Stop panicking over a missing hard drive. Learn how to fix the system cannot find any bootable devices error and rebuild your startup files safely.
Your computer needs a clear set of instructions to find Windows and load your desktop. If anything breaks the communication between your motherboard and your hard drive, the system stops working to protect your data.
Many users see an ASUS BIOS cannot find any bootable devices error after a sudden power loss or a physical drop. Here are the main reasons your computer is throwing this error:
Loose Cables: The physical data cable connecting your hard drive to the motherboard slipped out of place.
Wrong Boot Order: The computer is trying to load Windows from an empty USB flash drive instead of your main hard drive.
Corrupted MBR: The Master Boot Record is a hidden file that tells the computer how to start. If a bad Windows update breaks this file, the drive becomes invisible to the startup process.
Inactive Partition: Windows requires your main system drive to be marked as "Active" to boot properly. If a virus or a bad cloning process removes this flag, the computer will ignore the drive.
You can solve this black screen error by checking your physical parts and adjusting your startup menu. We will start with the easiest hardware checks before moving into the system settings.
A bumped computer case can easily knock a hard drive cable loose. Checking the physical wires ensures your motherboard can actually talk to your storage drive.
Step 1: Turn your computer off completely and unplug the power cable from the wall.
Step 2: Open the side panel of your computer case. If you have a laptop, unscrew the bottom cover.
Step 3: Find your main hard drive. Unplug the wide data cable and the power cable from the drive.
Step 4: Plug both cables firmly back into the drive. Make sure they click into place.
Step 5: If you have a small M.2 SSD, unscrew it, pull it out, and slide it firmly back into the slot.
Step 6: Put the computer case back together, plug it into the wall, and turn it on.
Your computer checks a specific list of drives every time you turn it on. You must put your main Windows hard drive at the very top of this list.
Step 1: Restart your computer. As soon as the screen turns on, press your BIOS key repeatedly. This is usually F2, F12, F10, or the Delete key.
Step 2: Use your arrow keys to find the Boot tab in the top menu.
Step 3: Look at the boot priority list on the screen.
Step 4: Use the arrow keys to move your main Windows hard drive to the number one spot.
Step 5: Press F10 to save your changes and exit. The computer will restart and try to load Windows from the correct drive.
Step 1. Repeatedly shut down and restart your computer. Go to the recovery screen when you see the Windows logo.
Step 2. Go to the Command Prompt screen through the advanced options.
Step 3. Enter the following commands in sequence and set the system partition as the active partition:
Windows tools often fail to fix heavily corrupted drives or mismatched disk formats. Using a visual repair tool is the safest way to convert your drive and fix your startup files without losing data.
AOMEI Partition Software is the best tool for rescuing a broken computer. You can use a working laptop to create a bootable rescue USB. Plugging this USB into your broken PC lets you bypass the black screen entirely. You can use the Convert to GPT tool to fix motherboard mismatches, and use the Rebuild MBR feature to rewrite your startup files instantly.
A safe and reliable disk partition management tool that helps you migrate OS to SSD or HDD, reorganize disk space, and improve overall PC performance.
If your modern motherboard uses UEFI boot mode, it will refuse to boot from an older MBR hard drive. You can use AOMEI to convert the drive to GPT instantly without deleting your personal files.
Step 1: Download and open AOMEI Partition Software on a working computer. Plug in a blank USB drive. Click Make Bootable Media at the top and follow the steps to create a rescue drive.
Step 2: Plug the rescue USB into your broken computer. Turn it on and change your BIOS settings to boot from the USB.
Step 3: The AOMEI visual screen will load. Right-click your main Windows hard drive and select Convert to GPT.
Step 4: Click OK to confirm the conversion. Click Apply and Proceed at the top left. The software will safely change the format so your modern motherboard can read it.
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. In the Main Tab, please click the "Recover" tab and select "Boot Repair".
Step 2. The Boot Repair tool will pop up. Please click "Next" to start the system’s boot entries scan process.
✨ Advanced Options
Select a location to store the repaired boot entry:
1. Repair to the current disk: The system will boot from the current disk and ensure the boot files are complete and functioning properly. (By default)
2. Repair to another disk: This operation will repair the boot entry or create a new system boot entry to ensure the system can boot from the disk you select.
Step 3. After the process completes, it will display the scan results: system paths, system versions, and boot status. All repairable boot entries will be available to select. You can repair the current disk or another disk. Repair to the current disk is recommended for common users.
Step 4. Select one/multiple repairable boot entries you want to repair and click the "Repair" button to start the boot repair.
Step 5. Wait for the repair process to finish. Once it is finished, you can check the repair result. If it succeeds, you will get a "Repair Successful" result.
A dying hard drive will drop startup files and cause boot errors. You can run a visual surface test to make sure your physical hardware is healthy.
Step 1: Right-click your main hard drive on the AOMEI screen and select Check Partition.
Step 2: Choose the option to check whether there is a bad sector on the partition. Click OK.
Step 3: Click Start. The software will show a grid of green squares. If any red squares appear, your hard drive has physical damage and needs to be replaced.
A missing boot drive error causes a lot of panic, but it is usually just a simple communication block. Checking your physical cables and adjusting your settings will fix the problem for most users.
When your computer says it cannot find a bootable device, your physical hard drive is likely perfectly fine. Pushing your cables in tightly and fixing your BIOS boot order gets your computer back on track. If a sudden crash breaks your startup files, using AOMEI Partition Software is the smartest choice. It lets you boot from a rescue USB, rebuild your boot record, and scan your drive for physical damage without typing any confusing text commands.
Users always worry about losing their personal files when a hard drive stops booting. Here are simple answers to the most common startup questions.
1. Does a missing boot drive error mean my hard drive is dead?
No, it usually just means you have a software glitch or a loose cable. The physical hard drive is likely perfectly healthy. Once you fix the boot mode settings or rebuild the startup files, your computer will work normally again without losing your photos or documents.
2. Why did my SSD stop booting after I cloned it?
Cloning a hard drive copies all your files perfectly, but it sometimes misses the hidden startup flags. The new SSD has all your Windows data, but the motherboard does not know it is allowed to boot from it. You simply need to use partition software to set the cloned drive as the "Active" partition to fix this.
3. What is the difference between UEFI and Legacy boot modes?
Legacy is the older startup system used by computers built before 2015. UEFI is the modern, faster, and more secure startup system used by Windows 10 and Windows 11. If your hard drive was formatted for Legacy, a computer set to UEFI will not be able to read it until you switch the setting back in the BIOS.