Windows 10: Win 10 won't boot, if I disconnect secondary drive(s)

Evening chaps

Bit of a problem.

I have Windows 10 installed on my SSD primary drive. I also have a 4 TB RAID 10 array that I want to remove to reutilise the disks in my new NAS. However...

If I remove the drives, windows won't boot. I've seen various errors, but basically it loads to logo, spins round and round and then halts, usually with "inaccessible boot device". What's the problem here? Any pointers appreciated.

:)

 

Referenced Memory Error & Blue Screen

Hi Dan,

If both drives were installed (connected) when you installed Win 10 on the SSD the installer can get confused and sometimes it will install the boot info or partition onto the secondary drive. The best way to install Win 10 onto a SSD is to have it be the
only physical drive connected (or only drive SATA port enabled in BIOS). Also it's best to disconnect all peripherals except for the keyboard and mouse.

If you can get to the Windows RE screen you can running startup repair.

-Richard

 

this Windows 10 Anniversary update taking 12+ hours to install and counting. HELP

Had the same trouble here...the update fails to load windows on the 2nd boot phase of the update. You end up with a black screen and the caterpillar going round and round but windows never boots. If you have any secondary Hard drives connected to your
PC external or internal, remove or disconnect them to do the update. I have an IDE drive as main drive and SATA as a secondary internal plus a 3rd drive external. I disconnected all but the C\: drive did the update and it worked. Hope this helps.

 

That's because your boot manager is in one of the disk you disconnected. Reconnect to boot and use:
EasyBCD 2.2 - Neowin
To move the Boot Manager to the SSD. Follow the screen shot:

 

Cheers, but it says that it's already the boot drive!

 

Where does it say that ? Can you post a screen shot of Disk Management ?

 

Here you go...

 

No,I meant the screen shot of the Disk Management.

 

Sorry, here you go...

 

• Download: Macrium Rescue ISO 6.1.1000 and use: Rufus - Create bootable USB to create a USB Boot.
• Disconnect Disk 1 from your PC
• Boot up your PC using the USB in step 1
• Follow the screen shot to fix Windows Boot

 

Everytime I try and add the iso using rufus, it starts formatting then Windows 10 pops up with a "Fix USB" box and the rufus install/format fails. Why's that?

 

Do you have another USB stick ? If it fails formatting the USB stick, chance it's a bad stick.

 

Easier way - when you load up Macrium, go to other tasks, and select to create a Rescue Drive. You do not need Rufus, or worry about settings etc.

 

First, it looks like you have a system reserved partition on the SSD (E: drive). That should probably be where the boot files go (using EASY BCD) not C: Drive.

Second, it looks like you have a page file set up of F: drive. Go into system properties, advanced settings, performance options, virtual memory and move any paging file settings to C: drive. (I would just check the box for automatically manage paging file size for all drives.)

Third, if you want to create a rescue USB/DVD/CD with Macrium Reflect Free just select the USB drive inside Macrium Reflect - there is no need to use RUFUS to create a Macrium Reflect rescue drive.

Fourth, if the motherboard is running the raid array, when you remove it you will want to set the BIOS hard drive controller settings to normal AHCI SATA, not raid (I think it will be referred to as IDE mode, not sure).

 

OP didn't even have Macrium installed. He only has the Rescue ISO *Wink