Booting from USB CD - IBM NetVista

[CptnJon]

I have an old (2001) NetVista type 2257 which I recently fixed with a new motherboard. I am now busy setting up everything but I am having trouble booting the PC from a 'USB Boot Device'!

I installed a new hard drive on the computer and everything seems to be running well, but I want to run the IBM diagnostic programs from a bootable CD to put the system through it's paces. I currently have both a USB floppy drive and a USB CD drive connected. Both drives are seen by Windows XP.

When I go into the BIOS and into the startup sequence I see the option to select a 'USB Boot Device' but when I reboot it skips that device and boots off the hard drive which is the second item in the sequence.

In the BIOS there is also a section 'Devices and I/O Ports' which shows a number of things including PS/2 Mouse; Diskette Drive A; and USB Boot Device. The USB Boot Device shows "Not Detected" adjacent to it!!

Further down in that section there is also an item 'USB Setup' which, when chosen, brings up a box showing USB Support as 'Enabled' and USB Keyboard/Mouse Support as 'Autodetect'. As an aside both the keyboard and mouse are USB... and the keyboard works within the BIOS configuration.

Any ideas on why the USB Boot Device is not being recognized??

 

[CptnJon]

After I submitted this thread I realized that I meant to post this in the hardware forum!! I will repost it there...

 

[linney]

How to boot from a USB device ...

http://www.weethet.nl/english/hardware_bootfromusbstick.php

 

[CptnJon]

Thanks Linney... However nothing from that site helped me... I tried the Generic Approach to only leave the USB Boot Device as the only bootable item in the Startup sequence but all I get is a screen telling me that there is no operating system present!!

 

[linney]

Does your CD boot in a non-usb situation, or on other computers in either situation, maybe it only works with the original motherboard?

 

[CptnJon]

Yes the CD does boot in a non-usb situation. I tried my Windows CD and had the same result.

I also tried it on another NetVista I have (same type #) and had the same problem. That PC has a non-usb CD drive and when I set that as the 2nd startup item in the sequence (after the USB Boot Device) it skips the usb drive and boots from the CD in the non-usb drive!

Any other thoughts??

 

[linney]

Apart for a Bios upgrade, if available, it may be a case for St.Jude, if your religious?