Windows 10: Windows 10 Won't Boot After Hard Reset to SATA SSD in Settings

I'm really at my wit's end with this; so the other day, I reset my old PC by utilizing the built-in "Reset" option that Windows has. I opted to "Remove Everything", as I am trying to sell this PC and want to make sure none of my data is recoverable. I made no backups or anything prior to resetting; the reason for this is because I had already cloned all my data from the SATA SSD that's in the old PC to an NVMe drive I'm currently using in my new PC (I'm running unactivated Windows on the new PC, if that matters).

So here's what happened: After doing the reset, I turn on the old desktop to discover that, apparently, there are two identical Windows volumes on the same drive ("Volume 4" - both on Windows 10). If I selected either, Windows would automatically go into a boot loop frenzy in which it would keep going back to the screen which displayed the two identical Windows volumes. Note that this old PC is using an OEM license; perhaps I didn't remove my personal account from the PC or something to that affect? Because I was pretty sure that in "Removing Everything", the description for that option stated all personal accounts would be removed from that particular device.

Now, I actually supposedly found a "solution" on Tom's Hardware: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/windows-10-twice-both-on-volume-2.3005302/ Turns out, I couldn't even access the Command Prompt, Safe Mode, anything (until using a flash drive, which only granted me access to the Command Prompt). I just got some nonsense error to the tune of "There are no personal accounts on this computer" which I would apparently need to fix this issue in the first place. And even after trying this "solution" via the Command Prompt, it did nothing.

Flash forward to today, now things are even worse; the boot loop isn't on two different Windows volumes now, it's now boot looping the actual Motherboard BIOS info page. Beyond a flash drive I installed, I literally cannot go any further than accessing the BIOS and playing around with the settings in there. Yes, I installed Windows Media Creation on a USB flash drive via my new working PC which I put into the old PC; that has been useless thus far.

Why I am experiencing so much trouble trying to get an old PC to work, when it worked basically flawlessly prior to performing a hard reset in the Windows settings? Is it hopeless? Did I miss a crucial step in formatting a PC to sell it to someone else, and now have I corrupted both the OS and the drive itself? Is this due to me using the unactivated OEM license on my new PC? Should I remove the unactivated copy from my new PC right away? I'm totally stumped, although obviously it seems that the two identical Windows volumes conflicting with one another may be the root cause of all this.

I have already tried:

-Resetting the BIOS by removing the CMOS battery and remounting it again

-Trying different SATA cables

-Any and all "Windows Recovery" options that I had before I could only view the BIOS flash screen alone, all of which were met with "There are no personal accounts to do this" or something similar to that message

-Using a 16GB USB flash drive to perform a plethora of commands within the Command Prompt (bootrec /FixBoot, etc.), as well as attempting to use the system diagnosis option, System Image recovery, and so forth

submitted by /u/2009-2010
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:)

 

Installing Windows 10 on a New SSD for a New PC

Hi Jordan, no you don't have to set Windows on a hard drive, Windows 10 will run from an SSD or an HDD

Is the SSD Plugged into the lowest number SATA port on your Motherboard?

In your BIOS is SATA MODE set to AHCI

Is the SSD now top of the Boot order list?

 

Cannot boot from SSD through SATA slot

Thanks for your reply.

The ssd already has a bootable windows installed. I have tried to boot it via usb. The problem is it doesn't run when plugged into the sata slot.

The original hard disk is Toshiba's MQ01ABD100, SATA up to 6.0 Gbit/s, and the new ssd is SATA Rev. 3.0 (6Gb/s) – with backwards compatibility to SATA Rev. 2.0 (3Gb/s). It seem the ssd is supported by the motherboard. And the motherboard can recognize it
when I select where to boot windows. The screen turn black after I select to boot with the ssd

 

windows won't boot from ssd

Its a sata 2 mobo...I just did a fresh install of windows so far so good, I'll plug the other drives in and set bios to boot from the ssd and report back