Can't start Win From M2 if i un-plug my other spinning drive from system

[arqrenderz]

Hi forum!

Im having trouble with my system, I have an M2 (500gb) drive with my windows 10 installed, and i have a spinning drive (4tb) with another win 10 on it, but if I un-plug the 4tb one the pc wont bot and will say

"reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media in selected boot device and press a key"

The windows on the m2 was installed with the 4tb unit plugged in, is there a way to solve this issue without re formating the m2 and reinstalling win?

I want to move that drive (4tb) to another pc for backup

 

THX!!

[RonanStuds]

Are you able to go into BIOS? If so change the directory of the specific drive to the bootable one you please. If this is still a problem, then do the second, "reinsert boot media boot device and press a key" redo the boot media.

 

May or may not work, I've done it before.

[arqrenderz]

Hi RonanStuds thx for the reply, right now the m2 is the C: drive and the other is D: , i can access Bios and i can see the m2 there but it wont initialize win unsless the 4tb is connected, the second option you say is to format?  Not sure i  understand the first option, the m2 is my first priority drive.

[RonanStuds]

Have you considered removing the Hard Drive's operating system files, getting rid of the drive as an OS drive but repartitioning it. Then the computer would only recognize one media boot drive?

[arqrenderz]

I need to extract the drive and move it to another system, so i need to solve the issue first.Im affraid that if i delete the other windows my m2 install wont work anymore leaving me with a sure re install...

[hyperparadox]

Have you tried rearranging the boot priority list so that the m.2 is one of the first drives, and the 4TB one at the very bottom? Try it, boot with both installed, but set the priority to the m.2, so that it looks for the OS in the m.2 first.

[Flannelist]

If both drives were connected when you installed Windows there is likely part of your system boot instructions that are on the other drive. My best recommendation would be to use a Windows install media/creation media) and use it to try and repair the startup for the correct drive with the other installation unplugged. When you boot into the USB drive, instead of proceeding to install, there should be option for repair.

[C2dan88]

On 3/21/2021 at 9:36 PM, arqrenderz said:

The windows on the m2 was installed with the 4tb unit plugged in, is there a way to solve this issue without re formating the m2 and reinstalling win?

As Flannelist said when installing Windows with two or more drives connected windows may install the bootloader onto another drive (the first one it finds during boot, not the the one you choose during install!).

 

Windows has installed the bootloader to your hdd. So you when you boot without it your bios cannot find the bootloader to boot windows on your m.2

 

To solve this you need to create a new bootloader onto your m.2. See this guide

https://www.tenforums.com/installation-upgrade/52837-moving-recreating-efi-partition.html#post698505

[Savagebean]

It sounds like the Master Boot Record is on the drive you are trying to move.

 

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/why-or-how-can-i-move-the-mbr-and-bcd-to-a/443adaa1-1e06-4821-8ece-0f806568c74d