Samsung removed boot from USB from Bios

I have been trying to make a Admin tool using my usb drive from Samsung Recovery Solutions 5 like the program suggested . When I tried to test if it boots, there was no option to boot from usb, only the hdd or the dvd drive. I check bios settings and no option shows up to change it. I called Samsung support and after explaining the situation, was told by the rep that Samsung at the request from Microsoft removed from the BIOS that option to boot from usb. He said many other laptop makers doing it as well. Right now feel steamed about it. Is this true or was the rep giving false information? And is their a way around it? BTW my laptop is a Samsung np355v4c-s01a...

 

Have you tried the suggestions in this thread?

John

 

Yes did try all that but all I get when f10, is either the internal HDD or the optical drive. Basically the SATA drives on the laptop. No USB options. No other options appear. I then call a Samsung rep, and was told that usb boot option was removed from Bios...

 

1. I presume that you disabled Samsung Fast Boot in the BIOS. When enabled, this skips checking for bootable USB devices.
2. Do you have an optical drive with bootable media? I know there have been problems getting some Samsung notebooks to boot from flash drives but they will boot from a USB optical drive. Check this thread for anything relevant.

John

 

Gosh, I hope this isn't so: I finally updated the BIOS on my NP700Z3A last night, after waiting 2 months since the release of that update, to make sure no horror stories came up. Talk about bad timing if it proves true. I'll know tonight.

Note: On some models (like mine) it's Esc to select temporary boot drive, not F10. Also, getting to it from power off is sometimes easier than from a warm restart.

 

1.Did that already

 

Next you need to borrow a USB optical drive and a bootable disc. People have had problems booting from flash drives but an optical drive worked fine.

John

 

Then why in Samsung Recovery Solutions 5 it asks for a USB key to boot? Don't care what anyone says but its sounds fishy to me when a manufacturer is asked by Microsoft to remove such a option from the Bios.

 

@dboyxz: I agree, it sucks if indeed they took away the ability to boot USB flash drives. If you notice the number of discussions here about installing Windows from USB on Series 5 and 7, because Windows Setup incorrectly detects the ExpressCache iSSD as the boot drive, causing the installation to fail. Maybe Samsung and Microsoft got tired of all the support calls.

I just checked on my Series 7 Z3A which I updated to BIOS 15FD last night, and I still have the Legacy USB option in BIOS and am still able to boot my USB Admin Tool. I know that doesn't help you, dboyxz I post it in case others are on the fence updating BIOS on their Sandy Bridge models.

Did you try Esc instead of F10, as I mentioned in my previous post? It often takes several attempts for me to get that boot menu: Starting from Power Off, I start hitting Esc 1-2 secs after Power On. If I miss it and my Win7 boot menu comes up, I Power Off and try again.

Otherwise I guess you have to get a USB DVD drive as John suggested.

Update: But I don't know if you can boot the USB Admin Tool from a DVD drive...

 

Personally, I wouldn't trust what Samsung Support said. I know from other threads in this forum that people have had difficulties getting their Samsung notebooks to boot from flash drives but optical drives work OK. However, a non-bootable flash drive should be offered on the one-time boot menu. I didn't ask if this is a Windows 8 machine. If so, I think there's a couple more hoops to jump through (UEFI and Secure Boot) which might be what the support person meant.

John

 

Got it to work. I checked this forum thread and it has to do more with the usb 3.0 ports. I used my usb thumb drive in the one usb 2.0 port and bios recognized it. I am wondering how many usb boot issues related to being a USB 3.0 port

Now that I solved that now have to carry my hidden recovery partition from the original 5400rpm 750gb hdd to my 7200 WD Scorpio Black 750 GB HDD. And upgrade my ATI catalyst drivers...

 

I didn't have that possibility on my list. Usually the USB 3.0 problem appears a bit later in the OS loading. Anyway, my comment about not trusting Samsung support is vindicated.

John

 

Oops, I could've told you that and didn't. I'm very sorry. It's in other posts on the subject, and I kind of took it for granted.

You CAN boot from USB3 all right, but not everything will run after the boot. USB Admin Tool must be run from USB2 or it will just boot into the Recovery.

 

In this case usb 3.0 ports don't show any usb drives in Bios, so I cannot use any usb devices for boot. Seems Bios only works with USB 2.0 for boot devices...

 

Perhaps that's a result of cost saving on the Series 3. The USB 3.0 ports are visible as boot devices on the Series 7 and 9.

John

 

Yeah, I think you may be right John. In any case I am putting it in my book that USB boot is more limited on Series 3.

@dboyzx, thanks for bringing it to our attention. Glad you finally worked it out.

 

NP. I wanted to transfer the recovery partition from old hdd to new hdd, but decided instead because of all the hassles to store the hdd as backup drive for laptop. Just installed from provided disks to do fresh install. Guess have to save up for a new hdd for my ps3

Now I need to work on upgrade catalyst drivers on my laptop. Could use help on that...

 

BTW borrowed a usb 2.0 external dvd rw drive and computer does recognize in bios in usb 3.0 ports. The usb drive and external hdd I tried using are usb 3.0 devices and are not recognized by bios when booting when connected to usb 3.0 ports, just usb 2.0. Maybe its a limitation of the usb 3.0 on my model or something...

Overall Ive had this laptop sing Sept 2012, enjoyed it mostly, but feel Samsung couldve done better (more updated often drivers, better customer service,etc). Plus after hearing how Microsoft wants to control our computers, I'm definitely going to try out dual boot with Linux...

 

Series 5 too. Well, at least mine.

Edit: Clarification....The USB 3.0 ports are visible as boot devices on my Series 5.

 

So Series 3 seems to have this limitation, while Series 5, 7 and 9 do not. It may just be a way for Samsung to differentiate (whether or not they actually save anything). Or maybe it really IS a limitation driven by Microsoft, as dboyzx was told by Samsung Support.

Update: Corrected original post saying Series 3 and 5 don't have USB3 boot. It's only Series 3 that doesn't.

 

That confirms what has been reported previously - optical drive visible when flash drive and hard drive are not. I guess someone thinks there is a good reason for this but it seems daft to most of us.

Do you mean flash drives etc plugged into USB 3.0 ports are visible in the BIOS?

Reading this info about UEFI indicates that Microsoft wanted everything locked down to prevent the installation of other OSs. It seems they relented (perhaps someone whispered "anti-trust" in their ear) but didn't make it easy.

John

 

Do you mean flash drives etc plugged into USB 3.0 ports are visible in the BIOS?

Yes!

 

Just proves my opinion Evilsoft ..I mean Micro$oft is too controlling and another reason I dont want to upgrade to Win 8. The PC is supposed to be an open platform and should not be in control by one company...

 

Thanks. I think Dannemand misinterpreted your comment (or I misinterpreted his. The Series 3 seems to be the odd member of the Samsung family.

John

 

You seem to overreact too easily....I'm not entirely convinced Samsung told you what you may have thought you heard.

 

Yes, I edited my post with a clarification. My jury is still out regarding most of this thread.

 

Thanks John. Yes, I just re-read ameridian's post, and clearly it's just the Series 3 that DOESN'T have USB3 boot. I'll update my post to avoid confusion.

 

On the whole conspiracy thing, my take is "balanced" -- if I may use that word: I think it is absolutely possible that Microsoft tries to lock down computers, as the OP indicates and the info posted by By John seems to confirm. But I think it's not motivated by evil or even to protect Windows sales against linux intruders (at least not entirely )

I think they (Microsoft) look with envy at how the whole world (media AND customers) admire and are mesmerized with Apple: Their tight OS-hardware integration, and their locked down devices (with unfathomably high profit margin) that can only be used in ways envisioned by Apple.

Microsoft always did the grunt work of providing an open OS to the world; with support for a gazillion combinations of hardware devices from 3rd party vendors, and with legacy compatibility stretching 20+ years back. For decades, the world has been running and depending on Microsoft's work to keep businesses and homes and the economy humming, yet nobody ever had anything nice to say about them: Those who wanted a simple OOBE raved about Apple and laughed at the complexity of Windows and the geeky demeanor of Bill Gates; those who wanted ultimate openness and flexbility, and had the spare time to support it themselves, raved about linux and cursed Microsoft for being a commercial enterprise. The 70% with no tech ideology just used Windows and its wealth of compatible software all these years; they only noticed the problems, and never appreciated the effort going into its creation.

Forced by the threat of irrelevance, Microsoft now wants a piece of that Apple pie, and hopes to get it by delivering a simple OOBE. That's why they are pushing things like this OS lockdown. PC Makers go along, both to please Microsoft and to contain support costs. Margins on Win8 PCs are already razor thin due to higher costs of components as well as on Windows itself.

For my part, I always appreciated an open and flexible OS that supports a broad range of hardware. I've cursed Microsoft and Windows as much as everybody else; I don't like this lockdown business; and I have not seen anything in Windows 8 I care for enough to suffer the Metro mess. But I also appreciate all that Windows and Office have allowed me to do, at home and in business over the last 30 years (OK, 25 years, DOS before that).

Dang, now I spent almost 30 mins writing an essay

 

The rep on the phone was insistent that Microsoft requested them to remove hat option "because of piracy reasons" and to restrict installing "crap". I asked if that also meant linux, but no comment was made after. I was not imagining what I heard...Unless the rep was lying through his teeth..

 

The average Samsung rep's knowledge is less than the cumulative knowledge in this forum, probably because we have a better system for sharing what we know. On this occasion the Samsung rep got it nearly correct - it is more difficult to install other OSs on Windows 8 machines, but it's not impossible.

John

 

How difficult is it? What need to be done in short to install Linux in Series 9 with Win 8?

 

I think you will find relevant discussion in the various Series 7 threads. Here's one and another.

John

 

I was able to boot from mine. I used instructions How to get BIOS boot menu to show DVD and USB devices from this website. mine is the Staples laptop samsung thanksgiving deal.