14-fq0041nr added a SATA M.2 256 drive, installed W11. Will boot to it, but not restart to it

[Tomboguy]

Hi, recently got this with the 64GB eMMC drive. It has a M.2 slot, read it only supports SATA. I installed a 256GB SATA stick in it, and installed Windows 11. Works great, boots just fine to it. Wiped the eMMC and created a formatted data drive. What happens is that it boots fine, shuts down fine, but when I need to do a restart after installing Windows updates for example, it just gets stuck on blank screen with "Restarting" message. Never goes past it. So it seems it only looks for the eMMC drive when restarting but not when starting from a cold boot. I can hold the button down, shut down, and it then starts up fine from turned off. Any suggestions? I did see a post stating you can only use the M.2 slot for a data drive, but I am able to boot from it, just not restart. I can start over with the eMMC again as the boot drive and set all the user folders to the SATA drive but want to know if anyone else has run into this and found a workaround. The BIOS only seems to have the option for OS Boot Manager (which does show the M.2 and does boot to it). I tried putting "USB FLash Drive/USB Hard Disk" first but did not change the restart behavior. Disk Management shows the 256 as drive C and the formatted 64 as D so that isn't it. I don't know anything about a VHD but is that a possible answer? Any insight would be appreciated.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @Tomboguy 

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

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

It sounds like your laptop is struggling to properly recognize the M.2 SATA drive during a restart, even though it boots fine from a cold start. 

This could be due to BIOS limitations or how the boot manager prioritizes storage devices. Here are some steps to troubleshoot:

 

1. Check BIOS Boot Order

• Restart your laptop and enter BIOS (F10 key during startup).
• Navigate to Boot Options and ensure the M.2 SATA drive is set as the first boot device.
• If available, disable Legacy Boot Mode and ensure UEFI Boot Mode is enabled.

 

2. Disable Fast Startup

• Open Control Panel → Power Options.
• Click Choose what the power buttons do.
• Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
• Uncheck Turn on fast startup and save changes.
• Restart your laptop and see if the issue persists.

 

3. Reinstall Bootloader

• Boot into Windows Recovery Mode (Shift + Restart from the login screen).
• Select Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Command Prompt.
• Run the following commands:
  bootrec /fixmbr
  bootrec /fixboot
  bootrec /scanos
  bootrec /rebuildbcd
• Restart your laptop and check if it now restarts properly.

 

4. Check for BIOS Updates

• Visit HP’s support page and enter your laptop model.
• Download and install the latest BIOS update.
• Restart your laptop and test the restart behavior.

 

5. Consider Using a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk)

• If your laptop struggles with booting from the M.2 SATA drive, you could try setting up a VHD as a workaround.
• Windows allows booting from a VHD file, which might bypass the restart issue.

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye

[Tomboguy]

Hi, none of that stuff works. I tried everything. I did see a post that it wouldn't use the m.2 drive for booting; it does, but can't find it on a Windows restart. I finally gave up, imaged the disk, wiped both of them, and restored to the 64 drive. Then using the properties of each user folder, changed the location to 😧 (for some reason you have to create the blank folders first, then move the location to it, otherwise it uses the root for everything and makes a mess). Might be a better solution anyway, Windows will live in the 64GB drive and everything else will now be stored on the M.2 drive. I have worked on PC's since 1981 so I have tried it all, it is a quirk of the way the BIOS was set up, or not set up! Thanks for trying.

[Hawks_Eye]

Wow, @Tomboguy , you've really taken a methodical approach to troubleshooting this—respect for your persistence! 

It sounds like the BIOS setup (or lack thereof) is causing this odd boot behavior, but honestly, your solution of separating Windows onto the 64GB drive and using the M.2 for storage seems like a clean workaround. Sometimes, practical fixes beat the headache of chasing elusive firmware quirks.

And yes, Windows folder relocation can be finicky! That issue with it defaulting everything to the root unless blank folders exist is one of those quirks that only seasoned users run into. Your approach ensures a well-organized setup, so hopefully, things stay stable from here.

Thanks for sharing your findings—your problem-solving mindset is impressive. If you ever feel like diving back into it or suspect another BIOS tweak might help, let me know!

Regards,

Hawks_Eye