Cannot boot into windows after adding second drive

Question

I added an SSD to the system to expand its storage. Both original and new disk are M.2. System is running Windows 11

The new disk is brand new and needed to be initialized. I wasn't sure what to choose, so I chose GPT as the primary disk.

I created a new partition and started using the new disk. All was good on the first day I was using it.

The day after, I tried to boot, but the system never reaches the login screen. It gets stuck on a black screen with a rolling white circle at the bottom. I looked online for a solution and created a bootable drive. From the recovery mode I went into the command prompt and saw that the new disk was now disk C and the old disk moved to disk D (it was not like that the day before).

The system now won't boot even if I remove the new disk.

I am almost to the point to re-install windows, but I am worried I do not have a product key, and since I can not enter windows, I cannot verify that the system is properly activated and linked to my windows account.

What should I do?

The system is a HP Z1 Entry Tower G5. Hope I gave enough info to help troubleshooting.

I am running dual boot with Linux and Linux still runs just fine (but no partition of the new disk got allocated to it yet). I do not mind re-installing Windows, even if I lose my files, but it would be rather annoying if the Linux install gets affected

While I want to be sure I will be able to re-activate Windows after a clean install, I tried to follow the other instructions from the following links (start-up recovery, adding letter to EFI partition and manually changing volume and partitions letters):

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/stuck-on-preparing-automatic-repair-loop/4fc60881-ffd7-41e2-90bf-7ea4767f729d

https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000124331/how-to-repair-the-efi-bootloader-on-a-gpt-hdd-for-windows-7-8-8-1-and-10-on-your-dell-pc#instructions https://www.easeus.com/partition-master/windows-10-wont-boot-with-second-hard-drive.html

Answer 1

Hello,

It depends on how you activated Windows in the first place.

If you activated Windows using a 25-digit product key, simply enter that key again when you are prompted for one during reinstallation.

If Windows is pre-installed, or you bought Windows from the Microsoft Store, you need to select "I do not have a key" when prompted for a key, then when setting up after installation, log in using the same account you originally activated Windows. If the activation fails (changed hardware, for example), run the activation troubleshooter in activation settings, and transfer the license to the "new" computer.

In either case, the "current" activation status does not matter.

Best Regards,

Sheng G. - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Hi Sheng,

Thanks for the recommendation. However, let me please reformulate my question. I will handle the dual boot issue myself.

I cannot reach the login screen in my windows 11 installation. How can I verify that the activation code is correctly linked to my account before re-installing windows?

Answer 3

Hello Fran,

Thanks for reaching out here in the Microsoft Answers Community.

I wish I could handle your problem, however, the issues on dual-boot systems is out of reach of the response support community.

It is more suitable for publishing on Microsoft Learn, you can click on "Ask a question", there are experts who can provide more professional solutions in that place.

Here is a link to the forum where you can raise specific scenarios and share your idea to help solve the problem.

Sincerely hope that your question will be dealt with appropriately after contact the correct department.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Best Regards,

Sheng G. - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist