need some help wierd booting issue

BUDFORCE

BUDFORCE

BUDFORCE

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Hi guys,

I have a wierd issue with booting my PC.

I have a samsung 250GB SATA SSD with windows on it, a secodary mechanical 2TB Seagate drive that I just keep steam files and other junk on (which is slowing failing) this setup has been working fine for ages.

Both drives are connected via SATA I believe in ports 1 and 2 on the motherboard.

Anyway, I whipped out the mechanical drive and swapped it over for a 1TB sumsung SSD. Just using the same connections.

Checked the BIOS and both drives are showing, checking the boot setup and the smaller original SSD is correctly showing as first boot device, however, when I try and boot the PC like this it just comes up no bootable device found.

Oddly, I took the 1TB SSD out and put the old mechanical drive back in and it booted first time as normal.

Any ideas?

The motherboard is an older MSI P67A-GD65.

EDIT: failed to mention above but to clarify both SSD's could be seen by the BIOS.

EDIT: Ok tried all 3 drives connected at the same time, windows boots straight away, went into disk management formatted the new 1TB SSD no problems, windows can see it.

EDIT yeah, it'll boot with all 3 connected, but whatever combination i try if the mechanical drive isnt connected it just comes up with no bootable device found.....

Windows is 100% definately on the smaller SSD and NOT the mechanical dive.

I cant figure it out.
 
Last edited:
discs.jpg


Unless its anyting to do with that random Disc 1 partition 2???? I dont know what that is? (highlighted blue)

I have a suspicion it might be my motherboard is so old, if it doesnt detect a mechanical drive maybe it doesnt think there are any bootable drives then just fails to boot?

I am literally bamboozled.
 
BUDFORCE said:
Windows is 100% definately on the smaller SSD and NOT the mechanical dive.
Click to expand...
Because of Microsoft being such crap at making good software Windows will definitely install itself all over the place, if you have multiple drives connected when you install it.

That HDD has partition which is marked as system+active partition.
That tells Windows installed part of its boot data to it.
Drive not involved in Windows loading process has only that "Healthy (Primary Partition)" marking.

You need to repair boot data with only OS drive attached.
Windows installer might be able to do it automatically.
https://neosmart.net/wiki/operating-system-not-found-missing/
But if not, ytou need to rebuilt at least BCD data and likely boot sector
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...the-windows-re-to-troubleshoot-startup-issues
 
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.

That just isn't cool.

I guess I could completely reformat and re-install windows.

I have tried to read the above but honesly I am not very good with software.

Does anyone know if you have the free windows 10 upgrade (from win 7) can you re-install win 10 with your original win 7 key?
 
hmmm, tried downloading the windows installer from microsoft onto a usb flash drivie and booting that with only the usb drive and the small SSD with win on, tried to repair boot tool on that but failed :/

EDIT: The bootfixer as linked above would possibly work, but its $19 and not gauranteed.

To be honest, I am annoyed that windows does that, really frustraiting that its spread the boot record over two drives so that is required both in to boot, even though one doesnt really have any of windows installed on it.

If the only way to fix it without going through the above and buying third party software, is to reformat win and fresh install, I wont bother until that mechanical drive completely fails.

Really frustraiting though, bad software design.
 
Last edited:
EsaT said:
Open Command Prompt from Windows installation/repair and use bootrec
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...the-windows-re-to-troubleshoot-startup-issues
These should be make Windows bootable when SSD is only connected drive:
bootrec /rebuildbcd
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
Click to expand...

Hi thanks, I tried the below both with JUST the smaller SSD connected and also the secodary mechanical, same result both times. Still getting the no boot drive found message if I try and boot windows with just the SSD connected after doing this.

image.jpg
 
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