Share via

Cannot Boot from SSD After Windows 11 Installation

Anonymous
2025-06-03T14:18:51+00:00

Hi,

I have recently received an SSD that I am attempting to install Windows 11 on, but after completing the installation using an ISO, my computer will reboot and deliver the error message "Reboot and Select proper Boot device or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key." I have confirmed that my SSD is available and set as the primary boot device in my system BIOS, so I believe that the issue is not that my computer cannot detect a boot device, but that it cannot read the device after the Windows 11 install. I have used a SATA-USB adapter to test the SSD on my laptop and my laptop does not have any issues reading or writing on the drive. I think that has helped me narrow it down to a compatibility issue with my motherboard and SSD, but this is where my own attempts at troubleshooting stall. I have tried resetting the BIOS settings using the "load optimized defaults" option, but that has not fixed the problem. I have tried enabling and disabling Compatibility Support Mode - the motherboard does not detect the SSD as a boot device when CSM is disabled - and changing the CSM settings for storage devices to both Legacy only and UEFI only, but toggling this setting does not seem to make a difference as the SSD is listed as a boot device on both modes.

I used the Windows 11 setup tool to create an ISO on a USB drive, and, as far as I can tell, the ISO allows me to select the SSD as the storage device to install the OS onto, but when the ISO reboots the first time, my computer no longer reads my SSD.

The SSD is the only storage device plugged in to the computer other than the USB used as an ISO.

Currently, I have:
CPU: Intel i5-8400
SSD: TeamGroup T-Force 1TB
Motherboard: ROG STRIX B360-G Gaming

I know plenty of people have asked this question, but I have not been able to find any troubleshooting solutions that have worked for me specifically. Please help me!

Thank you,

Jason

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

3 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2025-06-03T19:09:31+00:00

    Hi Jason.S.exe,

    Thank you for posting here in Community.

    I can absolutely understand how frustrating this must be—especially after doing all the right steps and still facing an issue that feels like a roadblock. But don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this together.

    From what you’ve described, your system recognizes the SSD in BIOS, but after installing Windows 11, your PC fails to boot from it. You've already been very thorough in your troubleshooting—checking BIOS settings, testing the SSD externally, and adjusting compatibility support options—so you've ruled out quite a few potential issues. Now, let’s take a more detailed approach to pinpoint the exact cause.

    Possible Solutions:

    1. Ensure the SSD Has a Proper Bootloader
      • Boot into the Windows installation USB.
      • Choose Repair Your Computer > Troubleshoot > Command Prompt.
      • Run the following commands: bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bootrec /scanos bootrec /rebuildbcd
      • Restart your PC and see if it recognizes the SSD as a boot device.
    2. Confirm the Partition Style (MBR vs. GPT)
      • If your motherboard is set to boot in UEFI mode, your SSD needs to be GPT-formatted.
      • Boot into the installation USB and open Command Prompt.
      • Run diskpart, then list disk.
      • Look for an asterisk (*) under the Gpt column. If there’s no asterisk, your SSD is MBR, which may cause boot issues with UEFI.
      • Convert the SSD to GPT (Warning: This will erase all data): diskpart select disk [your SSD number] clean convert gpt exit
      • Reinstall Windows 11.
    3. Check Boot Order & Secure Boot Settings
      • Ensure the SSD is listed first in BIOS boot order.
      • Disable Secure Boot temporarily—some SSDs don’t play well with this enabled.
    4. Reinstall Windows Using a Fresh ISO
      • Redownload the Windows 11 ISO using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to eliminate corruption possibilities.
      • Perform a clean installation, ensuring all partitions on the SSD are deleted before installation.
    5. Update BIOS Firmware
      • Check for the latest BIOS version for your ROG STRIX B360-G Gaming motherboard and update it.

    Final Thoughts

    Since your SSD is functional when used externally, the issue likely lies in boot configurations or BIOS compatibility rather than SSD failure. With these steps, you should be able to resolve it, but let me know if anything doesn’t work as expected. We’ll troubleshoot further if needed!

    You’ve already put in a lot of effort trying to fix this—I’m confident we’ll get this sorted. Keep me posted!

    Best regards,

    Bo | Microsoft Community

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2025-06-04T18:32:44+00:00

    Hi Jason.S.exe,

    Hope you are doing well.

    Thank you for performing all the steps provided, as you found out that the device is not compatible. I highly recommend you contacting the manufacturer of the device for them to manually check what hardware parts needed to replace.

    Best regards,

    Bo | Microsoft Community

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2025-06-03T22:20:01+00:00

    Thank you for your reply!

    When executing the first fix you suggested, Command Prompt states that there are 0 operating systems installed after running the bootrec scanos and rebuildbcd commands.

    I proceeded to step two, but I am now getting an error message that states that my computer is not compatible with Windows 11 (I believe it said that my hardware does not support it). This is strange because I was not getting that error initially, before attempting these fixes.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments