Error 3F0, boot device not found -- how to reinstall Windows on a non-existing disk?

[vidiviciveni]

I believe a faulty deinstall of software was the culprit, but I have a PC that returns a 3F0 error when started. I can access the diagnostics, all checks are OK, the 1TB HDD shows no errors. In the BIOS the SSD boot disk does not show up. Using a bootable Windows USB stick I managed to backup everything on the HDD, but the invisible boot disk has a few things I would like to recover. Questions:

1. How can I reinstall windows onto a non-existing drive? Or is the recovery/restore SW clever enough to find the drive?

2. Since the SSD is firmly screwed into place, I cannot see loose connectors, cables, etc. being a cause. Please correct me if this assumption is wrong.

3, If I were to replace the 256GB SSD with a larger SSD (512 or 1TB), would I be introducing any new size-related problems?

4, What has to be done prior to inserting a new, larger SSD? Activation, formatting, etc?

TIA for any ideas/help.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @vidiviciveni 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! 

  

Thanks for posting your query! We're here to help you get back up and running.

We need to check if the motherboard supports larger SSD.

To help us get started on resolving your issue, could you please share your HP unit's serial number or product number with us via private message? 

Need help finding your product number? We've got you covered! Check out this handy guide:  

https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/ish_2039298-1862169-16 

To access your private messages, simply click the private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Support Community profile, next to your profile name. 

Now, let's dive into the issue! Could you please elaborate on what's happening with your device? The more details you provide, the better we'll understand the problem and the faster we can resolve it! 

We're looking forward to helping you get back up and running! 

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye

Note: Do not share any of your personal information in public, such as serial number, phone number, email ID, etc.

[vidiviciveni]

Hi

I just sent off serial number and product number as requested. To add some more information,

I removed the SSD and inserted it into an adapter, then connected it to two different PCs. Neither

PC recognized the SSD, so I assume it is dead. Can you shed some light on what type of SSD is

in the PC? According to the product specs, it is a 256 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD. The socket has

four pins to the right of the key, leading me to believe it is a type A. The SSD itself has two keys,

so it reeks of B+M. I know far too little about all of this, so any light you can shed would be very

much appreciated.

Presumably I will have to replace the SSD, so can you make any suggestions/recommendations

if a 512GB SSD would work?

TIA

[Hawks_Eye]

@vidiviciveni , your methodical troubleshooting is impressive. 

Based on what you've described, your original SSD was a 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 drive with B+M keying, which means it’s designed for compatibility with both PCIe and SATA slots. However, since your socket has four pins to the right of the key, it's likely a PCIe-only slot (Type A, as you suspected).

For replacement, a 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD should work fine—need to confirm if your motherboard supports larger capacities (which most do). If you want to be absolutely sure, checking the product documentation for max supported storage sizes would be wise. 

Since your laptop originally came with NVMe, stick with Gen 3 NVMe SSDs for best compatibility. Some good brands to consider:

• Samsung 970 EVO Plus – Reliable, fast, and widely compatible.
• WD Black SN770 – Efficient and well-priced.
• Crucial P3 Plus – Good budget option with solid performance.

Your suspicion that the original SSD is completely dead seems valid—it’s not detected by multiple PCs, so a replacement is the way to go. 

If you run into any quirks during installation, I’m happy to help. Also, before installing the new SSD, you might want to update your BIOS to the latest version just in case there are storage-related fixes.

Let me know how it goes!

Regards,

Hawks_Eye