Operating System Not Found Or Missing? Try These Fixes

Generally, you might encounter the “Working System not discovered” or “Lacking working system” message whereas making an attempt as well your system. It will possibly happen when you’re attempting to make use of the interior disk or a bootable exterior media.

Normally, it’s due to points with the boot recordsdata, BIOS settings or the OS itself. So troubleshooting these issues is sufficient to resolve your error.

On this article, we point out all of the potential causes for the problem and what you are able to do to resolve them.

Causes for Working System Not Discovered or Lacking

How to Repair Working System Not Discovered or Lacking

First, energy cycle your PC and test if you happen to nonetheless encounter this problem. Should you do, apply the potential options beneath.

Test BIOS Settings

The very first thing you need to do is test your BIOS settings and ensure all of the choices you must detect the OS on a drive have the right configuration. To take action,

1. Restart your PC and press the BIOS key as quickly because it begins booting. You will have to press a number of instances to get the timing proper.
2. Change the settings now we have talked about beneath.
3. Save the modifications and exit the BIOS.

The BIOS key in addition to the precise steps to vary the setting range between the completely different motherboards. So, be certain to test the official web site if you happen to encounter any hassle or want more info to get into the BIOS.

Exhausting Drive or Stable State Drive Detection

Earlier than shifting on to the related settings, the very first thing you need to test is whether or not the BIOS detects the storage disk with the Working System.

• You should search for SATA drive or m.2 SSD. You’ll normally discover these choices on the Storage or Superior or Principal tabs.
• If the BIOS detects the drive, you will note the drive’s identify subsequent to SATA drive. In any other case, it shows None.
• If you’re attempting as well from exterior storage, related by way of USB, you need to test if any USB port is disabled on the BIOS. It’s best to have the ability to discover such settings on the Superior or Peripherals tabs.

If the BIOS doesn’t detect your exhausting drive or SSD, you must test the bodily {hardware}. Take away the outer case of your PC and carry out the next duties to test for connection points:

• Re-insert the SATA and energy cables.
• Use a special SATA port to attach the disk.
• Join the disk to a different laptop and test if this error happens there.

In case your BIOS nonetheless doesn’t detect the machine, your drive is failing and you must change it.

Earlier than changing it, strive recovering its contents by connecting it to a different PC as an exterior drive. You might also want to make use of some recovery software program.

If you’re utilizing an exterior drive, you may equally test for connection points by altering ports, and cables and inserting them into one other PC.

SATA Mode

Improper configuration of SATA mode can even forestall your system from detecting the SATA-connected disks.

Many of the trendy disks require enabling AHCI mode for SATA whereas the remaining additionally help IDE. Nevertheless, you must allow IDE for SATA to function older disks.

So if the above error happens whereas attempting as well from a SATA disk, you must test this configuration and ensure to allow the right choice.

1. Search for SATA Controller Mode or an analogous configuration. It’s normally current underneath the Storage tab.
2. Set it to AHCI in case your disk is a more recent machine. In any other case, else set it to IDE. You possibly can test on the official web site in case you are undecided which choice to pick.
   

Safe Boot

Safe boot is a boot-level safety function that checks the digital signature of your software program earlier than your system executes it. Nevertheless, it doesn’t help older variations of Windows. Moreover, in case you are twin booting another working programs like Linux, safe boot can even cease your machine from booting. In each these eventualities, you’ll get the above error.

The one solution to resolve it’s to disable the safe boot choice on BIOS. To take action,

1. Search for the Safe Boot or UEFI Safe Boot on the BIOS. It’s normally underneath Boot, Safety, or Authentication tabs.
2. Then, set it to Disabled.

Boot Order

Your BIOS shops a precedence record of boot units your laptop makes use of to load the OS. You possibly can encounter the above error if one other machine is on high of the record and your PC fails to detect any OS on the machine.

To keep away from such points, we advocate setting the storage machine containing the OS to the very best precedence. Right here’s how you are able to do so:

1. Go to Boot or an analogous tab and seek for Boot Order/Precedence.
   
2. Use the arrows and -/+ keys to set the machine you’re booting from on the high of the record.

Run Startup Restore

You possibly can resolve a lot of the software-related boot errors by performing a startup restore. It’s a devoted Windows function, which you’ll run through the use of the next steps:

1. Power shutdown your PC by urgent and holding the facility button for a couple of seconds. Then, energy up the PC.
2. Achieve this three more instances till you see the Superior choice button, then click on on it.
3. Go to Troubleshoot > Superior choices > Startup Restore.
   

If the built-in startup restore doesn’t work, it’s also possible to strive utilizing a Windows set up or recovery media to carry out this technique. Right here’s how you are able to do so:

1. Create an Windows set up media and boot utilizing this machine.
2. Set your language preferences and choose Subsequent.
3. On the Set up display, choose Restore your laptop to entry the Windows Recovery Surroundings.
   
4. Go to Troubleshoot > Superior choices > Startup Restore.

Repair MBR and Rebuild BCD

Additionally, you will expertise this error you probably have corrupt boot recordsdata. These recordsdata are essential to boot your PC utilizing the OS on a boot machine.

To resolve this problem, you must repair the Grasp Boot Document (solely you probably have MBR (Grasp Boot Document) partition scheme) and rebuild BCD (Boot Configuration Information). Listed here are the required steps:

1. Go to the Windows Recovery Surroundings or Superior Startup utilizing the steps from the above technique.
2. Choose Troubleshoot > Superior choices > Command Immediate.
3. Then, observe the steps beneath relying on whether or not your BIOS mode:

For Legacy BIOS

If you’re utilizing legacy BIOS, enter the next instructions:

1. bootrec /FixMbr
2. bootrec /FixBoot
3. bootrec /ScanOs
4. bootrec /RebuildBcd
5. exit
   

If rebuilding the BCD retailer doesn’t resolve the issue, you must recreate the BCD. To take action, enter the next instructions on the Immediate:

1. bcdedit /export C:BCD_Backup
2. c:
3. cd boot
4. attrib bcd -s -h -r
5. ren c:bootbcd bcd.previous
6. bootrec /RebuildBcd

For UEFI mode on BIOS

Enter the next instructions to rebuild the BCD:

1. bootrec /ScanOS
2. bootrec /RebuildBcd
   

Equally, if rebuilding doesn’t work. You should recreate the BCD utilizing the steps beneath:

1. First, you must assign a letter to the EFI partition utilizing the instructions beneath:
   • diskpart
   • record disk (notice the disk quantity)
   • choose disk # (change # with the disk quantity)
   • record quantity (test the amount quantity for EFI partition. It ought to have the FAT32 file system and its worth on the Information column needs to be “System”
   • choose vol # (change # with the amount variety of the EFI partition)
   • assign letter=X: (You should utilize every other unused letter as a substitute of X:
   • exit
     
2. Now, in case you are utilizing an OS model sooner than Windows 10 (construct 1709), you must enter one of many following instructions to vary the working listing to the boot listing:
   • cd /d X:EFIMicrosoftBoot
   • cd /d X:Boot
   • cd /d X:ESDWindowsEFIMicrosoftBoot
     Be sure to exchange X: if you happen to modified it to a different letter
3. Then, enter the instructions beneath to recreate the BCD:
   • bootrec /fixboot
   • ren BCD BCD.backup
   • bcdboot c:Windows /l en-us /s X: /f ALL
4. In case you have Windows 10 (model 1709 or newer) OS, you must use this command as a substitute of steps 9 and 10:
   bcdboot c:Windows /s X: /f UEFI
5. Lastly, enter exit to shut the immediate and restart your PC.

Set Partition to Energetic State

In case your system makes use of legacy mode BIOS on MBR partition system, it should solely boot to the energetic partition. The UEFI bases system doesn’t use this setting, so in case your Windows makes use of MBR and the first partition will not be energetic, it causes the Working system not discovered error.

So you must carry out this process to forestall such issues. To take action,

1. Get to the Windows Recovery Surroundings utilizing a recovery/set up media.
2. Go to Troubleshoot > Superior choices > Command Immediate.
3. Kind diskpart and press Enter to open the Dispart command Line on Immediate.
4. Enter the next instructions:
   • record disk (notice the disk quantity for the boot drive)
   • choose disk # (change # with the above quantity)
   • record partition (equally, notice the required partition quantity)
   • choose partition #
   • energetic
   • exit
   • exit,

Test Partition Scheme

Your laptop should help the partition scheme you may have on a bootable disk. In case you have an previous laptop, it might not help UEFI. You possibly can verify it by testing the producer’s web site.

Within the machine doesn’t help UEFI, you must change the partition scheme on the disk to MBR.

The simplest method to take action is to format it whereas altering the scheme after which save the bootable picture to the drive. Right here’s how you are able to do so:

1. Insert the USB drive right into a purposeful PC.
2. On that PC, open Run and enter diskpart to open the Dispart command line.
3. Enter the next instructions:
   • record disk (notice the disk quantity for the boot drive)
   • choose disk # (change # with the above quantity)
   • clear
   • convert mbr
   • create partition main
   • choose partition 1
   • format fs=ntfs fast
   • energetic
   • exit

4. Then, copy the Windows ISO file to the foundation of the USB drive.

Now strive booting your laptop with this drive and test whether or not the problem resolves.

Clear Set up Windows

If all of the earlier strategies weren’t useful in resolving the error and your storage drive doesn’t have any points, the OS software program is perhaps corrupt or truly lacking.

Should you encountered this error whereas booting from an exterior disk, you may format it and recreate the bootable recordsdata. Nevertheless, for an inner disk, you must clear set up Windows.