Win 11 24H2 - INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

Question

Hello,

A computer can no longer boot on Windows. It shows a blue screen with INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE message. Just before, it applied the latest Windows updates and I made a gpupdate to test GPO (the only modified GPO was to apply Bitlocker on the OS disk).

I checked the partitions, and I can access to all of them with a WinPE environment that donesn't support Bitlocker, and a manage-bde command shows the partitions are not encrypted. The BT key is not stored in AD despite the GPO configuration. Is this problem could be due to the updates ? I think I read that a recent Win 11 update could cause this error.I already launched a bcdboot command to reinstall UEFI partition, same problem. I'm open to advices to solve this problem.

Answer 1

Hello,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

The INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE error usually suggests that Windows cannot access the system partition during the boot process. Given the context you've provided, there are a couple of things we could consider:

1. Recent Windows Updates: It's possible that a recent update might be causing this issue. Windows updates can sometimes lead to compatibility issues with drivers or boot configurations. Roll back the recent update if possible, by using the WinPE environment:
   • Boot from the Windows installation media.
   • Choose "Repair your computer".
   • Navigate to "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced options" > "Uninstall Updates".
   • Choose to uninstall the latest Feature Update or Quality Update.
2. BitLocker and GPO Configuration: Even though BitLocker is not yet applied, the GPO configuration might have caused changes to the system's boot settings or disk access permissions.
   • Double-check the GPO settings related to BitLocker and see if any changes might have impacted the boot configuration.
3. Boot Configuration Data (BCD): The issue could also be due to corruption in the BCD.
   • Since you've already tried using bcdboot, you might also want to try repairing the BCD store:
     • Boot from the Windows installation media.
     • Choose "Repair your computer".
     • Navigate to "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced options" > "Command Prompt".
     • Run the following commands one by one: bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bootrec /scanos bootrec /rebuildbcd
     • After completing these commands, restart your computer and see if the issue is resolved.
4. Check Disk Partition Configuration:
   • Ensure that the correct partition is set as active (for MBR partitions):
     • Boot into the Command Prompt from the installation media.
     • Use diskpart to check partition statuses: diskpart list disk select disk X (replace X with the disk number) list partition select partition Y (replace Y with the partition number for the system partition) active exit
   • For GPT partitions, ensure that the EFI partition is properly configured and accessible.
5. Check and Update Drivers: If you can boot into Safe Mode, try updating storage drivers. If not, you might need to access the drive via a separate system and update drivers if possible

I hope the information above is helpful.

Best Regards,

Yanhong Liu

============================================

If the Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it