Windows 10 MBR boot - bootrec /rebuildbcd says “requested system device cannot be found”
During the cleanup after building my PC I managed to break my Windows installation and I can't figure out how to fix it without starting over.
I have a Samsung 960 M.2 SSD in an Asus Strix X370-F and 2 sata HDDs. I've installed Windows 10 pro on the SSD from an old DVD via a USB DVD drive. I've accidentally booted the DVD in legacy mode instead of UEFI for the install, and it formatted the SSD in MBR. For some reason it also formatted one of the HDDs in MBR and made a 500-ish MB system partition on it.
After setting up everything, I nuked the HDD and reformatted it as GPT with a single partition, deleting the system partition. So now I have an MBR SSD with the OS and a recovery partition and 2 GPT HDDs with some user files, but nothing related to the system.
The PC comes up with a blank prompt. I tried running the boot recovery from the DVD both booting it as UEFI and legacy but it did nothing. I tried bootrec /fixmbr and bootrec /fixboot, they completed successfully, since then I get missing bootmgr at boot. I tried bootrec /rebuildbcd, it finds the Windows install but then says "requested system device cannot be found". I tried the suggestion to export and delete my bcd first but that failed too, I don't even have a boot folder.
All guides I find for next steps suggest to create an EFI partition but I can't do that on an MBR drive. What can I do instead?
Thanks a lot!
windows-10 boot mbr
asked Mar 31 '18 at 12:29
KáGéKáGé
14319
add a comment |
During the cleanup after building my PC I managed to break my Windows installation and I can't figure out how to fix it without starting over.
I have a Samsung 960 M.2 SSD in an Asus Strix X370-F and 2 sata HDDs. I've installed Windows 10 pro on the SSD from an old DVD via a USB DVD drive. I've accidentally booted the DVD in legacy mode instead of UEFI for the install, and it formatted the SSD in MBR. For some reason it also formatted one of the HDDs in MBR and made a 500-ish MB system partition on it.
After setting up everything, I nuked the HDD and reformatted it as GPT with a single partition, deleting the system partition. So now I have an MBR SSD with the OS and a recovery partition and 2 GPT HDDs with some user files, but nothing related to the system.
The PC comes up with a blank prompt. I tried running the boot recovery from the DVD both booting it as UEFI and legacy but it did nothing. I tried bootrec /fixmbr and bootrec /fixboot, they completed successfully, since then I get missing bootmgr at boot. I tried bootrec /rebuildbcd, it finds the Windows install but then says "requested system device cannot be found". I tried the suggestion to export and delete my bcd first but that failed too, I don't even have a boot folder.
All guides I find for next steps suggest to create an EFI partition but I can't do that on an MBR drive. What can I do instead?
Thanks a lot!
windows-10 boot mbr
asked Mar 31 '18 at 12:29
KáGéKáGé
14319
So why haven’t you wiped the SSD and reinstalled windows again in UEFI mode? Also, disconnect the hard drives before doing so.
– Appleoddity
Mar 31 '18 at 13:49
I've realised it after spending 2 days to set it up so that's my last resort.
– KáGé
Mar 31 '18 at 16:00
add a comment |
During the cleanup after building my PC I managed to break my Windows installation and I can't figure out how to fix it without starting over.
I have a Samsung 960 M.2 SSD in an Asus Strix X370-F and 2 sata HDDs. I've installed Windows 10 pro on the SSD from an old DVD via a USB DVD drive. I've accidentally booted the DVD in legacy mode instead of UEFI for the install, and it formatted the SSD in MBR. For some reason it also formatted one of the HDDs in MBR and made a 500-ish MB system partition on it.
After setting up everything, I nuked the HDD and reformatted it as GPT with a single partition, deleting the system partition. So now I have an MBR SSD with the OS and a recovery partition and 2 GPT HDDs with some user files, but nothing related to the system.
The PC comes up with a blank prompt. I tried running the boot recovery from the DVD both booting it as UEFI and legacy but it did nothing. I tried bootrec /fixmbr and bootrec /fixboot, they completed successfully, since then I get missing bootmgr at boot. I tried bootrec /rebuildbcd, it finds the Windows install but then says "requested system device cannot be found". I tried the suggestion to export and delete my bcd first but that failed too, I don't even have a boot folder.
All guides I find for next steps suggest to create an EFI partition but I can't do that on an MBR drive. What can I do instead?
Thanks a lot!
windows-10 boot mbr
asked Mar 31 '18 at 12:29
KáGéKáGé
14319
During the cleanup after building my PC I managed to break my Windows installation and I can't figure out how to fix it without starting over.
I have a Samsung 960 M.2 SSD in an Asus Strix X370-F and 2 sata HDDs. I've installed Windows 10 pro on the SSD from an old DVD via a USB DVD drive. I've accidentally booted the DVD in legacy mode instead of UEFI for the install, and it formatted the SSD in MBR. For some reason it also formatted one of the HDDs in MBR and made a 500-ish MB system partition on it.
After setting up everything, I nuked the HDD and reformatted it as GPT with a single partition, deleting the system partition. So now I have an MBR SSD with the OS and a recovery partition and 2 GPT HDDs with some user files, but nothing related to the system.
The PC comes up with a blank prompt. I tried running the boot recovery from the DVD both booting it as UEFI and legacy but it did nothing. I tried bootrec /fixmbr and bootrec /fixboot, they completed successfully, since then I get missing bootmgr at boot. I tried bootrec /rebuildbcd, it finds the Windows install but then says "requested system device cannot be found". I tried the suggestion to export and delete my bcd first but that failed too, I don't even have a boot folder.
All guides I find for next steps suggest to create an EFI partition but I can't do that on an MBR drive. What can I do instead?
Thanks a lot!
windows-10 boot mbr
windows-10 boot mbr
asked Mar 31 '18 at 12:29
KáGéKáGé
14319
asked Mar 31 '18 at 12:29
KáGéKáGé
14319
asked Mar 31 '18 at 12:29
KáGéKáGé
14319
asked Mar 31 '18 at 12:29
KáGéKáGé
14319
asked Mar 31 '18 at 12:29
KáGéKáGé
14319
14319
So why haven’t you wiped the SSD and reinstalled windows again in UEFI mode? Also, disconnect the hard drives before doing so.
– Appleoddity
Mar 31 '18 at 13:49
I've realised it after spending 2 days to set it up so that's my last resort.
– KáGé
Mar 31 '18 at 16:00
add a comment |
So why haven’t you wiped the SSD and reinstalled windows again in UEFI mode? Also, disconnect the hard drives before doing so.
– Appleoddity
Mar 31 '18 at 13:49
I've realised it after spending 2 days to set it up so that's my last resort.
– KáGé
Mar 31 '18 at 16:00
So why haven’t you wiped the SSD and reinstalled windows again in UEFI mode? Also, disconnect the hard drives before doing so.
– Appleoddity
Mar 31 '18 at 13:49
So why haven’t you wiped the SSD and reinstalled windows again in UEFI mode? Also, disconnect the hard drives before doing so.
– Appleoddity
Mar 31 '18 at 13:49
I've realised it after spending 2 days to set it up so that's my last resort.
– KáGé
Mar 31 '18 at 16:00
I've realised it after spending 2 days to set it up so that's my last resort.
– KáGé
Mar 31 '18 at 16:00
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
The issue seems to have been that I didn't have an active partition. I tried creating a separate one for this but for some reason I couldn't, however I could make the Windows partition active and after that /rebuildbcd resolved my issue.
Interestingly I did do this yesterday as well (making the Win partition active) and I'm pretty sure I retried the bootrec incantations after that without any luck, but today it worked.
answered Apr 1 '18 at 9:37
KáGéKáGé
14319
Windows 10 (GPT) has no concept of active partition. Your solution lied elsewhere.
– Suncatcher
Aug 12 '18 at 15:40
@Suncatcher I had an MBR drive by accident
– KáGé
Aug 14 '18 at 19:59
add a comment |
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1 Answer
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oldest
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1 Answer
1
active
oldest
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active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
The issue seems to have been that I didn't have an active partition. I tried creating a separate one for this but for some reason I couldn't, however I could make the Windows partition active and after that /rebuildbcd resolved my issue.
Interestingly I did do this yesterday as well (making the Win partition active) and I'm pretty sure I retried the bootrec incantations after that without any luck, but today it worked.
answered Apr 1 '18 at 9:37
KáGéKáGé
14319
Windows 10 (GPT) has no concept of active partition. Your solution lied elsewhere.
– Suncatcher
Aug 12 '18 at 15:40
@Suncatcher I had an MBR drive by accident
– KáGé
Aug 14 '18 at 19:59
add a comment |
The issue seems to have been that I didn't have an active partition. I tried creating a separate one for this but for some reason I couldn't, however I could make the Windows partition active and after that /rebuildbcd resolved my issue.
Interestingly I did do this yesterday as well (making the Win partition active) and I'm pretty sure I retried the bootrec incantations after that without any luck, but today it worked.
answered Apr 1 '18 at 9:37
KáGéKáGé
14319
Windows 10 (GPT) has no concept of active partition. Your solution lied elsewhere.
– Suncatcher
Aug 12 '18 at 15:40
@Suncatcher I had an MBR drive by accident
– KáGé
Aug 14 '18 at 19:59
add a comment |
The issue seems to have been that I didn't have an active partition. I tried creating a separate one for this but for some reason I couldn't, however I could make the Windows partition active and after that /rebuildbcd resolved my issue.
Interestingly I did do this yesterday as well (making the Win partition active) and I'm pretty sure I retried the bootrec incantations after that without any luck, but today it worked.
answered Apr 1 '18 at 9:37
KáGéKáGé
14319
The issue seems to have been that I didn't have an active partition. I tried creating a separate one for this but for some reason I couldn't, however I could make the Windows partition active and after that /rebuildbcd resolved my issue.
Interestingly I did do this yesterday as well (making the Win partition active) and I'm pretty sure I retried the bootrec incantations after that without any luck, but today it worked.
answered Apr 1 '18 at 9:37
KáGéKáGé
14319
answered Apr 1 '18 at 9:37
KáGéKáGé
14319
answered Apr 1 '18 at 9:37
KáGéKáGé
14319
answered Apr 1 '18 at 9:37
KáGéKáGé
14319
14319
Windows 10 (GPT) has no concept of active partition. Your solution lied elsewhere.
– Suncatcher
Aug 12 '18 at 15:40
@Suncatcher I had an MBR drive by accident
– KáGé
Aug 14 '18 at 19:59
add a comment |
Windows 10 (GPT) has no concept of active partition. Your solution lied elsewhere.
– Suncatcher
Aug 12 '18 at 15:40
@Suncatcher I had an MBR drive by accident
– KáGé
Aug 14 '18 at 19:59
Windows 10 (GPT) has no concept of active partition. Your solution lied elsewhere.
– Suncatcher
Aug 12 '18 at 15:40
Windows 10 (GPT) has no concept of active partition. Your solution lied elsewhere.
– Suncatcher
Aug 12 '18 at 15:40
@Suncatcher I had an MBR drive by accident
– KáGé
Aug 14 '18 at 19:59
@Suncatcher I had an MBR drive by accident
– KáGé
Aug 14 '18 at 19:59
add a comment |
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So why haven’t you wiped the SSD and reinstalled windows again in UEFI mode? Also, disconnect the hard drives before doing so.
– Appleoddity
Mar 31 '18 at 13:49
I've realised it after spending 2 days to set it up so that's my last resort.
– KáGé
Mar 31 '18 at 16:00