Windows Boot Help

BeadyRoller

BeadyRoller

BeadyRoller

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21 Apr 2013
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Hi, so I have just built a new PC and having some issues with my boot options.

In my new build there is a new 2TB M.2 drive and a 1TB M.2 from my old build. The old drive still had Windows on it as there were some things on there that I wanted to transfer to my new drive once I got things up and running.

Anyway, I installed Windows on my new M.2 drive fine but when I go in to my bios there is no option for that drive to be the primary boot option, it still has my old 1TB drive as the first option to boot from even though I have since formatted that drive so it doesn't even have Windows on there anymore.

If I start my PC and let it go past the post in to Windows it gives me 3 options:

Boot to Windows 11
Boot to Windows 11
Boot to Windows 10

The bottom two don't even work as like I said, they aren't even there anymore but for some reason it's still recognising they are?
The top one boots in to my new drive.

Long story short, how do I get it to just go straight in to Windows 11 from my new M.2 drive and erase all my past Windows options?

Cheers.
 
BeadyRoller said:
Hi, so I have just built a new PC and having some issues with my boot options.

In my new build there is a new 2TB M.2 drive and a 1TB M.2 from my old build. The old drive still had Windows on it as there were some things on there that I wanted to transfer to my new drive once I got things up and running.

Anyway, I installed Windows on my new M.2 drive fine but when I go in to my bios there is no option for that drive to be the primary boot option, it still has my old 1TB drive as the first option to boot from even though I have since formatted that drive so it doesn't even have Windows on there anymore.

If I start my PC and let it go past the post in to Windows it gives me 3 options:

Boot to Windows 11
Boot to Windows 11
Boot to Windows 10

The bottom two don't even work as like I said, they aren't even there anymore but for some reason it's still recognising they are?
The top one boots in to my new drive.

Long story short, how do I get it to just go straight in to Windows 11 from my new M.2 drive and erase all my past Windows options?

Cheers.
Click to expand...
Should be able to do what you are after through the msconfig utility (Start > Run "msconfig"); you then want the Boot tab.

Obviously caution needs to be taken to remove only the ones you don't want so I would recommend a backup of anything you can't afford to lose just in case you end up with a problem. It  usually tells you which one you are currently viewing running too with a note by one of the entries and it should also note whichever is set as the default.

It's been a while since I've used that so things may have changed a bit but you can do things like set an automatic timeout to ocntinue with the default or force safe boot etc. too if you do need to have dual boot Windows at some point.

Edit: note I have only done this on Windows 7 & 10 bit I can't see 11 being different
 
Last edited:
5abr3 said:
Should be able to do what you are after through the msconfig utility (Start > Run "msconfig"); you then want the Boot tab.

Obviously caution needs to be taken to remove only the ones you don't want so I would recommend a backup of anything you can't afford to lose just in case you end up with a problem. It  usually tells you which one you are currently viewing running too with a note by one of the entries and it should also note whichever is set as the default.

It's been a while since I've used that so things may have changed a bit but you can do things like set an automatic timeout to ocntinue with the default or force safe boot etc. too if you do need to have dual boot Windows at some point.

Edit: note I have only done this on Windows 7 & 10 bit I can't see 11 being different
Click to expand...
Right thanks for the reply mate.

So this will erase all knowledge of Windows on my other drive? Confused as to why it's still trying to boot in to it when there's nothing on there.

Like I said, in the bios both drives show up but only old drive shows up as a "Windows boot" drive when it clearly works on my new drive. It's weird.
 
Yeah msconfig is same in 11 @5abr3
If that doesn't work
Other options could try easybcd to remove the others

Basically there's probably still a small boot partition on the drive
Could also use diskpart
With the command clean to remove it
Though again care is needed to be certain you're removing correct one

this is where multiple m2 drives become a PITA
Unlike sata drives there's no easy method to disable them
When dealing with multiple windows installs and boot records


Edit
Could also just use msconfig
Set the delay to 1 or 2 seconds it should just boot
Though the other 2 entries would still be there
This carries least risk of messing something up
 
Last edited:
5abr3 said:
Should be able to do what you are after through the msconfig utility (Start > Run "msconfig"); you then want the Boot tab.

Obviously caution needs to be taken to remove only the ones you don't want so I would recommend a backup of anything you can't afford to lose just in case you end up with a problem. It  usually tells you which one you are currently viewing running too with a note by one of the entries and it should also note whichever is set as the default.

It's been a while since I've used that so things may have changed a bit but you can do things like set an automatic timeout to ocntinue with the default or force safe boot etc. too if you do need to have dual boot Windows at some point.

Edit: note I have only done this on Windows 7 & 10 bit I can't see 11 being different
Click to expand...
Right so this works, loaded straight in to Windows so thanks!

I have entered Bios though and it still has my old boot drive as the only option to boot from? The new drive I'm using Windows with now isn't even an option in the boot order.
 
BeadyRoller said:
Right so this works, loaded straight in to Windows so thanks!

I have entered Bios though and it still has my old boot drive as the only option to boot from? The new drive I'm using Windows with now isn't even an option in the boot order.
Click to expand...
I think what you are seeing is boot priority for the SATA controller(s). My old motherboard listed all the drives but only one had an OS installed and it was literally just the other it looked for an OS across the drives.
 
Mcnumpty2323 said:
It's possible the boot record for both drives
Is on the one you formatted
Only way to test that would be disconnect that drive
And see if it still boots up
Which like I said is a bit of a PITA with m2 drives
Click to expand...
Just got round to this. I've removed the old drive and it just boots straight in to BIOS now and still has no option to make it a boot drive.

I've tried reinstalling Windows 11 and formatted the drive again from there and now just get an error saying I can't install Windows on there "we couldn't create a new partition or locate an existing one".

I've tried doing diskpart and changing the drive to GPT and cleaning it etc but still no luck. Now it's just telling me to check my media drive.

There is now 3 partitions:

100 mb System
16 mb MSR
1862.9 GB Primary

What on earth do I do now?
 
I would have copied the boot record
From the old drive to new
But looks like we may be past that point now

How many drives do you currently have connected?

And wouldn't hurt to make a new windows install usb
Just in case
Preferably using rufus if you used windows media creator
For the previous one
 
Mcnumpty2323 said:
I would have copied the boot record
From the old drive to new
But looks like we may be past that point now

How many drives do you currently have connected?

And wouldn't hurt to make a new windows install usb
Just in case
Preferably using rufus if you used windows media creator
For the previous one
Click to expand...
Literally only this one. I don't think I can even get on to Windows now though as the other drive I've disconnected hasn't got Windows on either even though it was the only one that showed as a boot option when it was installed.
 
Last edited:
If only 1 drive
Should in theory be easier

If can't get windows to install
Remake your install usb just in case its corrupted
Hopefully you have access to another device

Should just be able to delete every partition
Once gets to where it lists the drives
Or press shift + f10 before that point
To use cmd and diskpart to delete them all
 
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