Usb Ports Not Recognised

[alfarom]

HP Envy 17-n065na laptop.

I removed the hard drive to copy a load of photos from this laptop that wouldn't boot. However, putting the drive back and attempting to boot with a usb stick to reload Windows 10 is proving impossible as no USB port is working. There are 2 on each side, connected to the motherboard so it's not a loose cable. I have checked the usb stick and it's fine but there is no light from it when I plug it in.

Any ideas?

 

[Bighorn]

One thing to be aware of is that many Notebooks have a BIOS that only supports USB 2. Also important is the BIOS entry for USB is set for Legacy and USB is included in the Boot list, I usually set USB as the first boot device and no problem unless a USB drive is plugged in, takes a bit longer for the BIOS to locate boot files. I have an Envy 17 TouchSmart running now in the other room, it's a rehabbed machine that works quite nicely.

EDIT
I didn't respond to the "wouldn't boot" part. There could be problems with the motherboard that prevented booting and may still be a problem or have caused the problem with the hard drive.

 

[alfarom]

The USB ports are not recognised at all by a Windows or Linux installation USB stick. It's got to be a board problem

 

[Bighorn]

Agreed. I've never had an issue with my Linux Mint LiveUSB drives.