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AquaHeartGirl's avatar
AquaHeartGirl
Occasional Reader
Mar 13, 2026

Constant "Boot device not found" and "ran into a problem and needs to restart"

I have a 2017 HP Spectre laptop running Windows 10 Pro. Up until now it has been functioning near perfectly despite its age, and it's the only computer I want to use for the rest of my life if at all...
Charlie34000's avatar
Charlie34000
MCT
Mar 14, 2026

Hi,

The behavior you describe — “Boot device not found” on the first startup, then a normal boot after a restart — is often caused by the SSD taking a bit too long to wake up on older laptops.

When that happens, the firmware doesn’t detect the drive fast enough, but everything works once the system restarts.

 

On many HP Spectre models, this can be improved by adjusting one setting in the BIOS/UEFI:

  • Disable Fast Boot (this forces the system to fully initialize the hardware every time).

 

If you want to check this, you can enter the BIOS by pressing Esc or F10 right after turning the laptop on. The option is usually under System Configuration or Boot Options.

If you’re unsure, you can take a photo of the BIOS screen and share it — that’s often easier than trying to describe it.

 

If the issue has become more frequent over time, the SSD may also be starting to age, but the BIOS setting is the first thing to try.