[SOLVED] Gigabyte X570 Auros Master won't boot after BIOS update. Boot device not found.

DanielSpaending

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Mar 17, 2016
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tldr:
Pc won't boot after BIOS update from F5 to F7b. "Error boot device not found", but I can't select the proper boot device in Bios. Mobo display shows "AE" code. Tried BIOS version F6, but that doesn't work either. Version F5 works, but apparently still tries to boot from all available drives. Is my mobo toast or is there some setting in BIOS I have overlooked?

Long story:
Yesterday I decided to update my Auros Master X570 from bios F5 to F7b, mainly to get in on that AGESA 1.0.0.3 ABBA action. Everything went great, and I booted into Windows after a rather long boot. But that is to be expected after a BIOS flash. I then went to restart the PC, but this time it didn't boot in to windows, but instead showed "Error boot device not found". Whenever I tried to tell to boot from my Windows drive, I still got that error. I could see that the debug led showed "AE" while spitting out the error. As far as I can see, it is related to Legacy OS.

I tried unplugging all my SATA drives, plus pulling my 2 additional m.2 drives leaving only my nvme m.2 with the Windows installation, but still the same errors. I tried pulling all but 1 stick of ram, and tried a different kit, but still no luck. I managed to boot to a Windows recovery drive, but couldn't find any problems while trying to use Windows Repair.

I also noticed that whenever I tried to set the boot order, it wouldn't stick. The next time I would enter the BIOS, the order would be different from what I tried to set it to.

I then tried to reflash the BIOS again with the F7B BIOS, and once again I got into windows no problem straight after the flash. But again when I restarted the PC, I got an "Error boot device not found" and a "AE" code on the mobo. I then tried to flash to BIOS version F6, with the same result. First boot normal, second boot "Error boot device not found" and "AE".

After switching between F7B and F6 a few times, I decided to try the older BIOS version F5. This worked fine, even after a restart, but the boot would take fairly long and during boot I still got a "AE" code. Afterwards I tried to plug my all drives in again, and I noticed that during boot, I would get a very long boot cycle with the "AE" code shown once for each drive connected, but eventually succesfull. In Bios I can disable all the irrelevant drives in the boot order, and get a faster boot but still a, "AE" display code on the mobo.

Possible solutions:
My question is of course how I get past the "Error boot device not found"-error, is there some setting in the BIOS I have overlooked? My gut feeling tells me I have to disable something that checks for an older windows version, but I don't know what it is.

It could be something with my multiple nvme drives, since BIOS version F6 was supposed to fix SATA hot plug and RAIDXpert2 setting. That would be bad news, since it could mean that all future BIOS updates won't work on my motherboard, with my setup. But then again, I still couldn't boot with only 1 nvme drive plugged in.

It could also be a defective motherboard, but I find that somewhat unlikely, since I have messed around with that board quite a bit. I have managed to overclock the CPU to 4.25 all cores on 1.368v,. I have also had succes in overclocking my 4 sticks of RAM to 3200mhz, CL 16 rocksolid. So I guess any physical defects would have shown themselves earlier.

Do you have any suggestions to what may cause the problem? I would appreciate any help, or tips and tricks :)

Full setup
Mobo: Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master (Bios version F5)
CPU: Ryzen 3700X Watercooled
Ram: 4x8gb Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO DDR4-3000 C15 (Hynix CJR)
Nvme: 250 gb Samsung 960 EVO
Nvme: 500 gb Silicon Power PCIe Gen3x4
Nvme: 1 tb Silicon Power PCIe Gen3x4
SATA SSD: Crucial BX100 480gb
SATA HDD: Seagate 2tb 7200rpm
PSU: EVGA G2 750 W
GPU: MSI Armor 1080ti watercooled
Peripheral: Corsair Commander pro
Cooling: Full custom loop, D5 Pump, EK and Phanteks blocks
 
Solution
So if anyone stumbles upon this question, I finally solved it. I ended up installing the newest BIOS (F10a), and reinstalled windows from scratch. That solved the issue, and the PC boots up fast and w/o error.

DanielSpaending

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Mar 17, 2016
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So if anyone stumbles upon this question, I finally solved it. I ended up installing the newest BIOS (F10a), and reinstalled windows from scratch. That solved the issue, and the PC boots up fast and w/o error.
 
Solution

automatik99

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Oct 13, 2014
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18,510
Same problem here, except without the nvme's. I restart after the "boot device not found" error, just going into the bios and viewing it without making changes, and then it boots. Very odd that it happens intermittently. A clean install is my last resort, since it means I would have to reinstall an enormous amount of software for my rig., and i just did that a couple of months ago. Any suggestions would be great.

All drivers are updated, bios is the latest, at this time Feb 2020, it's ver F11. Looking around a bit this seems to be a buggy board, though my last gigabyte was fantastic.