Experience unexpected behavior after the latest setup.
Experience unexpected behavior after the latest setup.
I damaged my PC yesterday. I attempt this once a year because my system gets cluttered. I backed up all crucial files, cleaned up storage, and reinstalled Windows on a new drive. When setting up Windows, I made a different choice recently. Recently, I lost my laptop but managed to save my M.2 drive. Since it’s only 256GB, I thought it would fit well on a C drive. I currently have two 500GB SSDs plus a 1TB HDD, which I’ve upgraded gradually over time. The installation proceeded without issues at first. Then, after restarting, the PC entered recovery mode and wouldn’t respond. I tried selecting options, but the screen stayed blank. After pressing the restart button, it booted back onto the stick. In recovery mode, I could simply restart the PC and continue to Windows without trouble. After updating drivers and restarting again, the recovery screen appeared once more. I checked the BIOS and attempted to boot from the correct drive, but it kept looping back. Eventually, I figured out a workaround: manually boot from the drive Windows was on before. That resolved the issue smoothly. If you need further clarification, let me know.
It seems your C drive might be behaving oddly. That old laptop probably had some modifications from the maker. If you're starting fresh, try booting from the USB stick, reformatting the M.2 slot to a basic setup, and checking with dispart for any hidden partitions. Then reinstall Windows and see if it boots normally.