Inaccessible Boot Device: Common Causes

The inaccessible boot device message represents a blue screen error that has been known to wreak havoc on Windows computers. This particular error has several causes; however, it is typically associated with hardware upgrades and operating system reinstallations. Other common culprits include:

- A boot sector infection caused by a virus.
- Corruption in the Windows registry.
- Corrupted sectors on the hard drive.
- A failed motherboard upgrade.
- Faulty or improperly connected hard drive cable.
- A power surge or outage.
- Physical damage to the hard disk drive.

How to Stop Inaccessible Boot Device Error

Many recommend that you perform a reinstallation of Windows when encountering an inaccessible boot device error. This resolution usually works but there is one big problem: it will erase all of your data.

You should only proceed with this step when you are absolutely sure that you can do without the information contained on the drive. If you perform regular backups of your data, this shouldn’t be a problem. However, you should know that there is always a risk that your data will not be recovered after a drive is either reformatted or receives a fresh Windows installation.

When the Hard Drive Fails

If you suspect that the inaccessible boot device blue screen error is due to a hard drive failure, the most important thing you should know is that there is no need to panic. Even if this is the case, there is still a good chance that the data on the hard drive can be recovered. The first step to troubleshooting this is making sure your hard drive cables are properly connected. After doing so, you can try one of the following methods.

Disconnect the hard drive, reconnect it and try booting the machine again. If you are still presented with the inaccessible boot device error and you have another PC on the network, disconnect your hard drive from the affected machine, and then install it as the slave drive on another computer.

After booting up the alternate PC and reaching the Windows desktop, you should then be able to determine whether the hard drive is working. If it is, the drive should be detected as the drive letter “D” (i.e., if the master drive is “C”).

If it is not detected, it is very likely that your hard drive has failed. If you reach this point, I’m afraid your next course of action should be to utilize a software solution to try to recover your data, seek the aid of a professional technician or install a new hard drive altogether.

Oftentimes, through no fault of either party, our customer service representatives encounter unintended obstacles when attempting to detail exactly why a customer’s computer has ceased to properly function. One of the more frequent problems encountered by our clients is the infamous “Blue Screen of Death,” or BSOD. The “Blue Screen of Death” is an ominously nondescript blue screen alerting the user that, for any number of reasons, the computer must shut down to prevent further damage. This screen is accompanied by text, of which much is unintelligible to all but the most tech savvy.

As calls come into our office, our phone reps attempt to detail the specific problem as best they can, but their understanding of what lies at the heart of the issue goes only so far as the end user is able to articulate it. No blame can be attributed to the client, for even some of the most accomplished technicians find themselves at an immediate loss for what’s ailing a system stricken by BSOD, their answers coming after the issue has been researched.

BlueScreenView is an informative utility that operates as a interpreter of sorts, taking what many find to be incomprehensible and processing  that information in a manner that makes it a bit easier to digest. The necessity of a utility like BlueScreenView becomes obvious when observing how little time you have before the “Blue Screen of Death” proceeds with a system reboot.

With BlueScreenView, the user can access BSOD dump file, filtering that information through a report that’s just a bit easier to understand. When launching the application, it will scan for the minidump files generated by the system crash, which are usually located in C:windowsminidump. Taking that data, it displays it in a window, with the dump file listed above and those drivers associated with the crash sorted below.

You can read even more information about the driver’s role in the crash by double-clicking on each one. Or, you can simply decide to parse the selections down to just those drivers that were directly implicated in the system crash.

It bears mentioning that this is merely the precursor to any troubleshooting that is to take place on the stricken computer. BlueScreenView translates the garbled messages from the BSOD and creates a clearer account of just what precipitated the system crash. While this utility will not solve the conflict, it will grant the user a better understanding of where the focus should be.

For those users who are interested in calling Geek Choice, this might prove handy, particularly when relating the details of what you’ve experienced to the phone representative that takes your call.

You can download BlueScreenView here.

If your system experiences a sudden crash, or if you have a question about an unrelated matter, Geek Choice is here to help.