SSD that has been working fine suddenly will not boot

[Threehan]

Hey guys,

So I recently upgraded my computer here's the current setup:
i5-6600K
EVGA 1070
EVGA 500W 80+
1TB HDD Seagate
256GB SSD A-DATA with Windows 10 installed
Asus CD drive
Gigabyte UD Z170 MoBo
16 GB avexir RAM DDR4

This was upgraded from a build that I made almost a year ago. The only things I upgraded were the CPU, the GPU, the MoBo and the RAM. I upgraded it this last Saturday and it has been working spectacularly for the past few days. I got home from work today and tried to go on the computer and all of a sudden I got the whole "Reboot and select proper boot device" error message. I tried going into the BIOS and seeing what was up and my BIOS is recognizing the drive, it knows it's there, but it still won't boot. I tried changing some of the SATA controller options and it still won't boot. I'm at a loss here, I don't know what else to do!

 

[Natsukage]

Hello.

It may be simple as your bootloader becoming corrupted. I suggest creating a windows boot disk and trying to see if it can detect the drive and repair it?

If the windows installation does not detect or repair it, then the SSD might be defective. This can happen very suddenly, without any warning signs. I suggest testing it in another PC first, and see if it tries to boot. If not, you will need to RMA it.

You can try recovering the data using EaseUS SSD version.
http://www.easeus.com/data-recovery/other-recovery-software/SSD-drive-recovery.htm

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Welcome to Tom's Hardware, @Threehan!

I'd recommend you attempt to boot again from the SSD while having the secondary hard drive unplugged from the mobo. Another thing you should do is try running the Windows Repair Options from the Windows Installation media disk (USB/CD). Fixing the MBR (Master Boot Record) could potentially resolve the issue.

Another thing you should check is how the SSD would get recognized if you swap the SATA cable and the port where it's connected to the motherboard. It might also be a good idea to check the motherboard manufacturer's official website for any updates on the Chipset & SATA controller drivers. While on it, also make sure you got the latest BIOS version installed.

Keep us posted with the troubleshooting!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[Threehan]

Welcome to Tom's Hardware, @Threehan!

I'd recommend you attempt to boot again from the SSD while having the secondary hard drive unplugged from the mobo. Another thing you should do is try running the Windows Repair Options from the Windows Installation media disk (USB/CD). Fixing the MBR (Master Boot Record) could potentially resolve the issue.

Another thing you should check is how the SSD would get recognized if you swap the SATA cable and the port where it's connected to the motherboard. It might also be a good idea to check the motherboard manufacturer's official website for any updates on the Chipset & SATA controller drivers. While on it, also make sure you got the latest BIOS version installed.

Keep us posted with the troubleshooting!
SuperSoph_WD

Okay, so I'm in the process of making installation media so I can check if I can fix it that way, but in the meantime I've tried a few other things. I've tried recovering the files with Knoppix and it can't even see the drive, but the BIOS still sees it fine. I've tried analyzing it with Seatools and it says the drive is fine, but when I try to recover the files, it says that there's nothing on it. I'll let you know if the windows repair protocol works.

EDIT: So I just tried the MBR repair tool and that said it didn't even identify a Windows installation. Is it possible the drive just straight wiped itself?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there again, @Threehan!

This seems odd, it does look like the SSD doesn't have any system files on it, since the Windows Installation doesn't detect anything on it. If you have access to another PC, I'd definitely check how the SSD is recognized there (as @Natsukage recommended) and make sure you see how it appears in Disk Management.

As I mentioned this sudden wiping of the solid-state drive is definitely not normal, so you should run a SSD-specific diagnostic tool as well and make sure that the SMART attributes and health status are normal.

I'd also use the SSD's brand-specific utility to make sure that the drive is optimized with the latest SSD firmware update.

Hope this helps.
Keep us posted.
SuperSoph_WD