[SOLVED] computer is not reading any bootable drives. cannot start windows

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rmartin91

Dec 21, 2020
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i have a i7 10700k, asus prime z490-A , and a 2080 super. i accidentally moved my internal hardrive while the computer was on and now my computer will only boot up in Bios. Bios says there are no bootable drives and i have a SSD and HD. any help?
 
Solution
USAFRet
rmartin91 said:
no that critical.. . everything can be reinstalled as i use the computer for gaming and video editing
Click to expand...
Full reinstall.

OS on the SSD, with ONLY the SSD connected.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...
forums.tomshardware.com forums.tomshardware.com

Later, reconnect the HDD and see what is on it, if anything.
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USAFRet said:
Check all the cables.
Touch and verify, not just look.

You did this with the PC on?
What, exactly, did you do?
Click to expand...

i did do it with the PC on by accident.

i was trying to find an RGB light controller. I have 3 trays- 1 holds my SSD, 1 holds my HD, 1 was empty. I thought i remembered the guy who put it all together say he put it in one of the trays.. i go to open one tray it was the HD. knowing that wasn't great, I look at my screen. all of my apps disappeared except my trash can and then the screen went black and went to Bios. it has been stuck since. i have tried switching the SSD and HD. took out the battery on the mother board. and nothing has seemed to work.
 
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rmartin91 said:
i did do it with the PC on by accident.

i was trying to find an RGB light controller. I have 3 trays- 1 holds my SSD, 1 holds my HD, 1 was empty. I thought i remembered the guy who put it all together say he put it in one of the trays.. i go to open one tray it was the HD. knowing that wasn't great, I look at my screen. all of my apps disappeared except my trash can and then the screen went black and went to Bios. it has been stuck since. i have tried switching the SSD and HD. took out the battery on the mother board. and nothing has seemed to work.
Click to expand...
You've done a full power OFF and restart?
 
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So, here's what I think happened.

Coming from your statement of - "the guy who put it all together " - you did not assemble and install?

The OS was installed with both drives connected?
The OS lives on either the SSD or the HDD, but the boot partition lives on the HDD.

In disconnecting that HDD with power on, you corrupted the data in various and interesting ways.
Resulting in "No boot for you".

The physical drive(s) are probably fine, but the data residing on them...not so much.

I know I shouldn't ask, but there is no real backup of this, correct?
 
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yeah i did not assemble it at all.

come to think of it he told me he put windows on the ssd (if that makes a difference)

im not as concerned about the data.. just want my computer to boot up but that is definitely not ideal.

and no, no major backup. i backed up a lot of my stuff on my HD.

what should i do now?
 
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rmartin91 said:
yeah i did not assemble it at all.

come to think of it he told me he put windows on the ssd (if that makes a difference)

im not as concerned about the data.. just want my computer to boot up but that is definitely not ideal.

and no, no major backup. i backed up a lot of my stuff on my HD.

what should i do now?
Click to expand...

just checked connections to SSD and HDD again. booted up the computer and bios is still saying it cannot find any bootable devices..
 
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rmartin91 said:
no that critical.. . everything can be reinstalled as i use the computer for gaming and video editing
Click to expand...
Full reinstall.

OS on the SSD, with ONLY the SSD connected.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...
forums.tomshardware.com forums.tomshardware.com

Later, reconnect the HDD and see what is on it, if anything.
 
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Solution
USAFRet said:
Full reinstall.

OS on the SSD, with ONLY the SSD connected.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...
forums.tomshardware.com forums.tomshardware.com

Later, reconnect the HDD and see what is on it, if anything.
Click to expand...

thanks for all the help.. quick question.. if i have the original windows 10 usb drive do i need to download windows onto a new usb? or is this step necessary for a clean install
 
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USAFRet said:
On the edge of 'too old to use'.
But probably OK.

Easy to make a new one, though.
Click to expand...

i only ask because i tried to use the windows USB. and my system is still not finding any drives to even be able to install windows too. so i was not wanting to go through all the steps if the issue is my PC not detecting the SSD.

or will going through this process remedy the said issue? thank you for bearing with me.. obviously computer illiterate.
 
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