"Unable to boot Windows 11/10/8/7 from SSD"

"I recently replaced my computer's system drive with a new SSD. The issue now is that I'm unable to boot from the SSD. How can I resolve this problem?"

If you have encountered the same problem and are trying to fix it on your own, here are three things to try.

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Reasons for the error "Windows failed to start from SSD"

The above-mentioned scenarios are two actual issues that SSD users on Windows 11/10, 8, or 7 encounter. Most of them are clueless about how the problem occurred and don't have a solution to fix it. If you're one of them, worry not. We have the solutions. Let's first figure out why or how your computer fails to boot from the SSD. Why Does This Error Occur? Essentially, this error can occur in the following situations:

• System disk upgrade: The computer fails to boot from the new SSD after upgrading the hard drive.
• Windows system errors/failures.
• The computer fails to start after system updates.
• Internal errors with the SSD disk.
• Cloned SSD won't boot.

Now that you know the reason, you can resolve the issue. Here are some tested solutions to fix SSD boot problems. If you want to reinstall, you can follow this page's instructions on how to install or migrate Windows OS to an SSD without boot issues. If you find these causes and solutions helpful in understanding the Windows failed to start error, share them with others who might need it!

Solution 1: Set Windows to Boot from SSD via BIOS Follow these steps: 1. Restart your computer and enter the BIOS settings. Typically, you can access this by pressing F2, F10, Delete, or a specific key unique to your computer brand and model during startup. 2. In the BIOS interface, locate the "Boot" or "Startup" options. 3. Within the boot menu, find the entry corresponding to your solid-state drive (SSD). It may be labeled as "SSD," "Solid State Drive," or include its specific model description. 4. Use the arrow keys to select the SSD as the first boot device (First Boot Device). 5. Press "Save" or "Exit" to save your changes and exit the BIOS setup. Your computer will restart with the new configuration. 6. If your computer successfully boots from the SSD, you should notice a significant improvement in system loading speed. Please note that BIOS interfaces and options may vary between different brands, but the basic steps remain similar. If unsure, consult your computer manufacturer's user manual or online support for assistance.

If your computer fails to boot after upgrading or replacing the system disk from HDD to SSD, the issue might be due to incorrect boot order settings in the BIOS. To change the boot mode, follow these steps for configuration:

1. Connect the SSD to your computer using a SATA cable.

2. Restart your computer. Hold down a specific key (usually F2, F8, F12, or Del) to enter BIOS setup.

3. Use the arrow keys to select “Boot Option.” Here, you can change the boot order to boot from your cloned SSD.

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Solution 2: Rebuild the SSD and set it as the active partition

Here, we assume that your SSD is in MBR (Master Boot Record) format. When the MBR disk becomes corrupted, your system won't boot. In this case, rebuilding the MBR is more convenient and time-saving than reinstalling Windows. You need to do two things: rebuild the MBR and set it as active.

When MBR is corrupted and causes the computer unable to boot, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional has the function to rebuild MBR.

Note: Since your computer cannot boot from the SSD, connect the MBR disk to another PC that is functioning properly for the repair. Or create a WinPE bootable disk so that your computer can start up.

Rebuild the Master Boot Record (MBR)

Step 1: Create a bootable WinPE disk

• Launch Partition Master, and click “Bootable Media Creator” on the toolbar. Choose “Create Bootable Media”. • Click “Next” to finish the process.

Create a Bootable Disk

Step 2. Boot the Partition Master Live USB

1. Connect the bootable USB or CD/DVD to your computer. 2. Press F2 or Del while restarting your computer to access the BIOS screen. Set it to boot from “Removable Device” or “CD-ROM Drive.” The Partition Master tool will run automatically.

Step 3: Rebuild the MBR

Click on "Toolbox," and then select "Rebuild MBR."

Select the disk and MBR type, then click “Build”.

Then you should see "MBR successfully rebuilt on Disk X."

Rebuild MBR

Read more: Windows 10 won't install on SSD

After rebuilding the SSD, you need to set the system partition as active.

Set active partition:

You still need the Partition Magic Software to help you set the system partition as active.

Step 1: Run the partition manager software. Right click the target partition on the disk map and choose “Advanced”.

Step 2: Then, from the drop-down menu, select “Set as active.” Click “OK.” Choose “Run 1 task” and click “Apply.”

Then reboot and try to boot from the SSD. If you still can't boot from the SSD, a corrupted BCD is likely to blame.

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Solution 3: Fix BCD Errors to Boot from SSD

MBR and GPT SSDs have different procedures that require separate solutions to fix BCD errors and boot from your SSD.

1 - The SSD is formatted as MBR.

Step 1: If the system partition does not have a drive letter, assign one to it.

• Right-click on “Computer”/“This PC”, and select “Manage” to open “Disk Management”. • If no drive letter is assigned, select the partition, click “Add”, choose the letter you want to use, and click “OK”.

Step 2: Run Command Prompt as an administrator.

Assuming the system partition is E: , run the command:

bcdedit /store E:\boot\bcd

After running it, check if the system partition and boot pointer are correct. If not, use the /set command to fix them. For example, if the system partition should be M: but it has changed to E:, you can follow these steps to fix it:

Use the bcdedit command to set the Boot Manager device parameter: bcdedit /store M:\boot\bcd /set {bootmgr} device partition=M:

2 - The SSD uses the GPT partition table.

Step 1: Set the partition ID to the base ID.

The BCD mode on the GPT system is similar to MBR, except that a GPT system disk is an EFI partition. You need to use the Diskpart set command to change the partition ID to the basic data partition ID on the EFI partition.

Set the ID to ebd0a0a2-b9e5-4433-87c0-68b6b72699c7

Step 2: Assign a drive letter and view BCD information

Then specify the drive letter. If the assigned drive letter is M:, run the BCD edit command to view the BCD information.

bcdedit /store M:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD

If the partition points to the wrong location, you can modify it using the /set command in BCD edit, with the same method as MBR. If the system still fails to boot after modifying BCD, check if an active partition is set in the MBR disk. For GPT system disks, a boot item needs to be added. If the issue persists, feel free to contact us.

Further reading:

Solution 4: Video tutorial on how to fix Windows not starting after cloning

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