I recently updated my Windows to version 24H2, but due to some performance issues, I tried rolling back and uninstalling the updates. Unfortunately, it got stuck on a black screen with just the cursor visible, so I had to force shut it down. Now, my laptop won't turn on, and I'm getting an error saying that winload.efi is missing. I've read a lot of articles and tried various tutorials, but it appears my disk volumes aren't being detected at all; I can only see my bootable USB drive, and commands like bcdedit and listing volumes aren't working as a result. It feels like my laptop is completely blank aside from the USB drive. How can I resolve this? If I have to install Windows from scratch, will that delete all my files across different partitions on my SSD or just the C drive?
2 Answers
Your SSD might have failed during the upgrade, and if that’s the case, it may not be recognized at all. Try connecting the SSD to another computer to see if it's detectable and if you can access your files. If you can see them, definitely back things up before doing anything else! If it’s not detected, then it might be dead, and you’ll need professional data recovery, which can be pricey.
First off, make sure you have backups of your important data! You could try using Hiren's Boot CD to access your files before going for a clean install. That way, you can save what you need before risking any data loss during the reinstallation process.
Thanks for the insight! I also have an HDD connected, but I can't see that either. Shouldn't it appear somewhere, or is it normal when Windows is installed on the SSD? It just has me worried that both drives aren't showing up in diskpart.