Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyTroubleshooting Windows OS Startup and Boot Errors

An IT technician installs a second internal hard drive into a functional Windows desktop computer. Upon turning on the system, the screen displays the error message 'Operating System Not Found'. The technician verifies that the primary drive containing Windows is properly connected and undamaged. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this boot error?

  1. The BIOS/UEFI boot sequence was automatically altered to prioritize the newly installed blank drive.Answer
  2. B
    The Master Boot Record (MBR) on the primary drive was corrupted during physical installation of the secondary disk.
  3. C
    The technician must execute sfc /scannow from a command prompt to rebuild missing Windows system files.
  4. D
    The Event Viewer MMC snap-in failed to load the startup service database during initial hardware detection.

Answer

The BIOS/UEFI boot sequence was automatically altered to prioritize the newly installed blank drive.
When a new blank storage drive is added to a computer, the BIOS/UEFI firmware often automatically changes the boot priority order, placing the newly detected drive above the existing system drive. Because the new disk contains no operating system files, the POST process halts with an 'Operating System Not Found' error.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the event triggering the boot issue and the resulting error state.
Installing a new storage device often causes motherboard firmware to reprioritize boot order, placing the newly detected empty disk first.
When the firmware attempts to initiate startup from an unformatted or empty drive, it cannot locate a valid bootloader or operating system, yielding 'Operating System Not Found'.
2
Determine the appropriate corrective measure.
Access the system BIOS/UEFI settings and adjust the boot sequence to place the original system drive at the top of the priority list.
Restoring the primary OS drive to the first position in the boot order allows the system to load Windows normally.

Key Concept

BIOS/UEFI boot priority configuration when adding auxiliary storage devices
Rate this question

Topics

Troubleshooting Windows OS Startup and Boot Errors

More questions from this topic