# Can't Boot Into OS



## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

How do I get out of this screen and boot into my OS? 2 TB HDD, Windows 10 Pro installed.

Everything ran smoothly on this 2014 Dell XPS 8700. Striking the F1 key just brings me back to this screen.

This computer was working beautifully before I installed a second HDD. Additionally, an inoperative HDD was removed and replaced with this functioning 2 TB HDD.

Current configuration: Two HDDs are installed on SATA 0 and SATA 1. The optical drive is installed on SATA 2.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

Which number SATA port was the 2 TB HDD containing Windows 10 connected to when everything was working fine?

If there are 2 HDD's currently connected to SATA-0 and SATA-1, your BIOS setup screen doesn't show any drive being detected in SATA-1.

Did you make sure all the power and data cable connections are secure on both ends?

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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

Maybe boot sequence?


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

flavallee said:


> Which number SATA port was the 2 TB HDD containing Windows 10 connected to when everything was working fine?
> 
> If there are 2 HDD's currently connected to SATA-0 and SATA-1, your BIOS setup screen doesn't show any drive being detected in SATA-1.
> 
> ...


Originally, when everything ran properly, the single HDD was connected to the blue, or SATA 0. The fresh 2 TB HDD is currently connected to SATA 0, too. The second HDD is currently connected to SATA 1, which originally was connected to the optical drive. The second HDD wasn't originally installed. All cables are securely seated.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

I'm still confused as to what you did with those multiple drives.

You removed a non-working hard drive from the *SATA-0* port?

You connected a 2 TB hard drive already containing Windows 10 Pro to the *SATA-0* port?

You disconnected the disc drive from the *SATA-1* port and connected it to the *SATA-2* port?

You connected a second hard drive (capacity not mentioned) to the *SATA-1* port?

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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

flavallee said:


> I'm still confused as to what you did with those multiple drives.
> 
> You removed a non-working hard drive from the *SATA-0* port?
> 
> ...


The current configuration (not the one photographed) is as follows: A 2 TB HDD is connected to SATA 0. A 650 GB HDD is connected to SATA 1. An optical drive is connected to SATA 2.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

That seems to confirm what I said in post #5:
A 2 TB hard drive containing Windows 10 Pro is connected to the *SATA-0* port.
A second hard drive (which you now identify as having a capacity of 650 GB) is connected to the *SATA-1* port.
A disc drive is connected to the *SATA-2* port.

Now I have 2 questions for you:
Have you confirmed in the BIOS that all 3 of those SATA ports are enabled?
Where was the 2 TB hard drive at when Windows 10 Pro was installed in it before it was connected to the *SATA-0* port?

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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

oldjunk said:


> This computer was working beautifully before I installed a second HDD. Additionally, an inoperative HDD was removed and replaced with this functioning 2 TB HDD.


The current 2TB HDD replaced a nonfunctional drive and you added another drive at the same time? Did you install Win10 on this new 2TB drive?


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

Gr3iz said:


> The current 2TB HDD replaced a nonfunctional drive and you added another drive at the same time? Did you install Win10 on this new 2TB drive?


Yes. Windows 10 Pro is installed on both HDDs.


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

flavallee said:


> That seems to confirm what I said in post #5:
> A 2 TB hard drive containing Windows 10 Pro is connected to the *SATA-0* port.
> A second hard drive (which you now identify as having a capacity of 650 GB) is connected to the *SATA-1* port.
> A disc drive is connected to the *SATA-2* port.
> ...


I'll need to get back tomorrow on the SATA ports. I'm not at that machine, presently. But the 2 TB Windows 10 Pro installation was done on another Dell XPS Studio 435mt desktop machine. I still have that computer.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

If I understand you and I'm guessing correctly:

Windows 10 Pro was installed in the 2 TB hard drive while it was in your *Dell XPS Studio 435*.
You then removed that 2 TB hard drive and put it in your *Dell XPS 8700*.
That 2 TB hard drive is connected to the *SATA-0* port.
That 2 TB hard drive is set first in the boot order in the BIOS.

Windows 10 Pro is also installed in the 650 GB hard drive.
That 650 GB hard drive is connected to the *SATA-1* port.
That 650 GB hard drive is set second in the boot order in the BIOS.

I have only one question this time:

What computer was the 650 GB hard drive in when Windows 10 Pro was installed in it?

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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

flavallee said:


> If I understand you and I'm guessing correctly:
> 
> Windows 10 Pro was installed in the 2 TB hard drive while it was in your *Dell XPS Studio 435*.
> You then removed that 2 TB hard drive and put it in your *Dell XPS 8700*.
> ...


The WD, 640 GB HDD was supplied w/Win 10 Pro when it was installed in a Sony Vaio VPCL112GX all-in-one, which has been discarded. I'll need to check boot order later today. Will get back.

Incidentally, Frank, after attaching the new SATA cable to the other HDD we spoke about, no change occurred. The HDD is still nonfunctional. Bad news because I have irreplaceable files contained therein. Didn't back-up anything, either. I'm trying to determine if it will be possible to retrieve that data.


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

Are your (apparently not backed up) vital files stored one just one of the current drives? If so, you might be best served by removing that particular drive and reinstalling Win10 on the other drive. Transplanting a drive with Win10 installed from another system may be your problem. Just have the one HDD installed when you install Windows.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

> Transplanting a drive with Win10 installed from another system may be your problem.


Mark:
That's what I suspected Mike had done with one or both of those HDD's, and which I was trying to confirm.

Mike:
I'll leave you with Mark. Good luck.

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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

Gr3iz said:


> Are your (apparently not backed up) vital files stored one just one of the current drives? If so, you might be best served by removing that particular drive and reinstalling Win10 on the other drive. Transplanting a drive with Win10 installed from another system may be your problem. Just have the one HDD installed when you install Windows.


So, you're saying I need to reinstall Win 10 Pro on the same 2 TB HDD that already has that OS installed, but newly install that same OS in the machine where it will the HDD will be used? Is this why I'm having trouble booting? I don't remember having a similar problem with other machines when installing foreign HDDs. I remember it being "plug & play", so to speak. Perhaps every computer is configured differently. I'll give it a shot. What preliminary procedures need to be taken?


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

If there is nothing you need to save from the 2TB drive, just be sure it is the only drive connected at the time you proceed, and installed in the system you intend to use.

If you haven't already, download the MS Media Creation Tool. This will need to be done on a working PC, if you don't already have it. With it, you can create either a bootable DVD or USB flash drive. 

If Win10 has never been installed on this system, you will need a Windows product code from an OS no older than Win7. It should be on a sticker on the side/bottom of the PC.


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

Gr3iz said:


> If there is nothing you need to save from the 2TB drive, just be sure it is the only drive connected at the time you proceed, and installed in the system you intend to use.
> 
> If you haven't already, download the MS Media Creation Tool. This will need to be done on a working PC, if you don't already have it. With it, you can create either a bootable DVD or USB flash drive.
> 
> If Win10 has never been installed on this system, you will need a Windows product code from an OS no older than Win7. It should be on a sticker on the side/bottom of the PC.


I've created the MS Media Tool successfully, but when attempting to reinstall Win 10 Pro on the 2 TB HDD, get this message on both partitions: "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. Windows can only be installed on GPT disks."

This OS installation was attempted after removing the second HDD. The 2 TB HDD was alone during the installation attempt. This disk already had a copy of Win 10 Pro installed and was functional.

Remember, too, that this computer worked very well with the 1 TB HDD that had been transferred from another machine. It was "plug & play" and didn't need a re-installation of Win 10 Pro. Only after attempting to add an additional HDD did the machine (and 1 TB HDD) begin malfunctioning. I'm still not able to access that HDD.


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

When you get to the point in the installation where it shows you the available drives to install on, highlight each partition and delete it until you are left with one large unallocated space, then let Windows proceed on its own.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

Mark:
I'm going to "unwatch" myself from this thread and leave it with you.

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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

Have you anything to add, Frank?


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

Gr3iz said:


> When you get to the point in the installation where it shows you the available drives to install on, highlight each partition and delete it until you are left with one large unallocated space, then let Windows proceed on its own.


Thanks, Mark. That worked the trick. I still can't determine why it needed a re-installation of Win 10 Pro, though. It knew a copy had been previously installed because it didn't request a new product key. Also, why did the 1 TB (currently nonfunctional) HDD work initially, without reinstalling a fresh OS?

How is the second 650 GB HDD I installed, accessed? It's recognized. Does it need anything additionally to make it functional in this machine? It too, has Win 10 Pro installed from another machine.


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

Great, Mike! Glad to hear it! 


oldjunk said:


> Also, why did the 1 TB (currently nonfunctional) HDD work initially, without reinstalling a fresh OS?


I honestly don't know, and it may have been possible to get things working as they were configured, but as long as there was nothing critical on the Seagate drive, this was the easiest. quickest. cleanest way to proceed.

The 650GB drive can be installed as another SATA drive in the system. I'm not sure if you may need to enable another SATA port in BIOS. Some systems require this, others do not. Once installed, you should be able to see it as another drive in Windows Explorer. Once you've gotten what you want off of it, I would format it and be able to use the entire contents. You don't need Windows on it. You could create a backup of your boot drive, once you've got everything set up as you want it, all the updates and software installed. Create an image with something like Macrium Reflect or Acronis. If something goes wrong, or the drive crashes, you can easily get back to this point in time.

If you've got important files (pictures, documents, etc.) be sure they are backed up. You should have *at least* two copies of anything you feel is important. You can have copies on each of the two drives in your system, but even more secure is a drive not in your PC. That way, in case of catastrophic problem (fire or ransomware attack), you've got a drive nowhere near the computer with copies of vital files. Few people go to that extent. Only you can determine the true value of your data.


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

Gr3iz said:


> Great, Mike! Glad to hear it!
> 
> I honestly don't know, and it may have been possible to get things working as they were configured, but as long as there was nothing critical on the Seagate drive, this was the easiest. quickest. cleanest way to proceed.
> 
> ...


I've never installed a second HDD in a computer. The 650 GB HDD is recognized and configured, but how do I access its contents? Where is it? I can't locate anything but the acknowledgement of its existence in "Disk Drives". How do I access its pictures and other data?


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

You should be able to access it just like you do other drives. It will likely be D: or E:, depending on whether you've got an optical drive. In File Explorer, you should see a list of locations and drives, such as this:


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

Gr3iz said:


> You should be able to access it just like you do other drives. It will likely be D: or E:, depending on whether you've got an optical drive. In File Explorer, you should see a list of locations and drives, such as this:
> View attachment 280260


Yes, I get there, but nothing but lists for Local Disk (E) appear. When I click on a subject it just brings up another list of contents. It's all virtual.


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

You will likely need to drill down in drive E: to find the data. Look under users, then your username. You should find pictures and documents and such there ...


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

Gr3iz said:


> You will likely need to drill down in drive E: to find the data. Look under users, then your username. You should find pictures and documents and such there ...


Did that and got there. But, I get a "Can't read from the source file or disk" message after 7% of the contents attempts to download to a Desktop shortcut. The files ARE there, though. I've seen the photographs. Same thing happens when I click "Try Again".


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

Can you open any files? Any of the photos?


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

Gr3iz said:


> Can you open any files? Any of the photos?


"The files ARE there, though. I've seen the photographs."


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

You can click on them and view them on the 650 GB drive? If so, you should be able to copy them to your 2TB drive and/or any other location. There are some files you will not need to copy/move. The one in the above screenshot is an example of a file you shouldn't have to do anything with.


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

Gr3iz said:


> You can click on them and view them on the 650 GB drive? If so, you should be able to copy them to your 2TB drive and/or any other location. There are some files you will not need to copy/move. The one in the above screenshot is an example of a file you shouldn't have to do anything with.


Yes, but why am I having trouble downloading the 650 GB HDD data to a desktop shortcut? Something must not be functioning as it should.


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

To a shortcut? Not sure why you'd use a shortcut.

You do not need every file on that drive. Just copy over the data that is important to you.


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## DaveA (Nov 16, 1999)

also, what is the shortcut to?


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

Gr3iz said:


> To a shortcut? Not sure why you'd use a shortcut.
> 
> You do not need every file on that drive. Just copy over the data that is important to you.


Because I want to easily and quickly access that information. Doesn't seem like an unreasonable requirement. Why won't the data download to my desktop icon? That's what I'm asking.


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## DaveA (Nov 16, 1999)

There most likely way to much to copy to the desktop?

May help if you were tell/show us what this shortcut is?

Also note, that you have flagged this as being solved, is this true?


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

DaveA said:


> There most likely way to much to copy to the desktop?
> 
> May help if you were tell/show us what this shortcut is?
> 
> Also note, that you have flagged this as being solved, is this true?


Yes, the initial problem was solved, but a resulting issue occurred subsequently, related to the initial problem. Should I start another thread?


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

Can you create a desktop folder and copy the data over to it?


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

Gr3iz said:


> Can you create a desktop folder and copy the data over to it?


Notice my post #27. The "2nd HDD" and "gfwor" icons at the lower left are the desktop folders in question. However, I believe the "gfwor" icon is the folder that couldn't be completed. Look at the "Try again" box.


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

Has anything copied over prior to this file? If you select skip, does it proceed to copy other files? It is possible that there is some corruption on the disk and some files are inaccessible.


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

I simply dragged the "Local Disk E" icon out of the E file list and it became a desktop shortcut. Then did the same thing with the "Pictures" item on the list. Everything downloaded in a few seconds. It was that simple.


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

But, those are just shortcuts to the actual location, on the other disk. You haven't copied the files over ...


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## oldjunk (Jan 22, 2009)

Gr3iz said:


> But, those are just shortcuts to the actual location, on the other disk. You haven't copied the files over ...


Then why am I able to see all of the pictures on Drive E when I click on the desktop shortcut? That's all I was attempting to accomplish. At this point I wasn't trying to transfer Drive E files to Drive C. That was a suggestion you made, but that wasn't my objective.


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

OK, if a shortcut is all you need, you're all set. I was suggesting having multiple copies of your files, as in a backup. If you feel you've attained your goal, that's fine.


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