Windows 10: PC always boots to BIOS, is my SSD dead or is there more I can try?

Hi,

I left my Windows 10 Pro PC alone for an hour or two a couple of nights ago. When I came back to it it had frozen. Totally unresponsive but screen still displaying. I can't remember if I just used the power button to switch off, or actually turned it off at the PSU, but I powered it down.
I came back to it yesterday, and it always boots to BIOS. Everything looked unchanged there.

Luckily I had my USB stick with the Windows installation media on it, so I tried...

1 Startup repair - 'diagnosing PC' took > 1 hour, didn't work
2 Command prompt, BOOTREC /FIXMBR reported success!, BOOTREC /FIXBOOT reported success! - didn't actually work
3 Command prompt, examined directory structures... c:\ was my old d:\, d:\ was my old e:\ etc etc... the C: drive has disappeared. Trying to look at F: caused it to hang, had to force power off.

The main problem is the System Repair utility takes 20-30 minutes to go from 'Windows logo loading screen' through to 'Choose your language'... each step through the user interface dialogs takes forever well 20-30 minutes to load. It looks like the dead / dying drive prevents normal functioning... if I unplug the drive then everything works fine, and I can skip through the different screens without a problem. If there's *only* the malfunctioning drive Sandisk 120gb plugged in, then I get a black screen hang after the Windows loading screen.
It's disappointing to say the least that the utility can be brought to its knees by the very thing it's there to fix!

I might have a system restore point that I could try it would have had to be a system generated one, I've not created one manually I'm ashamed to say, but I'm thinking the SSD has died on me, and if I can't view the drive contents at all it does feel rather terminal. Is it worth going through the 60-90 minutes it would take to get to the appropriate screen in System Repair?

I've got a new SSD on order, so I can bin the old one and re-install windows, but ... you know ... arggh.
Is there anything else I should try?

Any thoughts much appreciated :

:)

 

Cannot boot from SSD, get sent back to BIOS

I have recently got a new SSD for my desktop and wanted to do a fresh install of windows and replace my current HDD, giving me a fresh slate. I go through the standard windows installation with a USB, and unplug the USB after windows has been installed onto
the SSD, the computer will then restart and I get put back into the BIOS. My issue is that once i do this, every-time, no matter what I do when i try to boot to the SSD I get sent back to the BIOS, here is a list of what I've tried:

• Changing boot order
• unplugging every other SATA cable except for the one connected to the SSD
• plugging the SSD SATA cable into the lowest number SATA port on my motherboard
• Plugging in the SSD SATA cable into the port used by my disk drive
• Enabling and disabling safe boot in the BIOS
• enabling and disabling CSM in the BIOS
• Setting the boot CSM to "UEFI only" (does not recognize the SSD anymore)
• Installing windows from the USB with the SSD being the only drive attached
• using the same SATA port as my unplugged HDD for my SSD

When in the BIOS the SSD is the only possible boot device recognized by the motherboard, the BIOS does recognize the SSD as a bootable drive. I've checked the SSD when booting from my HDD and all the necessary windows files seem to be there. When attempting
to boot i get a black screen with a single flashing white line in the top left, then it proceeds into the BIOS.

I have no idea what's wrong and I have found nothing that can fix it. if it's necessary here is my hardware:

ASUS Z97-A

Intel I5-4670K

NVIDIA GeForce 1070

8 GB RAM

A sound card (if that's relevant)

Storage:

HDD: Seagate 1TB

SSD: WD 1TB SSD "3D NAND" (New Drive)

 

Cannot boot from SSD, get sent back to BIOS

Ive updated my bios and installed windows onto the ssd with CSM disabled, and tried everything outlined in your suggestion and it still only boots to the bios and will go no further.

 

PC Boots to BIOS first, then Windows

Hi MJB2018

Your SSD needs to be top of the Boot order list . . .

In BIOS/UEFI what is SATA Mode set to?

Is BIOS set to UEFI or legacy mode?

IF you have a CSM setting, is that enabled or disabled?