Boot Device Not Found

[jmegill62]

Hello - I have a HP Pavilion x360 model and I went into the BIOS to enable Virtualization Technology and then I saved and exited after rebooting it went to the 'Boot Device Not Found' Window. So I went back into the BIOS and checked out what was going on and I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. And at the time my OS boot Manager was selected. It had an arrow next to it. So I saved and exited again. It still went to the same window. So I went back into BIOS and enabled Legacy Support and it deselected the OS boot Manager and I haven't been able to get it selected again. I went into the BIOS and tried to select it manually by scrolling down to it and hitting the ENTER button but it won't select. I then tried to Load Setup Defaults and that didn't work. So now I'm stuck not being able to select my OS boot Manager. I even went to F9 to get to the boot menu and nothing is listed on that window. So I'm not sure what's going on or how to fix it. At the moment I'm going through tutorials to try and find the right way to fix this. Please Help!

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @jmegill62,

Welcome to the HP Support Community! 

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding boot device not found error!  

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

The "Boot Device Not Found" error after enabling Virtualization Technology could be caused by a BIOS setting change that affected the boot configuration. Here’s how you can fix it:

Step 1: Restore Default BIOS Settings

Turn off your laptop.
Power it on and press F10 repeatedly to enter the BIOS setup.
Find Restore Defaults (usually under Exit or Advanced).
Select Load Setup Defaults and press Enter.
Save and Exit (F10).
Restart and check if it boots normally.

Step 2: Check Boot Order & Enable UEFI Mode

Enter BIOS again (press F10 at startup).
Navigate to Boot Options or Advanced Boot Settings.
Set UEFI Mode (if Legacy Support is enabled, disable it).
Ensure OS Boot Manager is at the top of the boot order.
Save changes and restart.

Step 3: Run HP Hardware Diagnostics

Turn off your laptop.
Press Esc, then F2 when turning it on.
Select System Tests → Run a Hard Drive Test.
If the test fails, your hard drive might be faulty.

Step 4: Check if Your Hard Drive is Detected

Enter BIOS (F10) and go to System InformaReinstall Windows (If Nothing Works)

If the OS is missing/corrupt, you may need to reinstall Windows via a bootable USB.

Let me know what happens after trying these! 😊

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?"—your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[jmegill62]

Thank you, Kuroi for responding to my question. Let me catch you up on what's happened. I did Step 1: Restore Default BIOS Settings - and that didn't work. I actually did it a few times to make sure. I did Step 2: Check Boot Order & Enable UEFI Mode - I made sure OS Boot Manager was at the top of the list but I wasn't able to select it. When this problem first started, there was an arrow next to the selection OS Boot Manager but when I enabled the Legacy Support to try something else, the arrow went away and I was never able to get it back. It was as if the items under the UEFI were no longer available. I also did Step 3: Run HP Hardware Diagnostics and I ran both the quick and extensive test on the Hard Drive and they passed. I ran this step a few times just to make sure. I also did Step 4: Check if Your Hard Drive is Detected - and I don't have the option: System InformaReinstall Windows. So I made a WIN10_22H2_English_x64v1.iso file on a bootable MS DOS USB drive, but when I tried to run that it didn't work.

Also, I tried to get into the System Recovery by selecting F11 but it would go right back to the 'Boot Device Not Found' window. So I made another bootable FAT32 USB drive from the HP Software and Driver page and downloaded the sp133135.exe file. The thing is after I downloaded this file I wasn't able to continue making the bootable drive because I didn't have another operating windows PC. In the meantime I went ahead and bought a new HP Windows 11 Pro. I'm afraid to make the bootable disk on my new laptop because when I go to make the USB drive at some point in the setup it gives a warning that this may change the settings on your laptop. I want to be able to make the USB drive but in the process I don't want the process to change my new laptop. My question is, while setting up this bootable USB can I still go ahead and do it on my new laptop without actually changing anything on my new laptop. What I'm trying to do is make this bootable USB to be able to use it on my defective laptop. But in order to do that I have to use a working windows laptop. The file is supposed to update the BIOS. So my next question would be: Do I need to update the BIOS on my defective laptop - could it help?

The other thing is, after I put this issue on the 'discussion forum' I called HP tech support and I ended up paying for the support before they would answer any questions. I got a case number and someone called me. The first person that called me really didn't have the knowledge to help me. So the tech put in for a 'second opinion'. After about an hour someone else called me to try and help me with the issue. This tech took me through basically the same steps you provided for me and unfortunately we couldn't fix it. So after paying almost $56 dollars and talking to 2 different techs for about 2 hours of trying to figure out what was going on, I was still left with a defective laptop.

Right now the defective laptop is in limbo and I would still like to fix it. There's a lot of important stuff on the Hard Drive.

Again, thank you for responding to my request, it is deeply appreciated.

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @jmegill62,

Thank you for the response. it's pretty clear and helped me a lot to understand what all you have tried.

Since the basic troubleshooting steps didn't work, let's move to advanced recovery methods. Follow these steps carefully:

Reset BIOS to UEFI Mode

Enter BIOS

• Restart your laptop and press F10 repeatedly to enter BIOS.

Disable Legacy Support

• Look for Legacy Support and disable it.
• Enable Secure Boot if possible.

Ensure UEFI Boot Mode is Enabled

• Under Boot Options, select UEFI Boot Mode (not Legacy).
• Save and exit (F10).

Check Hard Drive Detection in BIOS

In BIOS, navigate to System Information

• Check if the hard drive is listed.
• If the hard drive is missing, it may be disconnected or failed.

Perform an HP Hardware Diagnostics Test

Restart and press F2 to enter HP Diagnostics.

Run a Hard Drive test.

If it fails: The hard drive may be faulty.

If it passes: Continue to the next step.

Boot into Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)

1. Turn off the laptop completely.
2. Turn it on and force shutdown (holding the power button) 3 times.
3. On the fourth restart, it should boot into "Advanced Startup Options."
4. If it works, go to Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Repair.

If you can’t access WinRE, continue below.

Boot from Windows Installation Media

You will need a USB drive (8GB or larger) and a working Windows PC.

Create Windows Installation Media

• On a working PC, download the Windows Media Creation Tool.
• Follow the instructions to create a bootable Windows USB.

Boot from USB on the Defective Laptop

• Insert the USB drive into the defective laptop.
• Turn it on and immediately press F9 to open the Boot Menu.
• Select the USB drive and boot.

Choose "Repair Your Computer"

• Select Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Command Prompt.

 

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Rebuild Boot Configuration Data (BCD)

In Command Prompt, type:
bootrec /fixmbr 
bootrec /fixboot 
bootrec /scanos 
bootrec /rebuildbcd

Press Enter after each command.

Restart your laptop

• If the boot device is still not found, continue to the next step.

Manually Assign Boot Partition

1. In Command Prompt, type: diskpart
   • Then type: list disk
   • Identify your main hard drive (usually Disk 0).
   • Select the disk (replace X with your disk number): 
     select disk X 
     list partition
   • Identify the partition labeled as System (usually Partition 1).
   • Select the partition (replace Y with the correct partition number): 
     select partition Y
     active 
     exit
      
   • Restart your PC.

If Windows Still Doesn't Boot, Attempt System Restore

1. Boot into Windows Installation Media (Step 4).
2. Choose Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → System Restore.
3. Select a restore point before the issue started.
4. Follow the prompts to restore Windows.

Backup Data and Reinstall Windows

If all else fails, your best option is to recover your data and perform a clean Windows installation.

Recover Data Using a Live USB (If Needed)

• Use Ubuntu Live USB or Hiren’s BootCD PE to access and back up files before reinstalling Windows.

Reinstall Windows

• Use the Windows bootable USB (Step 4).
• Select Install Windows instead of repair.
• Choose Custom Install and format only the Windows partition.

Let Me Know What Works or If You Need More Help

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?"—your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,