Forum Discussion

Ostarari's avatar
Ostarari
Iron Contributor
Apr 25, 2025

Please help me fix my Windows install ?

 

Hello, I've recently upgraded my NVMe SSD from an Adata 500GB to a WD 2TB. Whilst I was still using my PC with Win11 on the 500GB Adata drive (Drive A), I popped the 2TB WD drive (Drive B) into my second M.2 slot and proceeded to install Win11 on the new drive.

I then booted onto Drive B and proceeded to move everything there and when I was done I formatted Drive A. I then took Drive A out of the motherboard but to my surprise I couldn't boot onto Drive B.

I now need to have the Window-less Drive A to be installed in order to Boot onto Drive B.

Please see screenshot. I have noticed that the Drive B doesn't have an EFI System Partition and that according to my motherboard it also does not have a Windows Boot Manager.

Where did I go wrong here? And how do I fix this? Do I have to perform a clean reinstall here?

security

3 Replies

  • Sincerer's avatar
    Sincerer
    Iron Contributor
    Apr 28, 2025

    To identify if background processes are causing issues, do a clean boot by disabling startup programs and third-party services.

  • CalebStone's avatar
    CalebStone
    Silver Contributor
    Apr 27, 2025

    You will need to create a bootable USB drive with Windows 11 installation media. You can do this using the Windows Media Creation Tool, which can be downloaded from the Microsoft website.

  • AlabamaCypress's avatar
    AlabamaCypress
    Iron Contributor
    Apr 27, 2025

    When you installed Windows 11 on your new WD 2TB drive (Drive B), it sounds like it didn’t create the necessary EFI System Partition (which is needed for UEFI booting) or properly configure the boot manager to make it bootable on its own. That's why your system won’t boot without the original Adata drive (Drive A).