I reinstalled Windows 11 on a Samsung 4TB NVMe drive after previously having problems with Secure Boot and inconsistent startup. The system worked normally for several months with Secure Boot disabled, but it eventually began stopping at a black screen that says "Windows is loading files..." and never makes any progress, even when left overnight.
This happens every time the computer tries to start normally. However, if I open the motherboard's Boot Menu and manually select the 4TB NVMe, Windows starts successfully every time. I also have two older drives connected that still contain bootable Windows installations, although I now use those drives mainly for storage. The computer seems to be trying to start from one of those older installations instead of the current NVMe.
Why would the normal boot order suddenly change, and could the older bootable drives be causing this? Is there a way to fix the startup configuration without replacing the 4TB drive?
1 Answer
The NVMe drive may not be the problem. Your system is probably finding the Windows boot files on one of the older drives first and trying to launch an outdated installation. That would explain the “Windows is loading files...” screen, while manually selecting the 4TB NVMe bypasses the incorrect boot entry.
Shut the computer down and temporarily disconnect the two older drives. Then check the firmware boot settings and make sure the Windows Boot Manager entry associated with the Samsung NVMe is first. If the system starts normally with the other drives disconnected, copy any important data from them and remove or recreate their old boot partitions before reconnecting them.
That makes sense. I kept those drives because they contain my older Windows 7, 10, and 11 installations, but I’ll disconnect them first and verify that the current NVMe boots on its own.