How to Fix INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE on Windows 11/10

Let Windows open it

After two failed starts in a row, Windows shows Automatic Repair on the next start. If it does not, turn the PC on and hold the power button as soon as the logo appears, twice. On the third start, select Advanced options when Automatic Repair finishes.

Boot from a Windows USB drive

On another PC, download the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft and make a USB drive (8 GB or more). Boot from it (the boot menu key is usually F12, Esc, F9, F10 or F8), choose your language, then select Repair your computer, not Install.

Undo BIOS storage changes and new hardware

Microsoft’s first steps for this error: undo recent hardware changes and BIOS changes. The most common one is the storage mode, the setting that decides how the drive controller works. Windows only boots in the mode it was installed with.

• Enter the BIOS by pressing Delete, F2 or Esc as the PC starts.
• Find the storage or SATA mode setting. It is often under Advanced, Storage or Chipset, with options like AHCI, RAID, Intel RST or VMD. If you, a BIOS update or a BIOS reset changed it, switch it back. If you are not sure which it was, try the other option once and see if Windows starts.
• Remove new hardware: disconnect any drive or expansion card you added just before the error, and make sure the Windows drive is first in the boot order.

Start in Safe Mode once, then restart normally

Microsoft suggests this simple step: start in Safe Mode, then restart normally. Safe Mode loads the storage drivers in a basic way, which can reset how they start next time.

• In the recovery screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
• Press 4 or 5 for Safe Mode, or Safe Mode with Networking.
• Once Safe Mode loads, restart normally from the Start menu. If Windows now starts, run Windows Update and check Device Manager for devices with a yellow warning sign.

Run Startup Repair

Startup Repair is Windows’ automatic fixer for start-up problems. It checks the start-up files and settings and repairs what it can.

• Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair, then pick your account and enter its password if asked.
• Let it finish. If it says it could not repair your PC, that is common; carry on with the next fix.

Remove a stuck or bad Windows update

If the error appeared during or right after an update, remove it. Start with the easy option, then use Microsoft’s command if that fails.

• Easy option: Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Uninstall Updates. Try Uninstall latest quality update first, then Uninstall latest feature update if that does not help.
• If that fails, cancel updates that never finished: open Command Prompt from Advanced options and run the command below, with your Windows drive letter in place of C (see the drive letter tip above).

dism /Image:C:\ /Cleanup-Image /RevertPendingActions

Restart when it finishes. Microsoft’s article also covers renaming a leftover pending.xml file and some registry steps; those are for advanced users only.

Check the drive and repair system files offline

A power cut or forced shutdown can damage the file system or Windows files. From Command Prompt in the recovery screen, run these one at a time, using your Windows drive letter:

chkdsk C: /f /r
sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows

chkdsk /r reads the whole drive, which can take an hour or more on a large or slow one. Let it finish, then run the SFC command and restart.

Rebuild the start-up files

If the start-up records themselves are damaged, Windows cannot find its own drive. Microsoft’s article uses this command when the start-up data cannot be opened:

bootrec /rebuildbcd

• It scans for Windows installations and asks whether to add each one to the start-up list. Type Y and press Enter.
• Restart. If you see Access is denied or the command does nothing useful, skip to the next fix rather than trying other boot commands from random guides.

Use System Restore

If restore points exist from before the error, System Restore puts Windows’ system files and drivers back to that point. Your personal files are not touched.

• Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore, pick your account, then choose a restore point dated before the problem started.
• Let it finish and restart. It can take 20 minutes or more; do not turn the PC off during it.

Check the drive’s health, then reinstall if needed

If the drive does not appear in the BIOS or in diskpart, or nothing above helped, the drive, its cable or the Windows install itself is the problem.

• Check the drive is detected: in the BIOS, the drive should be listed by name. On a desktop, reseat its data and power cables, or move an M.2 SSD to another slot.
• Update the BIOS and storage firmware from your PC or motherboard maker, as Microsoft suggests, then try again.
• Get your files off first: boot from the Windows USB drive or another PC and copy your files to an external drive, if the drive is readable.
• Reinstall Windows from the USB drive made with the Media Creation Tool. If a fresh install cannot see the drive either, the drive or motherboard is faulty.

Note your BIOS storage mode

Take a photo of your BIOS storage settings now. After a BIOS update or reset, you can put them back exactly.

Let updates finish

Do not turn the PC off while it says Working on updates. Plug a laptop in before a big update.

Keep a Windows USB drive

A recovery or install USB drive made in advance saves hours when Windows will not start.

Back up regularly

This error rarely destroys files, but when the drive itself is failing, a recent backup is the only thing that helps.