Quick and Easy Fixes: Boot Device Not Found (4 Ways)

What Is Boot Device Not Found?

Boot Device Not Found is a common Windows system error. It will cause you to not start your computer properly. If you are using an HP computer, a 3F0 error may be displayed on the screen.  This error also shows the following similar error messages.

• Boot device not found. Please install an operating system on your hard disk.
• No boot device available.
• Boot device not found – hard disk (3F0).
• No bootable device found – insert boot disk and press any key.

To know the reasons and how to fix Boot Device Not Found HP or the same kinds of error, please read on.

Reasons for Boot Device Not Found

There are many reasons for the Boot Device Not Found error, and this article summarizes the most common ones for you.

• Wrong boot sequence in the BIOS.
• Damaged Master Boot Record (MBR) or boot sector.
• Hard drive connection problems.
• Malware attack.
• Corrupted hard drive partitions or hard drive.

How to Fix Boot Device Not Found

If this error is caused by a damaged hard drive or a hard drive connection problem, you can replace the disk with a new one or check the power cable to make sure your hard drive is firmly connected. If you still can't solve the problem, you can try the following 4 methods to help you fix the Boot Device Not Found error.

Fix 1. Perform a Hard Reset

If your hard drive is corrupted, you can perform a hard reset on your computer, which will re-establish the connection between the BIOS and the hardware, which may fix the Boot Device Not Found error. You can follow the steps below.

Step 1. Turn off your computer and remove the power adapter. Removable the battery, if there is an option to do so. Then disconnect all cables including the hard drive to ensure no peripheral devices are connected to the computer.

Step 2. Press the Power button for 15 seconds to drain out residual charge.

Step 3. Insert the battery and plug in the AC adapter back into your laptop.

Step 4. Turn on your computer. Once your computer starts and shows the startup menu, select the Start Windows normally option using the arrow keys & press the Enter key. Then reconnect all the peripherals.

Fix 2. Restore BIOS to Default Settings

If the system is configured to boot from a non-bootable disk, you can fix this error by restoring the BIOS to its default settings. Please follow the steps below.

Step 1. Press the Power button to turn on the computer, and then repeatedly press the F10/F2/F8 key (different computer has different hotkeys) to enter the BIOS setup menu.

Step 2. From the BIOS Setup screen, press F9 to select and load the BIOS Setup Default setting and press Enter.

Step 3. Once loaded, press F10 to save the changes and exit, then your computer will automatically reboot.

Fix 3. Fix Operating System

If your operating system files or folders are deleted, accidentally lost or corrupted, you may encounter the Boot Device Not Found error as well. You can follow the steps below to repair your operating system.

Step 1. Prepare a Windows installation disc, CD/DVD or USB flash drive and connect it to your computer.

Step 2. Launch Command Prompt during the installation process.

Step 3. For Windows 7 users, you can go to the System Recovery Options tab and click on the Startup Repair.

For Windows 8/10 users, click the Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Automatic Repair (for Windows 8) / Startup Repair (for Windows 10).

Fix 4. Rebuild MBR

MBR (Master Boot Record) may also cause the Boot Device Not Found error, you can fix it by rebuilding the MBR. Please follow the steps below.

Rebuild MBR in Windows 8/8.1/10

Step 1. Boot your computer from the installation media and select the language and other preferences in the Windows Setup page. Then, click Repair Your Computer and select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.

Step 2. In the command prompt window, execute the following commands in sequence. You need to press Enter after typing each command line.

bootrec /fixmbr

bootrec /fixboot

bootrec /scanos

bootrec /rebuildbcd

Rebuild MBR in Windows 7

If you are using Windows 7, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1. Boot the computer from the installation media. At the “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD…”, press any key to boot from the DVD. Then choose language and other preferences in the Windows Setup page.

Step 2. Select the operating system and click Next. The “Use recovery tools that can help fix problems starting Windows” must be checked when you select the operating system.

Step 3. In the System Recovery Options window, select Command Prompt.

Step 4. Execute the same commands mentioned in the “Rebuild MBR in Windows 8/8.1/10” section.

Prevent the Recurrence of Boot Device Not Found and the Consequences

Boot Device Not Found error can cause you don’t be able to use your computer properly and you may lose all your data or even need to reinstall your system. Therefore, to prevent the recurrence of this error and the consequences, it is recommended that you backup your system regularly to keep your data safe.

With that, even if any error occurs on your computer, you can use this system backup to restore it and then make the computer work normally as before. You can use the free backup and restore software AOMEI Backupper Standard to help you easily backup your system. It has the advantages as below.

• Schedule backup: It allows you to do the scheduled backup with fixed intervals, such as Daily, Weekly or Monthly. Then, it will automatically run the system backup task with the frequency you set.
• Incremental backup: It supports you running the scheduled backup with the incremental backup method for free. Since this method will only backup the changed parts, it can help you save much disk space.
• Multiple backup paths: You can backup your systems to many destination locations, such as local disk, external disk, HDD, SSD, USB drive, etc. Therefore, you can make many backups in different paths to safeguard the security of your system.
• Different computer brands and OS: It supports lots of computer brands, such as Dell, Samsung, Lenovo, Asus, etc. And it supports various OS, such as Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista, etc.

Then you can follow the graphic tutorial below to protect your system from boot failure.

Step 1. Download AOMEI Backupper Standard, install and open it. Then click Backup > System Backup.

Note:

To meet your different backup needs, this software also provides Disk Backup, Partition Backup and File Backup features. You can select them based on your own needs.

Step 2. The boot-related partitions will be selected automatically. And you need to select a destination for your system backup.

Step 3. Confirm all your operations and click Start Backup to backup your system.

Notes:

• Options: It allows you to choose different backup modes, compression levels or splitting ways. And you can write comments or set the email notifications for your system backup.
• Schedule: You can set the frequency of your system backup, such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event Trigger and USB plug-in. The last two are available in the Pro version.
• Scheme: It will help you to save disk space by deleting older backups. And you can choose different backup methods, such as Full Backup, Incremental Backup and Differential Backup. You can upgrade to the Pro version or higher versions to enjoy it.

Summary

If you receive the Boot Device Not Found error message, you can fix it by following the methods mentioned in the article. To avoid this error from happening again to cause data loss and boot failure, you can backup your system in advance.

Using the free and safe backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard, you can backup your system just with a few clicks. And it provides various backup functions to protect your system in all aspects. You can also choose the different backup methods and backup frequencies according to your needs.

Besides, as professional backup software, if you want to backup your disk, partition or files, it can certainly help you to achieve the goal. You can download this software to explore more useful features.