Windows 10: Hard drive/OS/Cloning Issue

So I have a laptop with two 500 GB hard drives in it.

I was going to clone these two drives using a Wavlink USB 3.0 dual bay docking station , and clone them onto a pair of 2 TB drives.

Some how my two source drives have become not boot able.

I have connected these two source drive to a different, working laptop and they are readable.

I ave swapped out the positions of the two source drives to no avail. I previously had made a windows 10 media flash drive, but when I boot from it, it is looking from some driver which I have zero clue about.

Any suggestions are very much appreciated.

:)

 

windows 10 removed my other windows 10 Operating System.

Thanks for your interest. In response to your questions:

• "Cloning", I mean making a exact back up duplicate hard drive of my existing windows 10 Operating System (OS). This way if the hard drive OR windows crashes I can use the back up hard drive to immediately continue to us my computer without having to spend
  days reloading all the programs again.
• No I am not attempting any System Image Recovery on the original hard drive or a back up hard drive. I personally believe "cloning" is quicker and more reliable.
• The current error message: "Reboot and Select proper Boot device or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key".

My issue is I inadvertantly started my computer with 2 windows 10 Operating Systems (my current OS and the cloned back up OS from months ago). Error message came up stating something like a hard drive had error/s and then windows automatically modified the
hard drive it assessed as having an error, persumably to fix the error. I further note I never had this problem with windows 7 as it usually just loaded the first OS it came accross.

Following the hard drive error message and windows automatically modifying / repairing a hard drive, then the back up cloned hard drive OS initialize and not my current OS. I then turned off the computer and disconnected the back up OS, leaving the current
OS connected only. When the computer restarted an error message came up as stated in point 3 above.

BIOS sees the current OS hard drive BUT apparently does not recognise it as an OS. All indications are windows modified this hard drive when I started the computer with both windows 10 OS and now the BIOS no longer recognises the current OS.

I need instructions on how to correct the changes windows made to my current OS / hard drive. Might require assigning a letter to the hard drive or setting it as active OS or whatever. I can not risk guessing and stuffing the hard drive completely. I suggest
it is an easy fix to a learned professional.

Regards, Keith

 

windows 10 removed my other windows 10 Operating System.

Hi, I was going to clone my current windows 10 OS (back up). I inadvertently put in the previous hard drive that I had cloned the older current windows 10 OS version on. When I turned on the computer a message loaded indicating hard drive error and then
windows modified the hard drive. I assumed it was modifying the new hard drive I just connected. To my surprise the older cloned version of my current windows 10 OS then loaded asking for the previous Microsoft password I no longer remember. I then restarted
the computer with only the current windows 10 OS hard drive to discover it no longer worked. BIOS sees it but does not recognize it as the OS because I believe the hard drive was changed when I first started the computer with both OS connected and the message
loaded claiming hard drive error and then windows modified that hard drive.

My question … Can someone please advise me on how I can undo the changes made to my current windows 10 hard drive to reactivate it to enable it to be recognized as an Operating System to enable it to load on boot? I have access to an external caddy and another
computer and Parogon / other software. Just need to know the procedure on what to do to undo the changes made to it.

Cheers ...

 

Make sure you switch which drive the bios is trying to boot from - not just the position of the drives. Your boot files are likely on only one of the drives and it's possible that bios is trying to boot from the other one.

 

I've tried this also, on both drives it wakes up with "Checking Media" 3 times (each one failed) then it says "No bootable device -- Please restart system".

 

On an operating computer install Macrium Reflect Free. Make a rescue USB/DVD/CD. Boot the problem laptop with the rescue disc and under restore menu is a utility to fix windows startup problems. That program works when others fail.

Macrium Reflect Free

 

I sorry, but at this point I really can't lose the data that is on these HD's.

Is there a way that you could explain to me how and what to put on this flash drive.

On the affected laptop, I don't even have a dos prompt.

 

As NavyLCDR says, on another pc, install Macrium Reflect Free and run it.

It will ask you to create a Rescue Drive. Put usb stick in pc (1GB min), and it will create a rescue drive.
If you do not get a prompt, you can do it from other tasks menu.

Then you boot from the rescue drive (may nerd to set boot order in bios).

Then when Macrium loads up, select restore tab, and click 'fix windows boot problems'

It should then list all OS installations, click on one you want to boot from, and set it as default.

The clck next, finish, and it will rebuild boot sectors. This does not lose any data, and in fact you can use it as it is designed for ie to backup everything.

 

Thanks cereberus for explaining further! Just one clarification - after you make the rescue USB/DVD/CD on the operating computer you then move the USB/DVD/CD to the non-booting laptop and boot the laptop from the rescue USB/DVD/CD.

 

yeah - the other day one guy on another forum wrote a long post saying MRF had screwed up his pc always booting into MRF.

I replied 'you have removed the usb stick?' and pricelessly he replied 'you never told me to do that!'

As an aside, people sometimes say I am OTT using MRF to fix boot problems, but I found, as you said, it often works when bcdedit etc fails.

Main reason I tell lesser experienced users to use it is it is easy to do and requires little expertise.

Maybe we should write a tutoria