I'm trying to get my PC to boot from a new M.2 drive where I've installed Windows 11, but it keeps booting from my old SSD instead. I've read that having an EFI boot partition is essential for this, but my M.2 drive doesn't have one. Can I create this partition using the Windows installation key? What steps should I take since my computer only boots when the old SSD is plugged in?
3 Answers
A better approach might be to run `bootrec /rebuildbcd` from the command prompt in the Windows installation media. Just make sure to disconnect your old SSD while doing this, since the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) tends to write to the first drive it detects.
First, you can check your BIOS settings to see if you can select which drive to boot from. You might need to set your M.2 drive as the primary boot device if it doesn't already show up as an option.
Creating an EFI System Partition (ESP) on your M.2 drive is definitely possible, but it can get complex. One option is to disconnect the old SSD and just do a clean install of Windows on your M.2. If you're hesitant about that, check to see if your M.2 is formatted as GPT. Use `diskpart`, run `list disk`, and see if there's a star in the GPT column. If it's not formatted that way, it may cause issues.
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