IRST Issue
IRST Issue
Hello, the issue is that my PC has a 1tb and a 2tb M.2 drive, with Windows installed on the 1tb. In BIOS the 1tb appears normal, but the 2tb shows as 2.1GB when IRST is off. With IRST enabled it displays 2048GB in BIOS but crashes during boot and shows an inaccessible_boot_device error. I can’t boot normally even with both drives recognized, though recovery media like HirensBCD works fine. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I purchased the 2tb device last weekend and have never turned Windows on it. It hasn’t even started working yet, so it remains a brand new drive.
It seems unusual. Have you attempted a fix using the Media creation tool? Make a bootable USB, start it, and select the repair option. Let it handle the process.
That’s one of the initial attempts I made. I launched the Windows recovery mode, chose Startup Repair, and it reported that it can’t fix my PC. There are no system restore points available since I just installed the operating system on my 1tb drive. As mentioned earlier, using bootable recovery media like HirensBCD or Spotmau shows both drives as correct in the Disk Management as long as IRST is turned on. However, whenever I try to boot normally, my PC crashes with that error code. And as usual, when it’s disabled, it boots up without any issues 🙃
Did both drives remain connected during the Windows reinstallation? Do you have a lot of data on either drive? If not, I might try reinstalling with only the 1TB drive connected first, then add the other drive afterward. You might have already attempted that.
I haven’t attempted that before. What would that change? (I’m not trying to sound sarcastic, just wondering how it would function since I’m not very familiar with PCs) So disconnect the faulty 2tb drive, then reinstall Windows and then install the 2tb afterward?
Yes. Precisely.
So, normally I owuldn't expect the issue you're having, unless Windows was installed on the new drive, whilct the original was still in the system. This messes up the MBR (Master boot record). Sometimes rebuilding the MBR can fix that. Often the easiest solution is to disconnec one drive, do a fresh OS install. Boot up/shut down, and then add the second drive in.
This is not your problem, but I'm just wondering if it might help. COuld be a bit of bios craziness going on. As a matter of interest have you updated the bios during this process?
Try this and see if it helps:
1. Repair MBR in Windows 10/8/8.1
Step 1.
Boot from the recovery USB or the original installation DVD.
Step 2.
Move to the install screen, and click Repair your computer.
Step 3.
On the Choose an option screen, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt
Step 4.
Input the command lines and press Enter each time:
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd
Step 5.
Remove the DVD/USB from your PC.
Step 6.
Input exit and restart your PC.
So I just attempted the steps you mentioned.
Bootrec /Fixmbr completed without issues
Bootrec /fixboot access still denied
Bootrec /scanos found no installed windows
Total identified windows instillations: 0
Bootrec /rebuildbcd also found no installed windows
I plan to try the alternative method you suggested—removing the 2tb and performing a fresh installation. Do you have any other suggestions from those results?
So I attempted a new Windows installation and found that no drives appear available unless IRST is turned off. Still, I wonder if installing Windows with IRST disabled during the initial setup will cause the same issue of it displaying as 2.1gb instead of the correct size.