can't boot when USB thumbdrive inserted

[ginahoy]

I just built an XP system, my first. My mobo is ASUS A8V Deluxe.

I noticed when I boot system with a SanDisk USB thumbdrive inserted, the system hangs on a black screen during boot process. As soon as I pull the thumbdrive, the boot process resumes normally.

My boot priority is not the issue. In fact, I've never seen a USB drive or device in the boot priority list. I wouldn't think it would even be available until Windows loads.

Any ideas what may be causing this?

David

[Sterling_Aug]

Check the BIOS again. Many new systems will allow you to boot from a jump drive or other USB device.

[BipolarBill]

Yup - look closer. It's there.

[ginahoy]

Hmm.. you guys seem quite sure of this. I checked the bios again and only the two boot devices are listed - the HDD and optical drive. The selection box for changing boot priority also just lists those two options. I wish I knew how to take a bios screenshot so I could show you ;)

On a side note, had the USB drive been in the boot sequence and not system-formatted, the bios would have displayed an error message to insert boot media. I get no such error... just a black screen.

This must be some sort of mobo glitch or design limitation. I think I'll inquire at the ASUS forum.

BTW, I wanted to express my appreciation to both of you for all your help over the past six months as I've been struggling through the design and construction of my first home-built computer. I built this system specifically to be low-noise and capable of running my legacy WinME OS. Although the road has been fraught with peril, I couldn't be more pleased with the results. I couldn't have done it without the help received in this and a couple of other forums. Thank YOU!!

David

[BipolarBill]

If this is a new system, get a BIOS update.

In BIOS Setup, look for "boot from USB devices" It may be somewhere else. Disable it if you find it.

ALso look for "Legacy USB" and disable that. Disable anything like "USB mouse" and "USB keyboard". These are not needed in Windows.

You don't have to do screenshots. If you tell us your motherboard model, we can download the manual for it.

[Sterling_Aug]

I just built an XP system, my first. My mobo is ASUS A8V Deluxe.

Here is his model number.

[AllGamer]

i've a Dell with a similar problem
when the USB printer is hooked up to it, it can not boot

so everytime the computer needs to reboot, we need to unplug the printer

it's quite annoying.

and the reason of that is because the printer has a 7 in 1 SD Card reader build in, other USB printers has no problem

[BipolarBill]

I read the manual and it says to disable Legacy USB devices (As I've said) to prevent BIOS from initiating USB during startup.

This is what manuals are for. They are no good unless you actually read them.

[ginahoy]

The only place my A8V Deluxe manual mentions legacy USB devices is on page 4-23. There, it says nothing about disabling legacy USB support to prevent BIOS from initializing USB during startup. In fact, it says when Legacy USB Support is set to AUTO (factory default), the system will check for a USB device during startup and if detected, the USB Controller legacy mode will be enabled. In any case, if this mobo supports booting from a USB device, it's not documented.

I just did some testing and I can add two new pieces of information.

1) I disabled Legacy USB Support and the system still hangs during startup with thumbdrive inserted.

2) The hang doesn't occur until AFTER the first Windows logo appears (black screen with XP logo and blue progress bar). If I pull the thumbdrive, the system proceeds to the Blue Login screen.

So perhaps this isn't a BIOS issue after all, but a Windows issue?

David

PS: I totally agree with you about manuals. Mine is already quite worn. And yes, the BIOS is latest available for this board.

[BipolarBill]

Have you updated the BIOS yet?

If it hangs after the first Windows logo screen, it may not be a BIOS issue, but you should still update it.

[ginahoy]

Have you updated the BIOS yet?

The board had the latest BIOS when I purchased it from previous owner. You must not have seen the edit I made to my last response.

I guess this is one of those issues you just shrug and move on. It's not that big of a deal to pull the thumbdrive. Thanks for responses.

[BipolarBill]

Yeah - sometimes you have to make a concession or two.

The good news is that you know what the problem is. Problems like this can drive you nuts until you figure them out.

You could reload Windows and hope that this gets resolved, but that's a lot of work and it may turn out to be hardware after all. Save that job for a rainy day when you have no movie money...

[AllGamer]

on the A8V Deluxe, just go into the BIOS and disable the option for Legacy USB support

it does that a lot, i have that mobo.

newer ASUS mobos doesn't have this problem

[Lgbpop]

I just remembered something - on my more recent ScanDisk USB drives there's been an app called U3 which I believe allows you to take installed apps from one PC to another. If you're trying to boot with the USB drive connected and U3 wasn't removed, the computer will try to boot from the USB drive. There, it says nothing about disabling legacy USB support to prevent BIOS from initializing USB during startup. In fact, it says when Legacy USB Support is set to AUTO (factory default), the system will check for a USB device during startup and if detected, the USB Controller legacy mode will be enabled.This makes no sense - your second statement affirms what your first statement denies. You need to disable the legacy support.