Removeable storage drive for Windows 10
Removeable storage drive for Windows 10
If there are choices available, I could transfer the drive to another PC and boot from it.
It seems your drive is failing or missing important Windows files. You can try using a Windows 10 installation media and boot from it. When you reach the welcome screen, choose the option to "Repair your Computer" instead of installing immediately. This will open troubleshooting tools.
Right now I don’t have a dedicated test machine. I might connect it through USB and see how it performs.
Now it's not worth your effort trying to fix this issue. The simplest solution is to format the drive and reinstall Windows. Don't stress over the license; if your friend still has his key, they can re-enter it and it should activate as long as it's the same system. Before formatting, connect the drive to another device using a SATA or SATA to USB adapter to extract the data. You don't need to shut it down on another system—just treat it like an external or secondary drive.