Boot Device Not Found, Hard Disk 3F0

[emottso]

Boot Device Not Found.  Please Install an operating system on your hard disk. Hard Disk - (3F0)

This message appears (apparently at random) while using the computer. Computer locks up and has to be hard booted, but no problem re-starting. This has happened while shopping on internet and while working in an Excel document. Frequency appears to be increasing. I have seen that others get this on startup, but I get it right in the middle of operating.

Windows is up to date, unit has 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD

[Uli_vom_Karmel]

Hello,

you Hard Drive is dying.  You should get a new one and put it in your notebook. 
If you tell me the product number, I can find the Service Guide for you, which describes the procedure.

Uli

[emottso]

Product is HP Spectre x360 Convertible 15-bl0XX. Product number 1EL88UAR#ABL

The SSD is Samsung MZVLW512HMJP-000H1. A 500GB SSD, not 256 as previously stated.

The computer was purchased July 2017. Any diagnostics I can try before replacing the drive?

[Uli_vom_Karmel]

Hello @emottso,

is it correct that your notebook is the HP Spectre x360 - 15-bl018ca?

You can run an UEFI Hardware Diagnostics. Power your notebook on and press immediately the ESC Key several times until the HP Start-up menue is shown. With the F2 Key you can start the diagnostics program. If you got an additional error code displayed, you can write it here and I will look in it. 
If you need to replace the SSD, you can follow the instructions in the Maintenance and Service Guide  page 39. 

Uli

[emottso]

Thanks for your help. Yes to HP Spectre x360 - 15-bl018ca.  I ran the UEFI tests and all passed. Also ran system tests in built in HP diagnostics and passed. Finally I ran Hard Disk Sentinel 5.50 and got 100% performance and 99% health ratings. Estimated remaining time more than 1000 days.

Could it be that some other error is pointing the system to a bad piece of code?

Also, in anticipation of a replacement I have been looking into cloning the existing drive to a new one, but there is a problem. The existing SSD is PCIe interface and I think there is onl one such slot in the computer. I have looked for some device that connects the new SSD via cable (like you do to clone a SATA drive) but find nothing. Is there no way to clone this drive?

[Uli_vom_Karmel]

Hello @emottso ,

I haven‘t found any USB adapter that supported cloning of a NVMe SSD.

I would like to ask an HP Expert on the matter of that error code and possible cloning.

Hello @Paul_Tikkanen would you look into this matter, please, and do you have any suggestions? Thanks.

Uli

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, Uli:

Unfortunately, I don't have any suggestions to offer.

I have never cloned a drive before.  I always clean install operating systems, and reinstall my programs and files.

The boot device not found error can be attributed to different causes.

Could be a NVMe storage driver problem.

Could be that removing and reseating the NVMe SSD will resolve the issue.

Could be an intermittently faulty NVMe SSD...much like a memory chip.  Passes all tests, but has intermittent issues.

Could be a faulty NVMe controller--less likely.