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Difficulty: MediumTroubleshooting Windows OS Startup and Boot Errors

A desktop computer configured with a primary NVMe SSD containing the Windows operating system and a secondary SATA storage drive fails to boot following a motherboard firmware update. The display shows the error message "Boot Device Not Found." Upon accessing the UEFI setup utility, the technician confirms that both drives are properly recognized and detected as healthy. Which of the following is the MOST appropriate next step to resolve this startup issue?

  1. Verify the UEFI boot priority list and set the NVMe SSD as the primary boot device.Answer
  2. B
    Boot into the Windows Recovery Environment command prompt and execute bootrec /fixmbr.
  3. C
    Open the Command Prompt in WinRE and run sfc /scannow to replace missing boot files.
  4. D
    Replace the NVMe SSD immediately, as this error code confirms physical hardware failure of the drive controller.

Answer

Verify the UEFI boot priority list and set the NVMe SSD as the primary boot device.
The correct action is to verify the UEFI boot priority list and select the NVMe SSD as the primary boot device. Motherboard firmware updates frequently clear custom settings and reset boot options to factory defaults. When a secondary data drive is prioritized over the operating system drive, UEFI cannot locate the boot partition and displays a 'Boot Device Not Found' error.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the error message and scenario context
Identified that the hardware was detected as healthy after a firmware update, indicating the storage drive itself has not failed.
Motherboard firmware (UEFI/BIOS) updates often reset system settings to defaults, including storage controller boot order priorities.
2
Access UEFI/BIOS settings to inspect boot configuration
Located the boot order list where the secondary SATA drive or non-boot device was placed ahead of the primary OS drive.
If the system attempts to boot from a secondary drive without an operating system, it returns a 'Boot Device Not Found' error.
3
Reorder the boot devices and save configuration
Set the NVMe SSD containing the Windows OS manager as boot option #1 and saved changes.
Correcting the boot sequence allows UEFI to locate the Windows Boot Manager on the primary drive and initialize Windows normally.

Key Concept

UEFI Boot Order Configuration
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Troubleshooting Windows OS Startup and Boot Errors

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