Motherboards and USB?

MrCoo · Feb 11, 2008, 06:13 PM

Hello All,

I was wondering if anyone knew how to boot from a USB, if your Motherboard does not support it? I have a Asus A7M266-D Motherboard, any help?

-Thanks in Advance

Grace · Feb 11, 2008, 08:03 PM

If the motherboard doesn't support booting from a USB device through the BIOS, you simply cannot do that I'm afraid.

BlueMak · Feb 11, 2008, 08:10 PM

I checked the manual for the motherboard and the only thing even remote to booting from USB was for the use of USB Floppy/Zip drives. Which I find weird cause the board is not THAT old to not support usb stick.

I read the manual and at one point it says if you have Windows 2000 you must not have connected more than 2 USB devices while booting up the system. In case you do use Windows 2000...

Have you tried using the BIOS option of booting from USB floppy and/or Zip and plugging in a USB stick?

MrCoo · Feb 11, 2008, 10:23 PM

In my BIOS, they (USB Floppy/Zip drives) are not in any of the lists at all...

Would you suggest updating the BIOS?
I'm kinda scared to do that, I've heard you can seriously screw up your comptuer if you mess up...should I, or is there an alternative.
I think I've heard of a floppy you get get (downloadable) that lets you boot from a floppy.
If that is the case i need to find my floppy drive.

BlueMak · Feb 11, 2008, 11:15 PM

The site had 2 different revisions of the specific motherboard. I only checked one of them, so PERHAPS if the other one doesn't have this option, you will be out of luck.
I can't advice you to update your BIOS. I hate doing it and I can't tell you to do it either. Don't know if it will even help you with that.
Read your manual page to page to see if you have missed it.
Also check the support section of the ASUS site for your motherboard.

MrCoo · Feb 14, 2008, 04:13 AM

You know, I was thinking. I'm going to hold off on USB booting. It just isn't popular enough. I'm going to wait till it's more widely supported.
Plus, one thing I heard was that the USB connector (USB Thumb drives in particular) has only 10,000 writes to it. The reason being because of something to do with the way information (electricity) flows through the connector. Booting from a USB, if I am correct, must really use up your writes wouldn't it?

P.S.- Thanks for your help guys anyway.

MrCoo · Feb 14, 2008, 04:15 AM

Plus, CD's are more widely used. So it would be easier, for example to save your files on a USB thumb drive and be able to work on them on almost any computer (using Linux for example) being that CD Booting is extremely popular.

BlueMak · Feb 14, 2008, 10:02 AM

I don't know about the limit, I have heard something similar about the duration, but not the limit for actual writes on it.

Btw, usb booting is quite popular and all the mainboards support it now and for at least a couple of years, you just happen to have an old motherboard, not that they are not supported widely by the motherboards.

CD booting is fine too.

**dj_stick** · Feb 14, 2008, 10:51 AM

the write limit is for the flash memory itself, as for the USB port - i doubt there'd be such a limit

MrCoo · Feb 15, 2008, 01:29 AM

Probably it's the memory not the connector, makes more sense, I'm usually around old computers, except for a couple so in my case it isn't so popular. But even with some of the new ones I've heard on the internet some BIOS still don't support USB booting. I think Dell supports it the best if I remember correctly.

Feb 11, 2008, 06:13 PM	#1
MrCoo DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0	Motherboards and USB? Hello All, I was wondering if anyone knew how to boot from a USB, if your Motherboard does not support it? I have a Asus A7M266-D Motherboard, any help? -Thanks in Advance __________________

Feb 11, 2008, 08:10 PM	#3
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,242 Rep Power: 326 System Specs	I checked the manual for the motherboard and the only thing even remote to booting from USB was for the use of USB Floppy/Zip drives. Which I find weird cause the board is not THAT old to not support usb stick. I read the manual and at one point it says if you have Windows 2000 you must not have connected more than 2 USB devices while booting up the system. In case you do use Windows 2000... Have you tried using the BIOS option of booting from USB floppy and/or Zip and plugging in a USB stick? __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Feb 11, 2008, 10:23 PM	Thread Starter #4
MrCoo DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0	In my BIOS, they (USB Floppy/Zip drives) are not in any of the lists at all... Would you suggest updating the BIOS? I'm kinda scared to do that, I've heard you can seriously screw up your comptuer if you mess up...should I, or is there an alternative. I think I've heard of a floppy you get get (downloadable) that lets you boot from a floppy. If that is the case i need to find my floppy drive. __________________

Feb 11, 2008, 11:15 PM	#5
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,242 Rep Power: 326 System Specs	The site had 2 different revisions of the specific motherboard. I only checked one of them, so PERHAPS if the other one doesn't have this option, you will be out of luck. I can't advice you to update your BIOS. I hate doing it and I can't tell you to do it either. Don't know if it will even help you with that. Read your manual page to page to see if you have missed it. Also check the support section of the ASUS site for your motherboard. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Feb 14, 2008, 04:13 AM	Thread Starter #6
MrCoo DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0	You know, I was thinking. I'm going to hold off on USB booting. It just isn't popular enough. I'm going to wait till it's more widely supported. Plus, one thing I heard was that the USB connector (USB Thumb drives in particular) has only 10,000 writes to it. The reason being because of something to do with the way information (electricity) flows through the connector. Booting from a USB, if I am correct, must really use up your writes wouldn't it? P.S.- Thanks for your help guys anyway. __________________

Feb 11, 2008, 08:03 PM	#2
Grace HH's Tomboy Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Anywhere but in my house! Posts: 776 Rep Power: 54	If the motherboard doesn't support booting from a USB device through the BIOS, you simply cannot do that I'm afraid.

Feb 14, 2008, 04:15 AM	Thread Starter #7
MrCoo DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0	Plus, CD's are more widely used. So it would be easier, for example to save your files on a USB thumb drive and be able to work on them on almost any computer (using Linux for example) being that CD Booting is extremely popular. __________________

Feb 14, 2008, 10:02 AM	#8
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,242 Rep Power: 326 System Specs	I don't know about the limit, I have heard something similar about the duration, but not the limit for actual writes on it. Btw, usb booting is quite popular and all the mainboards support it now and for at least a couple of years, you just happen to have an old motherboard, not that they are not supported widely by the motherboards. CD booting is fine too. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Feb 15, 2008, 01:29 AM	Thread Starter #10
MrCoo DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 52 Rep Power: 0	Probably it's the memory not the connector, makes more sense, I'm usually around old computers, except for a couple so in my case it isn't so popular. But even with some of the new ones I've heard on the internet some BIOS still don't support USB booting. I think Dell supports it the best if I remember correctly. __________________