Windows 10: Windows won't boot without its install drive (once done)!

Hi,

WD Green would be SATA, NVMe is always PCIe but what I meant with "System specs" is what machine you have etc.
You have not yet filled that in under "My Computer" on this forum.
I don't understand why your machine doesn't even boot off of one of the disks. Maybe you should try to reinstall on the first disk and if you do not get any installation error then it ought to boot into Windows.

Cheers, *Wink

 

Hard drives are usually easy to remove/change in Laptops. What is the make and full model number of your laptop?

 

You think i'm lying to you then..? It's just extremely hard to open and possibly damaging since it's all aluminium. I never said the first disk couldn't boot. I can boot the first Windows, no problem. It's just the new install.. And yeah, maybe i got confused with SATA/PCIe/NVME.. ^^

 

Not accusing you of anything. Just answer the question please, trying to help.

 

Hi,
@unko : your messages are confusing. You state the second install on drive #2 won't boot unless you insert the install USB. That does not make any sense because you then boot off that USB install drive.
When you boot normally (off disk#1) do you get a boot menu where you can select which Windows you wish to load ?

Cheers, *Wink

 

Yes there's boot menu with two entry and only the one on disk #1 will boot. Other one will display error message. UNLESSS USB install drive used to install it is plugged. I cannot make it clearer.

 

Hi,

So it's looking for its boot files on that USB drive containing the install media and not on the built in disk. I've never seen that before.
I would convert that disk to GPT and try again as I suspect that disk to not have any boot files at all.
After that reinstall W10 and make sure to select the correct disk and have setup remove all of its partitions.

Cheers, *Wink

 

I was wrong when i said it's MBR : both disk are actually GPT.. I did the install dozen times, same story.

 

Not related to current issue : how do you add entries to the EFI "Windows Boot Manager"? Is EasyBCD supposed to be ok with this? I guess it won't be ok with MBR? Not possible to have a menu from which you can boot both your EFI & MBR windows, no matter which disk they're on?

 

Let's say your second OS partition gets drive letter F: when booted into the first OS. Open a Command Prompt (Admin) and run:

bcdboot F:\Windows /d /addlast

Change the letter F: to match whatever drive letter the second Windows OS gets assigned.

 

I wish you posted it earlier. That worked! What a relief.. We won't know why this all happened though.. So this command is the key. No app such as easyBCD to do this on UEFI yet?

 

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