Written 6 Sep 2026. This is a how-to, not a product card.

When the boot USB won't start

You flashed the stick and opened the boot menu, but the installer never appears. Try another port, the UEFI line, a reflash, then Secure Boot last. Skip a new mini PC tonight.

Haven't written the stick yet? Start with make a boot USB for the install. Need the brand keys (Dell F12, HP Esc then F9)? That happy path is boot the old PC from the USB stick. Fans silent, no logo at all? Walk when the old PC won't boot first. This note is only the stuck case: the computer is alive, the stick should work, and Ubuntu or Debian still never shows its menu.

Skip until the stick is finished flashing

If Etcher or Rufus is still writing, wait. A half-written stick fails quietly. If you never opened a one-time boot menu, do that walk first. Don't buy a second stick before you try another port and a reflash of the same one.

What this is

Office PCs are picky about USB ports, UEFI vs Legacy entries, and half-flashed images. Secure Boot usually accepts official Ubuntu Server and Debian installers. Most "USB won't boot" nights are a wrong menu line, a rear USB 2 port, or a stick that needs one more flash — not a dead board.

Step 1: prove the computer is awake

Fans spin. A logo or text flashes. The keyboard lights respond. If none of that happens, this is not a USB problem yet — use when the old PC won't boot. You need a screen and a keyboard plugged into the old PC for every step below.

Step 2: open the boot menu again, pick UEFI USB

Power off. Leave the stick in. Power on and tap the brand key early (Dell often F12; HP Esc then F9; Lenovo F12). Full key chart: boot the old PC from the USB stick.

In the list, prefer a line that says UEFI and the stick brand (or USB HDD / UEFI: …). Skip the internal disk, PXE / IPv4 network boot, and a second empty USB. Arrow keys, Enter. Wait a full minute for the installer menu — some sticks are slow.

Step 3: if the stick is missing from the list

Power off. Move the stick to another port. On a desktop, try a USB 2 port on the back (often the black ones, not blue USB 3). Skip hubs and front-panel ports for this try. Plug straight into the board.

Open Setup once (Del or F2 on many boxes). Turn USB boot on if it is off. Turn Fast Boot / Quick Boot off for one try so the keyboard wakes early. Leave Secure Boot alone for now. Save and exit, then open the one-time boot menu again.

Step 4: if it boots Windows (or the old OS) anyway

You picked the internal disk, or the one-time menu never stuck. Power off. Unplug the stick, plug it back in, mash the boot key from the first second of power-on. Pick the UEFI USB line again. Don't change the permanent boot order yet — the one-time menu is enough for install night.

Step 5: reflash the stick

On your daily laptop, flash the same official ISO again with Etcher (or Rufus in DD mode if that is what you use). Walk: make a boot USB for the install. Don't drag the .iso into a folder on the stick. Confirm Etcher finished with a success message.

Still picking Debian vs Ubuntu Server? See what OS to put on it. Use the official download pages only — remix ISOs fail Secure Boot more often.

Step 6: Secure Boot and BitLocker only if you still need them

Official Ubuntu Server and current Debian installer images are signed for Secure Boot on most house PCs. If the screen says verification failed, or Secure Boot blocked the image, re-download from the official pages first. Turning Secure Boot off in Setup is a last resort for tonight, not the first move.

If Marketplace Windows asks for a BitLocker recovery key, you are not unlocking their disk. Wipe the whole disk in the installer once the stick boots: wipe a Marketplace PC before you install.

Step 7: one more stick, then stop

If a second known-good stick (or the same stick after a clean reflash) still never appears in the boot list on any rear port, write that down and stop for the night. Don't order a motherboard from one failed USB try. Come back with a second screen cable if the picture was flaky, or try the stick on another PC once to prove the flash.

What this is not

This is not the first-time boot-key walk (boot the old PC from the USB stick). It is not a dead-box power check (when the old PC won't boot). It is not a reason to buy a new mini PC, a fancy "bootable" branded stick, or a KVM tonight. It is not dual-boot homework with leftover Marketplace Windows.

What next

Installer menu on screen? Keep going with your first weekend. Marketplace disk still full of old Windows? Wipe during that install: wipe a Marketplace PC before you install. Stick never written? Make a boot USB for the install. Computer looks dead before the menu? When the old PC won't boot.

Optional: jot that the stick failed on this PC (port, UEFI line, Secure Boot on/off) in Lab plan — username + passkey, no email. Skip if you just want to keep reading.

Skip

• Skip buying a new USB stick before another port and one reflash.
• Skip turning Secure Boot off before an official ISO gets a second try.
• Skip rewriting the permanent boot order when the one-time menu is enough.
• Skip buying a motherboard or a new N100 tonight from one failed stick.
• Skip dual-boot with leftover Marketplace Windows.
• Skip this if fans never spin. Use the won't-boot walk first.
• Skip this if you have not opened the one-time boot menu yet. Use the boot-from-USB walk first.