How to Test if Your Computer Can Boot From a USB Drive

This how-to guide explains how you can test if a computer supports booting from a USB flash drive or pen drive. You may want to check your computer for USB boot compatibility if you want to test a linux installation by just copying it into a USB, or if you want to create a USB installer for it.

Test Your Computer For USB Boot Compatibility

1. First download USB boot tester and run the installer. Follow on screen instructions. You will need a pen drive (obviously) to follow the process.

2. Now restart your computer, and set the first boot device to USB-HDD or removable drive. Save your BIOS settings and restart your computer again.

Now there are two possibilities, if nothing happens and your computer boots from hard disk as usual, then it means that it doesn’t support booting from USB device. In this case, restart your computer and change the boot priority back to normal from the BIOS.

If, however, you get Memtest launch from the USB flash drive, then it means that your system can boot from a USB device.

Note – If you do get a Memtest launch, then its not required to complete the memory test of the system. You can abort it. Its launch is just a test to check if your system supports booting from a pen drive (or USB drive).

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