Total boot error problem

[xDLGx]

I've run into a kinda critical problem with the new build, which has been running fine passing stress and game tests for two days now. I have tried to keep this short as going through everything would be a huge wall of text.

 

 

All of a sudden after just looking at settings in bios and then rebooting I get:

 

"no bootable device – insert boot disk and press any key"

 

 

I go back into bios and check the usual things, like that the drives are identified and that the boot order is ok. Everything is fine.

 

I then try the Windows 8 disc and automatic repair, which is unable to find or fix anything.

 

Using the command console in the repair suite finds the windows installation, but located on E. If I check C it appears to be empty and it says that it's the reserved system drive.

 

I try to run a string of boot sector repair commands. It ends with "bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd" and it finds Windows on E and asks if it should be added to the boot order. I select yes and it gives some error (I don't remember what it said and I can't check again, more on why below).

 

When I try the "refresh" install option I end with the error:

 

"The drive where Windows is installed is locked. Unlock the drive and try again."

 

Now I've read that his appears to be some bug in Windows 8 and a lot of people are suffering from it. Never happened for me in any other version of Windows.

 

Based on tips online I try using my old Windows Vista install disc as supposedly moving half-way into repair can unlock a locked drive. It also finds my Windows 8 installation and offers to repair it, with roughly these results (had to copy online from some thread)

 

---------------------------------

 

 "The following startup option will be repaired: 
Name: {bootmgr} 
Identifier: {9DEA862C-5CDD-4E70-ACC1-F32B344D4795} 

The following startup options will be added: 
Name: Windows 8 Pro (recovered) 
Path: Windows Windows 
Device: Partition=C: (87055 MB) <--- I don't remember what it said here

A copy of the current boot configuration data will be saved as: C:\Boot\BCD.Backup.0003"

---------------------------------

Clicking "Repair and restart" gives me the error "Failed to save startup options."

 

 

Now I read that can sometimes correct this error by disconnecting HDDs/SSDs and changing boot order in Windows. I fiddle with that a bit and suddenly instead of "no bootable device – insert boot disk and press any key" I now get a blue screen with a boot error, this one.

 

NOW THE PROBLEM is that I'm getting this screen no matter how I boot now. None of my boot discs even works, Win 8, Vista.... nothing. All I can do on the computer is get into BIOS and look around.

 

 

Any hot tips here?

[L.E.D]

I've run into a kinda critical problem with the new build, which has been running fine passing stress and game tests for two days now. I have tried to keep this short as going through everything would be a huge wall of text.

 

 

All of a sudden after just looking at settings in bios and then rebooting I get:

 

"no bootable device – insert boot disk and press any key"

 

 

I go back into bios and check the usual things, like that the drives are identified and that the boot order is ok. Everything is fine.

 

I then try the Windows 8 disc and automatic repair, which is unable to find or fix anything.

 

Using the command console in the repair suite finds the windows installation, but located on E. If I check C it appears to be empty and it says that it's the reserved system drive.

 

I try to run a string of boot sector repair commands. It ends with "bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd" and it finds Windows on E and asks if it should be added to the boot order. I select yes and it gives some error (I don't remember what it said and I can't check again, more on why below).

 

When I try the "refresh" install option I end with the error:

 

"The drive where Windows is installed is locked. Unlock the drive and try again."

 

Now I've read that his appears to be some bug in Windows 8 and a lot of people are suffering from it. Never happened for me in any other version of Windows.

 

Based on tips online I try using my old Windows Vista install disc as supposedly moving half-way into repair can unlock a locked drive. It also finds my Windows 8 installation and offers to repair it, with roughly these results (had to copy online from some thread)

 

---------------------------------

 

 "The following startup option will be repaired: 

Name: {bootmgr} 

Identifier: {9DEA862C-5CDD-4E70-ACC1-F32B344D4795} 

The following startup options will be added: 

Name: Windows 8 Pro (recovered) 

Path: Windows Windows 

Device: Partition=C: (87055 MB) <--- I don't remember what it said here

A copy of the current boot configuration data will be saved as: C:\Boot\BCD.Backup.0003"

---------------------------------

Clicking "Repair and restart" gives me the error "Failed to save startup options."

 

 

Now I read that can sometimes correct this error by disconnecting HDDs/SSDs and changing boot order in Windows. I fiddle with that a bit and suddenly instead of "no bootable device – insert boot disk and press any key" I now get a blue screen with a boot error, this one.

 

NOW THE PROBLEM is that I'm getting this screen no matter how I boot now. None of my boot discs even works, Win 8, Vista.... nothing. All I can do on the computer is get into BIOS and look around.

 

 

Any hot tips here?

 

I would try going about this

 

http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-fix-windows-8-mbr-master-boot-record/

 

and you said you can't access anything after the bios.. the bios controls that.. I would pull the battery and wait 10 seconds put it back in and give it a go, you WILL lose ALL settings. again YOU WILL LOSE ALL SETTINGS

[xDLGx]

I have now managed to boot with the disc again, I used the bios switch. It still won't auto boot on the disc but it boots on the disc if I use manual override from within the bios to do it.

 

Anyway, already tried everything on that link.

Something I can't find among any guides or tips around this problem is that there is a new "partition"... that my Windows installation drive has turned into E: and a new drive is system reserved.

 

Now the reserved drive is D: and it has a temp folder with a bunch of boot error logs in it.

 

Just FYI I've got two SSDs in this machine, one with OS and one with select programs only. I've also got a normal HDD but it's disconnected now, needed cables for the optical. Don't ever use optical so didn't install one in the case :p

[L.E.D]

I have now managed to boot with the disc again, I used the bios switch. It still won't auto boot on the disc but it boots on the disc if I use manual override from within the bios to do it.

 

Anyway, already tried everything on that link.

Something I can't find among any guides or tips around this problem is that there is a new "partition"... that my Windows installation drive has turned into E: and a new drive is system reserved.

 

Now the reserved drive is D: and it has a temp folder with a bunch of boot error logs in it.

 

Just FYI I've got two SSDs in this machine, one with OS and one with select programs only. I've also got a normal HDD but it's disconnected now, needed cables for the optical. Don't ever use optical so didn't install one in the case :P

 

What is the issue with that ? There is always HDD or SSD space allotted for system reserved. It is normal to see it pop up.. 

[xDLGx]

What is the issue with that ? There is always HDD or SSD space allotted for system reserved. It is normal to see it pop up.. 

Because all the repair changes I'm trying to do is being done to the reserved drive, which is empty. At least from reading the knowledgebase at Microsoft it says that the commands make changes to the reserved drive... which is pointless.

[L.E.D]

When you do the fixmbr command it rewrites the boot manager on the OS drive, usually C:\ ... I don't get why that is happening

[xDLGx]

I think the core of the problem is that the drive is "locked" still, doesn't matter what I do unless I manage to "unlock" it somehow. Piece of shit.

[L.E.D]

I think the core of the problem is that the drive is "locked" still, doesn't matter what I do unless I manage to "unlock" it somehow. Piece of shit.

 

I'v never ran into that problem, sorry I couldn't be of more help...

[xDLGx]

Yeah... online it's only problems and no working solutions. Scary that it doesn't seem to be an uncommon problem.

[xDLGx]

And windows 8 installer can't find my system image backup.... fantastic

[xDLGx]

Ugh.... now I forgot to only have 1 drive connected while installing so Windows 8 in all its wisdom decided it was best to place the boot files on the standard HDD meant for backups and storage.

I am really frustrated about this whole situation. I could have saved half a day just reinstalling Win 8 (installation was only two days old) but I wanted to find a solution to the "locked drive" problem. I hate to reinstall again in a day or two due to the same error.

[L.E.D]

Ugh.... now I forgot to only have 1 drive connected while installing so Windows 8 in all its wisdom decided it was best to place the boot files on the standard HDD meant for backups and storage.

I am really frustrated about this whole situation. I could have saved half a day just reinstalling Win 8 (installation was only two days old) but I wanted to find a solution to the "locked drive" problem. I hate to reinstall again in a day or two due to the same error.

 

Sorry to hear that, have you found a solution to your main problem by just reinstalling Windows 8 ? I know how you feel, When I got my SSD my old ass PC and it didn't co-operate together very well and I was always reinstalling Windows .. atleast 10 times in the week.. It is a pain in the ass yes but sometimes it has to be done...

[xDLGx]

I am back up and running again, took a lot less time to reinstall everything (only two days worth) than to troubleshoot. When I encounter a problem I really like to find the source of the problem and a fix for it, a fix that doesn't involve reinstalling, so I'm not happy.

 

One issue with the reinstall (maybe that's normal for Win 8, used it for the first time 3 days ago), is that when I did a clean install it left that bugged up locked 350 mb partition as formatted unallocated space? Found that a bit odd. I used AOMEI to merge the partitions now.

 

The only clues I've found to possible causes of the screwed up boot sector / locked windows drive error is the Windows Fast Boot feature corrupting files. From everything I've read about this problem (and there are A LOT of threads out there) Microsoft doesn't seem to acknowledge any problem, instead they blame the user and viruses. The "locked drive" error is supposedly some "feature" meant to protect your PC from theft.... or some complete BS like that.

 

 

Another thing I'm a bit concerned about is that the latest bios version for the motherboard doesn't let me boot from a disc drive no matter what, it spins it up but then just goes to the hard drive anyway. The standard version or the bios does lets me boot, but only via manual override from the bios, not via boot order.

[L.E.D]

I am back up and running again, took a lot less time to reinstall everything (only two days worth) than to troubleshoot. When I encounter a problem I really like to find the source of the problem and a fix for it, a fix that doesn't involve reinstalling, so I'm not happy.

 

One issue with the reinstall (maybe that's normal for Win 8, used it for the first time 3 days ago), is that when I did a clean install it left that bugged up locked 350 mb partition as formatted unallocated space? Found that a bit odd. I used AOMEI to merge the partitions now.

 

The only clues I've found to possible causes of the screwed up boot sector / locked windows drive error is the Windows Fast Boot feature corrupting files. From everything I've read about this problem (and there are A LOT of threads out there) Microsoft doesn't seem to acknowledge any problem, instead they blame the user and viruses. The "locked drive" error is supposedly some "feature" meant to protect your PC from theft.... or some complete BS like that.

 

 

Another thing I'm a bit concerned about is that the latest bios version for the motherboard doesn't let me boot from a disc drive no matter what, it spins it up but then just goes to the hard drive anyway. The standard version or the bios does lets me boot, but only via manual override from the bios, not via boot order.

 

I am not sure why it failed so the info you have is what I have as well... lol as for the 350mb of space that was reserved partition I believe...

 

as for the bios it must be something in the settings, I don't see why the older bios version would and not the new one... Yeah I would check settings or just stick with doing the override I am assuming you are pressing F12 then choosing DVD/CD boot.

[xDLGx]

I am not sure why it failed so the info you have is what I have as well... lol as for the 350mb of space that was reserved partition I believe...

as for the bios it must be something in the settings, I don't see why the older bios version would and not the new one... Yeah I would check settings or just stick with doing the override I am assuming you are pressing F12 then choosing DVD/CD boot.

Yeah it was the reserved partition... all messed up. Impossible to fix while it was "locked".

No it doesn't seem to react at all on keyboard inputs to boot from optical drive. It asks for it and gives me a few seconds, but it doesn't care how many "any keys" I press :p From within the bios itself there is an override menu where you can click on available hardware and attempt to boot from them.

I've contacted MSI about this. I should also try a different optical drive, but that'll have to wait until next time. I haven't got any optical drive installed at all now, only time I normally use one is when I install the OS for the first time.

[L.E.D]

Yeah it was the reserved partition... all messed up. Impossible to fix while it was "locked".

No it doesn't seem to react at all on keyboard inputs to boot from optical drive. It asks for it and gives me a few seconds, but it doesn't care how many "any keys" I press :P From within the bios itself there is an override menu where you can click on available hardware and attempt to boot from them.

I've contacted MSI about this. I should also try a different optical drive, but that'll have to wait until next time. I haven't got any optical drive installed at all now, only time I normally use one is when I install the OS for the first time.

 

So when you press a key to boot from a CD I assume it is the windows Press any key to boot from CD, Can you get into your bios on boot ? I was wondering because sometimes there is a setting in the bios to use a USB keyboard...

[xDLGx]

So when you press a key to boot from a CD I assume it is the windows Press any key to boot from CD, Can you get into your bios on boot ? I was wondering because sometimes there is a setting in the bios to use a USB keyboard...

 

Yeah I haven't had any problems starting the machine and getting into the bios during this whole mess, that has always worked. Never even had to press delete like a crazy person (have to do that on my old pc). One press is enough.

[xDLGx]

Found even more info on this locked drive issues and possible ways to unlock it, which I will try next time. Apparently a Linux boot disc has been able to unlock windows drives for a lot of people, ie. do what Windows own repair discs completely fail to do.