Hello, currently using a Asus sabertooth z97 mark 1 and can't seem to boot to the usb. When i manually try from BIOS it just returns me to bios. The USB works in a different pc.

 

Does anyone know any BIOS settings that can cause this?

If you have fast boot enable set USB support to "Full Initialization"

Make sure Launch CSM is enable

Make sure Secure Boot is disable

 

That sadly didn't fix it

I also see a flashing '_' in the top left corner

Are you sure the flash drive is set as first boot device?

 

Blinking cursor usually means it’s trying and failing to boot from another device, like an HDD.

 

Did you try pressing F8 and selecting the flash drive?

 

Did you try all of the options in the 'Booting Up' Section about half way down this page:

 

    https://lime-technology.com/getting-started/

 

As johnie.black suggested, use manual boot selection menu that you can get to by pressing one of the function keys during your MB  P.O.S.T. process.  If his suggestion of F8 key (the 'normal' one) doesn't work, read your MB manual to find out which one it is.  (Usually, you have to continuously push-and-release it as the window is not that long.)

Yeah, this whole time I've been manually booting the usb from BIOS. still no luck.

In the OP, when you said it works on another PC, do you mean it actually successfully boots to unRAID on another PC?

Yeah the USB stick boots to UNRAID perfectly fine on a different pc. so its must be motherboard related.

From the ASUS web site:

 

USB Ports

Intel® Z97 chipset :

6 x USB 3.0/2.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue, 4 at mid-board)

ASMedia® USB 3.0 controller :

2 x USB 3.0/2.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue)

Intel® Z97 chipset :

8 x USB 2.0/1.1 port(s) (4 at back panel, black, 4 at mid-board)

 

Which ports have you tried? I think you stand the best chance with the USB 2.0/1.1 ports - the black ones.

 

I've tried every port, still no luck.

It seems to me that I have seen or heard about some BIOS which have boot options settings in a couple on different places in their BIOS. Example: one place to select the devices which might be bototable and another place to set the actual order for checking to find the first device that has contains a bootable partition.

 

I have a MB (currently in my Media server) which will deselect the USB drive as the boot device any time I install a new hard drive.  I have to use the F8 key to get to the BIOS boot menu for that MB so I can manually select the USB drive so it will boot.  After that, the next boot will default to the USB port--- go figure. 

Do you have a SAS or SATA controller card installed in a PCIe slot? If so your server might be trying to boot from a disk attached (or not) to one of its ports. Go into the card's BIOS and switch off Int 13.

Interesting. It seems like this mb doesn't like booting from a 16GB usb. My other comps booted fine, I installed unraid on a 4gb usb and it booted. Thanks everyone for the help.

Interesting. It seems like this mb doesn't like booting from a 16GB usb. My other comps booted fine, I installed unraid on a 4gb usb and it booted. Thanks everyone for the help.

 

Good to hear that you got it working properly.  I must file this one away for future reference as it is the first time that I heard of this being a problem.  (I even did a very quick research of the  FAT specs but did not see any thing that stood out as an issue EXCEPT that 4GB  is the maximum file size that can be stored on any FAT formatted device.)