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Most PCs are not configured to automatically boot from a USB, so if you’re experiencing issues with your computer such as instability or missing files, or you’d simply like to see what a different Operating System (OS) looks like on your PC, & you need to start it using this method, specific steps should be followed to achieve success.
1st, you need to be in possession of a properly constituted USB, which is more than a copy of the files from your system. Just how to ensure that you have the right type of Content on the USB is by establishing if it’s using the correct configuration — the USB must be formatted using FAT32 & not NTFS.
Once you’ve established that you have the correct type of USB, you can proceed.
In this article we’re going to give you a step-by-step guide to booting Mac with USB.
Getting a Mac to boot from a USB isn’t particularly difficult, but it does require you to be a bit tech savvy.
- Initially, you must identify a suitable USB slot on your Mac PC.
- Next, insert the USB into this slot.
- Power up using the start button on your computer. (Alternatively, restart the PC if it’s already running.)
- Once you hear the ‘Start up Ring’, press down the ‘Option Key’, & hold. While holding the PC should display the Operating System’s Startup Manager.
- At this point you can release the Option Key, giving the machine the opportunity to search for the bootable content on the correct drive, which will be the USB you’ve inserted.
- As soon as the PC lists possible drives from which you can boot up, you’ll need to use the pointer or arrow keys to select the correct drive.
- Now all you need to do is press the ‘Return Key’, or double click on your selection to begin the process.
If you follow the steps above, you shouldn’t have any problems in booting your Mac, even if you have multiple USBs connected to your machine, the process listed should find the correct device, which has the bootable Content on it.
If in doubt, troubleshooting will involve removing connected devices & re-following the steps so that you can identify the correct drive to select. The ‘Startup Manager’ will only display correctly formatted Content, so completing the boot up shouldn’t prove too problematic if your careful & confirm that you’ve got everything in place before you begin.
