[SOLVED] System not detecting Windows when non-Windows hard drive is removed

[RTechT]

I have two hard drives, one which has Windows 10 and another for simply data storing. When I remove the one that doesn't have Windows on it, the system shows me the Blancco erasure screen instead of taking me to Windows. I've tried checking if the MBR is corrupt, it isn't, the bootrec.exe /ScanOs command detects the installation. When I have the non-Windows hard drive installed the system boots as normal, but that hard drive is starting to fail. Also, as an extra help pointer, the system shows two Windows installations, although I have only one. The one which says Volume 5 is the one I use and I've never tried Volume 2, but I guess that's the one the system thinks is on the non-Windows hard drive. I'm at a loss, I don't know what to do. Help would be much appreciated

 

[popatim]

I suspect your bootloader is actually on the Data drive. This has been an issue since Win7. When Windows is installed to a drive with more then one HDD/SSD present, windows will put the boot loader on a drive that you aren't installing windows itself to. You'll probably see a small small System partition on the data drive just for that.

Can you install the data disk and then run diskmgmt.msc and link us to a screenshot of that please?

 

[RTechT]

Here's the screenshot. I do understand you're saying that there is a separate partition for that purpose but it doesn't show which drive. Maybe I just don't know which drive those files are on or maybe it's hidden. Also there is another partition that seems to be corrupted (says parameter is incorrect when I try to access it). Could those files for the bootloader be on that partition?
Also Local Disk E (the RAW partition) is the one showing the error
Disk 0 is the Data disk
Disk 1 is the Windows disk

Screenshot:
https://ibb.co/P6x3g8Q

 

[Pc6777]

I've had this problem multiple times, I'm going to install windows with only one drive connected for now on then connect storage drives afterwards, not sure if you can fix it after the fact, never tried it. Maybe you could take the bootloader and transfer it on a logical partition on your boot drive, but idk.

 

[RTechT]

The issue is I have very important data on my Windows drive and currently all my external drives are full and my data disk is failing. My data disk causes pretty much the whole computer to slow down and that's why I'm trying to find a way to fix the bootloader issue instead since I currently have no method of backup.

 

[Pc6777]

The issue is I have very important data on my Windows drive and currently all my external drives are full and my data disk is failing. My data disk causes pretty much the whole computer to slow down and that's why I'm trying to find a way to fix the bootloader issue instead since I currently have no method of backup.

You can get the data off your windows drive without booting from it.

 

[RTechT]

Yes but I have nowhere to back it up to, so I want to find a way to fix the bootloader issue

 

[RTechT]

I found the fix! I used EasyBCD to make my C drive the boot device. Now it works without the data disk! Thanks for all the help that was given on this thread, without it I wouldn't have figured out the bootloader was the issue!

 

[USAFRet]

Yes but I have nowhere to back it up to, so I want to find a way to fix the bootloader issue

That is a whole other issue that you need to address.

 

[RTechT]

That issue was discovered through this thread but if it still broke the rules, I'm sorry!

 

[USAFRet]

That issue was discovered through this thread but if it still broke the rules, I'm sorry!

No, not breaking the rule.

Just mentioning that you NEED a good backup routine.

since I currently have no method of backup

I have very important data on my Windows drive

What would you do if that physical drive died?
Or you got a nasty virus?

Or,a s seems to be the case here...you need to do some major maintenance on your OS install, and you accidentally click the wrong thing?

What is your backup situation at home?

What is your backup situation at home? And if you don't do that, why not? Every single day, I read multiple threads here of "How do I get my stuff back?" or "That drive had 5 years of photos of my kids!!" Be it a dead drive, dropped phone, virus, accidental deletion, formatting the wrong...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[popatim]

Easybcd free fixed it? kewl - I thought thought that function went to the paid version a few years ago.

 

[RTechT]

I will invest in an external hard drive for backup soon!