impossible. In other cases, the recorded data is spontaneously removed - this is often the "sin" of Chinese counterfeits with a corrected volume.

Thus, if nothing of the above does not help, then the device needs to be checked on another computer system. Re-formatting, changing the file system (between NTFS and FAT32), and editing the cluster size can also help . It is also useful to read the instruction manual for the board, which describes the settings for the operating modes of the USB ports. Perhaps, the solution of the problem is in the only setting point of the BIOS.