Dont mind at all.
Of all the sites and forums I read, of course they all talk about different things in the bios but I had none of those options. So, this is all I had to work with.
Oh, as Ive been reclaiming each of my thumb drives, the very first one I wrote and used is the one I grabbed for the install. So, it was never that. Which oddly means, unetbootin did work. Crazy!!
changes made 
that’s good to hear that unetbootin worked after all. it is certainly easier to use a program that you trust and are familiar with i think.
i got to thinking about this part and what might help someone else in the same boat is if you could add the system make and model. if you have the time and inclination to do so, it would probably be best to add it to the post marked as a solution.