Question "Reboot and select proper boot device" error even though BIOS/UEFI recognizes the drive and Windows

[Dovahkitty]

Hi. I'm despairing a bit because my computer won't boot at all.
It worked perfectly this morning, and now not at all.

I had exactly one drive plugged in, which is an M.2 Samsung Evo 2TB SSD.
That has Windows 11 loaded onto it. My BIOS recognizes the drive and Windows Boot Manager as boot options.
But when I actually try and select it, I get the "Reboot and select proper boot device" error, or start-up/shut-down looping.

I tried creating a Windows recovery drive. That drive, so long as it's booted under the UEFI option, does recognize Windows 11 on there.
I tried to rollback updates, do system restore, etc., from the recovery drive but it didn't help.
Weirdly, if I try to reinstall Windows from this recovery drive, it says that my computer does not meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11.

I'm particularly annoyed because if I get a new drive, I don't know how to get my Windows key off of this one. I don't really want to have to do that, and I really don't want to have to buy a new drive and new a Windows license.

I think this all started after Windows tried updating but failed halfway through for some reason.

Any pointers appreciated.

[I had originally posted this on the wrong subsection of the site. Sorry!]

 

[Lutfij]

When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model. BIOS version for your motherboard at this moment of time.

When the issue crop up, was the time in BIOS set to 00:00?

I'm particularly annoyed because if I get a new drive, I don't know how to get my Windows key off of this one. I don't really want to have to do that, and I really don't want to have to buy a new drive and new a Windows license.
Ever since Windows 10, your Windows license key is tethered to your motherboard's BIOS chip, so unless you swap motherboards, you don't need a new key. Which means you can reinstall the OS, just make sure to backup your mission critical data, if there are any, if you're able to get into Safe Mode.

I think this all started after Windows tried updating but failed halfway through for some reason.
It's a good idea to recreate your bootable USB installer so you have the latest updates out of the gate.