Two Windows instances failing together suggests a shared issue. Check connections and configurations.
Two Windows instances failing together suggests a shared issue. Check connections and configurations.
Hey, I’ve got a pretty weird issue here. About a month ago I did a fresh setup of Windows, just like every few months. But something went wrong. When I first booted up, I used the 60GB Kingston SSD as the boot drive. About two years back I switched to a 512GB Samsung SSD and from then on used the Samsung as the boot drive while the Kingston stayed for extra speed. After a Windows update, I accidentally installed Windows on the 60GB Kingston. When I realized I thought “no problem, just format the drive when the Samsung is done,” I tried it. After installing Windows on the Samsung, I tested both drives with the other one unplugged—it worked fine. But then I found out that the old Kingston only booted when plugged in, not the other way around. I checked a bit and saw the Kingston needed to be connected to boot the Samsung, but once Windows started, I could disconnect the Kingston and still run the Samsung. When both drives were plugged in during boot, I got an error saying I had to pick OS from the selection screen (it’s just German, nothing to worry about). I know I could wipe everything, but I’m not sure if I should do that right now. I also want to figure out how to prevent this in the future. Anyone have experience with this?
When using the MBR boot mode (also known as CSM ON or Legacy Boot Mode), Windows can install the bootloader on a different drive than the actual operating system. In your scenario, this means it might reuse an existing bootloader from another drive instead of creating a new one. This practice originated when storage drives were costly and dual-booting was common—Microsoft designed Windows to detect and use bootloaders from other drives. However, with more drives becoming standard, Windows now often relies on the bootloader from a completely different drive. If the non-Windows drive is removed, Windows may fail to boot. For modern setups, especially those using UEFI, it's advisable to disconnect the non-Windows drive entirely, adjust BIOS settings, and perform a clean installation to switch to GPT format, which resolves the issue and improves boot speed. MBR is largely outdated on today’s systems.
Thanks for your response. It seems a clean installation might be the way forward. Regarding MBR and GPT, I recall the issue: when I tried installing Windows from the boot disk, it kept saying the drive was GPT and needed an MBR. After formatting the drive and instructing to use GPT, I contacted support who mentioned both drives were damaged overnight and couldn't assist further. I managed to get it working after some adjustments, but now I'm considering a full wipe of both drives in hopes it resolves the problem.
Theres no need to wipe both, here's how to solve your problem... 1) Unplug all drives you DON'T want Windows installed on, have only one drive connected 2) Boot into your BIOS and disable CSM 3) Boot your Windows installer 4) Run through setup to the partition screen then stop 5) Press Shift & F10 6) Type diskpart and hit enter 7) Type select disk 0 and hit enter 8 Type clean and hit enter 9) Type convert gpt and hit enter 10) Type exit and hit enter 11) Close the command prompt window 12) On the partition screen click next, do not partition the drive yourself, Windows will do it automatically When install is finished you can reconnect all your other drives.