Nowadays, most of the new Windows 8 laptops, desktops or tablets use the UEFI replacement for the traditional BIOS, such as Surface Pro, Samsung Slate or other UEFI systems. The problem with UEFI-based computers is that they can’t boot from bootdisk with NTFS partition. UEFI system requires that your bootdisk resides on FAT32 partition.

Most USB burning programs will format your USB drive as NTFS, which includes the Microsoft Store Windows USB/DVD download tool. Luckily there is a free ISO burning software that lets you create a bootable USB with FAT32 file system only. It’s called ISO2Disc. But here I’m going to show you how to use the Command Prompt to create a bootable USB drive for UEFI computers.

How to Create A Bootable USB Drive for UEFI Computers?

1. Open the Command Prompt with administrator privileges, then start the diskpart utility:
   diskpart.exe
2. List all the disks and identify your USB drive:
   list disk
3. Select the disk number that is your USB drive.
   select disk 1
4. Remove all existing partitions:
   clean
5. Convert the partition table from MBR to GPT:
   convert gpt
6. Create a new partition, make it active and format as FAT32, then assign a drive letter:
   create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format quick fs=fat32
assign
7. Type “exit” and press Enter to quit diskpart utility.

The final step is to copy all the files from your physical boot CD to the USB drive. For example, you can copy all files from either your Windows 8 installation DVD or ISO image to your USB drive. After that, you can use the USB drive to boot your UEFI computer and perform system repairing or installation for your own purpose.

If you still are unable to boot your UEFI computer from the USB drive, you may need to disable the Secure Boot option in the BIOS. In my Samsung Slate tablet PC, I have to disable the Secure Boot by following these steps:

1. Press and hold Volume-Up and Volume-Down, then power up or reboot the slate. It should go into BIOS setup.
2. In “Advanced Configuration”, change “Attempt Secure Boot” to Disabled.
3. Press Volume-Up and Volume-Down to exit, then “Save Changes and Reset”.
4. Power off the machine.
5. Plugin USB drive to slate. Press and Hold Volume-Up button, then power up the machine. It should boot into USB drive now.

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