Windows 8 Windows 8 - Boot Device Not Found MY FAULT

[Jaron Burnette]

This all started several months ago. My laptop was stuck in processing updates for hours, even when I had got off work. I turned it off by holding down the power button, the I turned it back on. After booting up, it continued to process updates. I turned off again the same way I did the first time. Turn it on again, processing updates, held power button to turn off. I did this like 6 times because I was frustrated and wanted to just get to my desktop so I could do what I needed to do.

Every now and then, I reset my laptop, reinstalling Windows 8. But after that incident, when it had come time for me to reset Windows 8, I could not do so, and it would say that the reset couldn't start because I was missing a partition. It had never ever said that before, which leads me to believe that would I did, corrupted the partition. Unfortunately, I don't even know what the fuck a partition is. I don't know about all those files you never see, or all the use of the command prompt. I just know how to use Windows.

My computer still worked. I could use Photoshop and whatever I had installed on there, but I couldn't use the internet because it was so slow because I had been without Norton for months, and reinstalling Windows 8 always fixed this and made it as if it was brand new. But I couldn't reset. I tried multiple advised solutions that did not work, and I eventually blindly followed these instructions.

"1.Boot from the Windows 8 install media (You must initiate this boot from a device labeled as a UEFI device, or the installation of Windows 8 will produce an error that the OS cannot be installed to a GPT partition) These UEFI boot devices will have a prefix UEFI: "name of your device", and show as a boot option in your UEFI.
2.After booting to the UEFI device you see the Install Windows 8 screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.
3.Type Diskpart, press Enter
4.Type List Disk , press Enter
5.Type Select Disk # (where # is the number your drive shows up as), press Enter
6.Type Clean, press Enter
7.Type Convert GPT, press Enter
8.Type Exit, press Enter.
9.Close the Command Prompt window.
10.Click the "Next" button.
11.Click the "Install now" button.
12.Put in your product key and click the "Next" button.
13.Accept the terms and click the "Next" button.
14.Choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)."
15.Select the partition and click "Drive options (advanced)"
16.Click "New" and then click the "Apply" button. Four partitions should appear. Click the bottom partition.
17.Click the "OK" button and then click the "Next" button.
18.From then on follow the on screen instructions till you get to the desktop.
Note: If you can't boot after the install you need to make sure the boot is set to "Windows Boot Manager" in the UEFI. Also, important info"

I followed that all the way up to #9... Then I realized, well Shit, wtf is this? Install now? Put in product key? I had a recovery drive that I had created with my laptop after it had missing partitions. That didn't work. So it wasn't an option. Not to mention I didn't see the option to install now probably because I didn't have a disk, and I also don't have a product key. So once I Shit off my laptop and turned it back on, I was presented with this lovely piece of Shit message.

"Boot Device Not Found

Please install an operating system on your hard disk.

Hard Disk (3F0)

F2 System Diagnostics

For more information, please visit: www.hp.com/go/techcenter/startup"

And that's the day my life fell apart and I started contemplating suicide on a grand scale. No but really, what the hell do I do now? Do I buy a whole new laptop? Do I buy a Windows Installation CD with a product key since I don't have the one mine came with 3 years ago? Do I just need a recovery CD or will that work but then end up requiring a product key? Come on geniuses, I know you're out there.

 

[Trouble]

WOW.... step #6 pretty much did you in. That would have pretty much wiped everything on that disk including any factory recovery partition but, then you obviously already know that.

Probably the easiest thing you can do at this point is find another computer (a friend's, family member's, neighbor's, perfect stranger's) that is running Windows 8 and then go here
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media
click the button, run the little program, pick your language, version and architecture and create the install media "ISO". Burn that ISO to a USB thumbdrive using Rufus from here,
https://rufus.akeo.ie/
Make sure you set it to create the media for UEFI / GPT. It should look something like this....

The red squares are important. Your device and New Volume Label will likely be different.

Now with any luck you should be able to install and hopefully the install will find your product key safely tucked away in the System BIOS somewhere.
Otherwise, you may have to contact the manufacturer and see if they can provide installation / recovery media. If the device is under warranty this will likely be for free, if not there may be a nominal fee.

 

[Jaron Burnette]

WOW.... step #6 pretty much did you in. That would have pretty much wiped everything on that disk including any factory recovery partition but, then you obviously already know that.

Probably the easiest thing you can do at this point is find another computer (a friend's, family member's, neighbor's, perfect stranger's) that is running Windows 8 and then go here
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media
click the button, run the little program, pick your language, version and architecture and create the install media "ISO". Burn that ISO to a USB thumbdrive using Rufus from here,
https://rufus.akeo.ie/
Make sure you set it to create the media for UEFI / GPT. It should look something like this....
View attachment 30167
The red squares are important. Your device and New Volume Label will likely be different.

Now with any luck you should be able to install and hopefully the install will find your product key safely tucked away in the System BIOS somewhere.
Otherwise, you may have to contact the manufacturer and see if they can provide installation / recovery media. If the device is under warranty this will likely be for free, if not there may be a nominal fee.

Thanks for putting in the time to give this advice. I will try this. My brother has a Windows 8 laptop. So I can use his. Btw, a thumbdrive and usb flash drive are the same thing right?

 

[Trouble]

Btw, a thumbdrive and usb flash drive are the same thing right?

Yep.... pretty much.
Anything that is digital storage having a USB interface and looking something like this
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...humbdrive&qpvt=image+usb+thumbdrive&FORM=IGRE

 

[Jaron Burnette]

Yep.... pretty much.
Anything that is digital storage having a USB interface and looking something like this
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...humbdrive&qpvt=image+usb+thumbdrive&FORM=IGRE

Cool. I have a 128 gb flash drive. It's exFAT though. But I think I can convert it to FAT32

 

[Trouble]

The program "Rufus" will do that for you. Just select the settings in the picture above.
Warning... in advance.
It will wipe your flash drive.

 

[Jaron Burnette]

The program "Rufus" will do that for you. Just select the settings in the picture above.
Warning... in advance.
It will wipe your flash drive.

Ok and btw, about the creating the I SO and burning it to a Flash Drive. How would I go about burning it? Like how people burn CDs? Or just drag it into the drive? I'm going to try this in about 4 hours when I get home from work.

Oh and how would I install it? Do I plug it in and then turn on my laptop and it leads me to it? Or do I have go to system configuration in the bios and change the boot order?

 

[Trouble]

How would I go about burning it?

As I explained above. The Rufus (tool / utility / program) will create / burn the ISO to your flash drive, all you have to do is set it like depicted in the image I posted above and hit the browse button which is the bottom right red square that I emphasized in that same image above, and locate the ISO that you've downloaded. The program will do the rest.

Oh and how would I install it?

After the ISO has been burned to the flash drive you shouldn't have to do anything. Just plug it into the laptop and start the laptop.
Assuming you haven't fiddle with the system BIOS utility and it is still set to UEFI, then the boot strap process will identify the flash drive as bootable and launch the Windows installation program.

 

[Jaron Burnette]

As I explained above. The Rufus (tool / utility / program) will create / burn the ISO to your flash drive, all you have to do is set it like depicted in the image I posted above and hit the browse button which is the bottom right red square that I emphasized in that same image above, and locate the ISO that you've downloaded. The program will do the rest.

After the ISO has been burned to the flash drive you shouldn't have to do anything. Just plug it into the laptop and start the laptop.
Assuming you haven't fiddle with the system BIOS utility and it is still set to UEFI, then the boot strap process will identify the flash drive as bootable and launch the Windows installation program.

The only thing I messed with a little was the boot order. But I think I put it back the way it was. It only had like 5 options in the boot order. But I could tell you what the say when I get back

 

[Jaron Burnette]

As I explained above. The Rufus (tool / utility / program) will create / burn the ISO to your flash drive, all you have to do is set it like depicted in the image I posted above and hit the browse button which is the bottom right red square that I emphasized in that same image above, and locate the ISO that you've downloaded. The program will do the rest.

After the ISO has been burned to the flash drive you shouldn't have to do anything. Just plug it into the laptop and start the laptop.
Assuming you haven't fiddle with the system BIOS utility and it is still set to UEFI, then the boot strap process will identify the flash drive as bootable and launch the Windows installation program.

Ok the boot order I have is this. It says,

UEFI Boot Order
OS boot Manager
Internal CD/DVD ROM Drive
USB Diskette on Key/USB Hard Disk
USB CD/DVD ROM Drive
! Network Adapter

I see also that it says F9 Setup Defaults. So that could probably for sure put it back in correct order if it isn't.

 

[Trouble]

That should work, as is. I wouldn't suspect that any changes should be required.

 

[Jaron Burnette]

That should work, as is. I wouldn't suspect that any changes should be required.

If the same boot device not found screen keeps popping. Is there a way I can go in a command it to boot from the flash drive?

Btw I tried turning it on putting the USB in every different port before doing so. This time with this port, the boot device not found screen hasn't popped up and it's just black. Should I assume that it is loading? Maybe

 

[Trouble]

At some point right after you power on the computer you should see information regarding how to enter the BIOS as well as how to evoke the boot menu.
You want to press whatever key you need to, to evoke the boot menu and when that menu comes up then you should be able to select your ThumbDrive from that menu.

 

[Jaron Burnette]

At some point right after you power on the computer you should see information regarding how to enter the BIOS as well as how to evoke the boot menu.
You want to press whatever key you need to, to evoke the boot menu and when that menu comes up then you should be able to select your ThumbDrive from that menu.

Does my cluster size need to match yours? Mine has a different default but it lets me match it with yours

Also, I first I used a cheap 128 gb flash drive I bought off eBay for 14$. It's a shiny little metal looking one that spins out like a pocket knife but not spring action. It's only option for file system that was similar was "large FAT32". Now I'm using a better quality 3.65 gb flash drive that says FAT32. Maybe this one might work. The other one has corrupted files before when transferring,.so hopefully that's why it didn't work.

EDIT: YES! It worked with the other flash drive! The hp symbol showed and now it says "Windows 8, Language to install, Time and currency format, and Keyboard or input method"

 

[Jaron Burnette]

At some point right after you power on the computer you should see information regarding how to enter the BIOS as well as how to evoke the boot menu.
You want to press whatever key you need to, to evoke the boot menu and when that menu comes up then you should be able to select your ThumbDrive from that menu.

So I finally got the install to work. Walked away while it was doing that. Come back and my computer was off. I turn it on. And now it just keeps showing the go symbol, and below it it says "The computer restarted unexpectedly or encountered an unexpected error. Windows Installation cannot proceed. To install Windows, click "OK" to restart the computer, and then restart the installation."

I click OK, it restarts, and the same message pops up

EDIT: Fixed that by following this.
"1)On the same error screen press SHIFT+F10 and it will open up a black Window. (a command prompt window)

2) In the black windows type the word "regedit"(without the inverted commas and hit enter. That will open the registry editor.

In the Registry Editor..

Browse to....

HKLocal machine/SYSTEM/SETUP/STATUS/ChildCompletion, and after highliting childcompletion,on the right hand side check for setup.exe. if the value is 1 change it to 3.(by double clicking on setup.exe and changing the value shown in the box).

Then close the registry editor and then also close the black window.

Then click on OK for the error and the computer will restart and the installation may complete. just try it and let me know if it worked."

Thanks so much man. Now I can also keep this information incase my computer ever gets like this again. I'll keep the Rufus drive and I screenshotted that others dudes instructions incase it turns off or something

 

[Trouble]

Excellent. Glad to hear that you managed to resolve your issue and were successfully able to get the install completed.
Now might be a good time to consider software (third party not windows native) to create a system image. That way, in the event that some other catastrophic event (not the one that started this thread I'm sure), should occur, you'll have a strong fall back option to get your computer back / up and running to a particular point in time.
I personally use Acronis (which is not free), but there are some freeware options like AOEMI Backupper http://www.backup-utility.com/free-backup-software.html or EAuse Todo Link Removed
which might do the trick.