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Everyone faces computer errors daily. Most of them are fixable, but all of them are annoying. “The System Cannot Find Any Bootable Devices” is a commonly seen Windows error that occurs while your system tries to boot up.
During this error, the computer fails to locate a bootable device, such as an internal hard drive or an external USB device, to load the operating system. In this article, we will discuss some causes of this error and how to fix it.
When Does “The System Cannot Find Any Bootable Devices” Occur?
When you press the power button to boot up your system, the System’s BIOS locates the bootable device of the system and then uses it to load up the operating system through the software inbuilt. If the BIOS fails to recognize a bootable device, “The System Cannot Find Any Bootable Devices” is the system error that appears on the screen.
Moreover, it is backed by a blank screen with a blinking command prompt showcasing the error. The error is quite frustrating for most users as they are unlikely to have physically removed their booting hardware from their system.
What Causes the Error “The System Cannot Find Any Bootable Devices” to appear?
The root cause of this error is self-explanatory in the error’s text. It appears when the system fails to boot due to an incompatibility between the BIOS and the bootable device. As a result, your computer won’t load up the operating system for you to use. Here are some reasons why this error appears on your screen:
1. Failed Hardware Component
The operating system is loaded inside hardware components such as the system’s internal hard drive or an external storage device. If this hardware component your system uses to boot up is compromised, this error is the first thing that appears. If the hardware fails, the BIOS will believe that there is no component connected at all, or at least not one that is bootable.
2. Malfunctioning of SATA/IDE cable
SATA and IDE cables are cables designed to connect the system’s motherboard with a storage device such as the system’s internal hard drive. Newer systems are usually equipped with SATA cables, while older ones come with IDE cables.
In either case, if these cables malfunction or get disconnected, communication will be lost between the two components they connect. As a result, the BIOS will be unable to locate a bootable device to load up the operating system.
3. Missing or Corrupt Boot Files
The storage device that contains boot files contains the operating system in the form of software files. If these files go missing or corrupt, the “The System Cannot Find Any Bootable Devices” error will be shown to the user. With corrupt files, the System’s BIOS fails to find compatibility with these files and fails to boot up the system.
4. The Incorrect Boot Order in BIOS/UEFI
The boot order of a system is the sequence at which the BIOS or UEFI of the System looks for bootable devices. If the priority is given to the system’s internal drive followed by the USB drive, the software will try to load up using the internal drive first, and if it doesn’t find an operating system to load up, it will then try to find it in the USB drive.
If none of the systems in the sequence contain an operating system, the system will return the error “The System Cannot Find Any Bootable Devices.”
5. Configuration Errors Caused by Software Change
Extreme changes to system software or an operating system update can sometimes confuse the BIOS. As a result, it may turn to a wrong drive to boot or fail to work in unison with the system for proper bootup. Boot Configuration Data (BCD) and Master Boot Record (MBR) are two settings that are usually hampered in these cases.
How to Fix: “The System Cannot Find Any Bootable Devices”
There are several ways to fix the error “The System Cannot Find Any Bootable Devices.” Here is how to do it:
1. Set the Correct Drive as the Boot Device
The first action to fix this error is to ensure that the correct drive containing the operating system has been set as the boot device in the System’s BIOS. Here is how to do it:
- Step 1: Restart the computer.
- Step 2: Press “Esc” as soon as the screen lights up to open the BIOS menu.
- Step 3: Toggle to the “Boot” tab in the menu by using the arrow keys. Doing so will open, showing you the boot order that has been set.
- Step 4: Move the correct drive to the top of the list using the “+” or “-” keys.
- Step 5: Once done, press F10 to save the changes made.
- Step 6: Restart the computer and see if the error was fixed.
2. Fix the boot information of your system
Booting information such as Boot Configuration Data (BCD) and Master Boot Record (MBR) can get compromised, causing the error to appear. To recalibrate, follow the steps below:
- Step 1: Open the Windows Installation Media using a USB drive or CD and use it as a source to boot up. You can do this by keeping the connected source as a priority on the BIOS.
- Step 2: Follow the instructions until you land on the “Repair your computer” option. Click on it.
- Step 3: Select “Troubleshoot” and go to Command Prompt.
- Step 4: Enter the following commands on Command Prompt consecutively:
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd
- Step 5: Exit Command Prompt, restart the computer and see if the error was fixed.
3. Set the Primary Partition to Active
The primary partition is the part of your system where the operating system is installed. It is ahead of the secondary partition. For some reason, it may get inactive, causing the “The System Cannot Find Any Bootable Devices” error to appear. To activate the primary partition, follow the steps below:
- Step 1: Open the Windows Installation Media using a USB drive or CD and use it as a source to boot up.
- Step 2: Step 2: Follow the instructions until you land on the “Repair your computer” option. Click on it.
- Step 3: Select “Troubleshoot” and go to Command Prompt.
- Step 4: Enter the following commands on Command Prompt consecutively:
diskpart
list disk
- Step 5: Type “select disk 0” and press Enter.
- Step 6: Type “list partition” and press Enter.
- Step 7: Type “select partition 1” and press Enter.
- Step 8: Type “active” and press Enter. It will activate your primary partition.
- Step 9: Exit Command Prompt, restart the computer and see if the error was fixed.
4. Check for Hardware Malfunction/damage
Checking for hardware malfunction or damage is tricky and may require an expert’s assistance, depending on the component at fault. If you use an external drive for booting, you can check it on another system. If you use an internal drive, a malfunction can be checked by opening the system and seeing if the SATA cables are correctly connected. A component is likely damaged if this doesn’t fix the error. To confirm, visit a local repair shop or your provider’s official service center and get the system checked.
Conclusion
Booting errors such as “The System Cannot Find Any Bootable Devices” can be pretty annoying as you completely lose access to your computer. As a result, you are forced to use a secondary device to even look for fixes to your problems. We discussed all the causes and fixes of this error in the article above. If the error persists, we recommend installing the OS again from scratch.
