Booting Issue | Linus Tech Tips | Page 1

junior estuary Aug 24, 2025, 5:47 PM

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I'm running windows 11 (the old drive has older version not sure which) on a core i5-14400f, B760M Pro RS, Arc B580, 16gb 6000mt/s Ram.
I just found an old HDD that had Windows on it, and my current system boots off of an SSD. Once I installed the HDD, it booted off of that and did some "repairing drives" thing, but the HDD boot has a password that I don't know, so I went to the BIOS and disabled boot from said HDD, and it should be booting from the SSD now, but it doesn’t work. It cycles the boot, like it goes to the screen where it shows what Keys to press to for example get into the bios, then the screen goes dark, then it goes back to the previous screen. I also tried boot override, and the exact same issue happens. When I completely disconnected that HDD, it doesn’t boot, same issue again. Did it corrupt the Windows file on the SSD? I installed a Windows media file on a USB and when I booted into it there was an option to "repair windows" but that didn't work. Should I somehow install the whole windows into the USB and just boot from that?
I also don't want to just install windows again on my main boot ssd cause it says it'll delete all files in it

bitter socket Aug 26, 2025, 4:14 PM

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Try removing the hdd from the pc

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:14 PM

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junior estuary I'm running windows 11 (the old drive has older version not sure which) on a cor...

^

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I'm pretty sure it corrupted my main boot SSD

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But I don't want to just install windows on that one cause then it will wipe that whole SSD, which I don't want to do

bitter socket Aug 26, 2025, 4:16 PM

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junior estuary I'm pretty sure it corrupted my main boot SSD

Check your boot order aswell

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:16 PM

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I did. I even tried boot override

bitter socket Aug 26, 2025, 4:17 PM

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When you removed the hdd did you reset the pc

bitter socket Aug 26, 2025, 4:18 PM

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junior estuary I did. I even tried boot override

Also try legacy bios

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Or if you have legacy turn on uefi

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Assuming you have gpt

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:19 PM

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It's a fairly new motherboard: B760M Pro RS

bitter socket Aug 26, 2025, 4:21 PM

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junior estuary It's a fairly new motherboard: B760M Pro RS

For the most part legacy doesn't work with gpt drives

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So id check if its in legacy or uefi

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:48 PM

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Poorly explained in the OP so how many drives total do you have? 1 SSD and one new HDD? In the first sentence you also mention "the old drive", what is that?

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:48 PM

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The HDD

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I have 2 SSDs, one with windows and the other for games

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:49 PM

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So 3 drives

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:49 PM

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Yes

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:49 PM

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You added this HDD and this "issue" began?

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Is the boot SSD using MBR or GPT for its partition table?

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:49 PM

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Yea, when I added it it booted from it instead of my SSD and did some "repairing drives" thing

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:50 PM

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serene plume Is the boot SSD using MBR or GPT for its partition table?

I'm not sure, how can I tell?

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:50 PM

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From this point forward, this HDD should be physically disconnected and set aside. Not to be added back to the PC until you determine if Windows will boot again.

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It booted before you added it, so it stays disconnected until you can boot again.

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:51 PM

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I did disconnect it, it doesn't boot anymore

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does the weird loop thing I mentioned

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:51 PM

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junior estuary I'm not sure, how can I tell?

diskpart, which can be accessed via a command prompt when booted to a Windows install media USB.

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list disk

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:52 PM

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Ok I'll try that rn

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:52 PM

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GPT is the modern standard, CSM should be off in the BIOS

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MBR is the legacy standard, requires CSM enabled to boot

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is CSM on or off?

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:53 PM

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serene plume `list disk`

Do I just type in list disk into command prompt?

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:53 PM

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No, you first type
diskpart

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then run list disk

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in the Gpt column tells you what it is

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:54 PM

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serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:55 PM

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list disk

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junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:55 PM

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ahh sorry I types disk list lol

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Yea it has a star under GPT

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:56 PM

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i guess you knew how to open a command prompt from the installer

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:56 PM

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searched it up

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:56 PM

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junior estuary Yea it has a star under GPT

Next to the correct disk?

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:56 PM

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yes

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:56 PM

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the boot SSD?

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was Windows ever on the other SSD, the one for storage?

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and possibly it wasn't formatted correctly?

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:57 PM

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serene plume was Windows ever on the *other* SSD, the one for storage?

It was but I formatted the whole thing and DDU'd so it should be clean

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I hope

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:58 PM

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Ok well DDU doesn't have anything to do with this lol, thats a driver cleaner lol

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why i'm asking is unless you actually wiped out the partitions that the Windows installer created, and didn't just format the primary partition, your boot manager may still be attempting to boot from it (the old SSD)

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Ideally that would also be physically removed from the system for this troubleshooting to eliminate it

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 4:59 PM

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It doesn't even appear in the bios as an option to boot though so I doubt it's the issue

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 4:59 PM

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alright

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well, if CSM is off and the boot SSD in question is the only bootable device available to boot from the BIOS.. we go back to what happens when you try

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reading above

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it sure sounds like that install is hosed

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if the Repair function from the install disk doesn't fix it

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 5:02 PM

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Yes, CSM is disabled, just checked

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 5:02 PM

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serene plume it sure sounds like that install is hosed

Is there a way to install windows to the SSD without having all the files in it be deleted?

serene plume Aug 26, 2025, 5:04 PM

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Yes, by using the Repair option

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you right now lol

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Important files shouldn't be kept on your boot drive

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 5:05 PM

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serene plume you right now lol

https://tenor.com/view/akshay-kumar-de-dana-dan-akshay-cry-akshay-crying-crying-gif-10559794505909471994

Tenor

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Maybe I can try to open my laptop up and see if it has 2 nvme slots, then try to offload the files into my current laptop SSD

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hopefully I won't do the exact same thing to my laptop

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Well thanks a lot for clearing it up.

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I just realised when I do the repair, it's refrencing a "log file" from the second ssd

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 5:48 PM

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still fails for the right ssd

junior estuary Aug 26, 2025, 10:31 PM

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I spent 4 hours creating backups for the SSD on an external drive, just for my files to have still been in place after I did a fresh windows install, even though it warned that everything would be deleted.

#Booting Issue