9 Ways to Fix Inaccessible Boot Device on Windows 10

Windows 10 users often encounter an error screen on their system that tells them that their PC has developed a problem and needs to be restarted. This error screen is generally known as the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).

One of the most common BSOD error is the Inaccessible Boot Device error with stop code 0x0000007b. This error usually occurs when your system startup after the Windows get updated. The Inaccessible Boot Device error message simply means that the Windows 10 operating system could not access the system partition during the startup process. It commonly occurs on SSD.

In the message, users would be asked to restart the device. Restarting the device could work, but it is only a temporary fix. If you receive this message, you need to find out the exact reason for it and try to work on its solution.

In this guide, we would discuss what causes and how to fix inaccessible boot device error in Windows 10.

What causes Inaccessible Boot Device?

As already mentioned, this error occurs because Windows fails to access the system partition. There could be a number of reasons that might restrict the Windows OS to access the partition. Here are the most common of those.

• Faulty installation of the Windows newest update
• Outdated drivers that are incompatible with the latest Windows update
• Corrupted or inaccurately configured drivers
• There might be a hardware conflict with the latest update of Windows.
• Either the whole hard drive might have corrupted, or the partition where Windows is installed might be corrupt.
• Another reason could be the malware infection. The malware might have corrupted the system files or drivers.
• Sometimes inaccessible boot device error can also appear because of loose cable connection of hard disk.

How to Fix Inaccessible Boot Device Error in Windows 10?

Now we will list out several solutions to inaccessible boot device error on Windows 10. It is not necessary to apply every solution to fix the issue. You can try every method until you get rid of the problem. 

Update the Drivers

Drivers are the main component for creating the link between system hardware and the Operating System. A corrupted, incompatible, or an outdated driver could cause significant issues on the Windows system, including the inaccessible boot device. Therefore, it becomes necessary to update the drivers for the proper functioning of the system. For updating the drivers, you can get the third-party driver updater software that would automatically detect and update the outdated or corrupt drivers. Or else you can do that manually, too, by following these steps.

Uninstall Recently Installed Update Packages

The most common reason for the inaccessible boot device error message is the faulty installation of the latest Windows updates. You can remove these incorrect updates that might fix the issue. The steps in this method would restart the device. Make sure that you have saved your unsaved work.

Open Command Prompt using Advanced Startup

1. Open the Windows Settings app and navigate to Update and Security -> Recovery.
2. Under Advanced startup, click on Restart now button.
3. Wait for a few moments a blue screen would appear. Don’t worry; it is not a BSOD. Now go to Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options.
4. Choose Command Prompt. The system would restart, and Command Prompt would be open.

Follow these instruction on the Command Prompt:

1. On the command line screen, type dir c: and hit the enter key. (Note: if the Windows is installed on any other partition, replace the letter c with that partition letter)
2. Now run the Dism /Image:c:\ /Get-Packages command that would display all the packages installed on your system.
3. Using the date field, identify the recently installed updates and carefully take note of their complete names.
4. To remove the package type dism.exe /image:c:\ /remove-package /[package name] command, where you have to replace the [package name] with the package name you have noted in the previous step.
5. Restart the device and check if the problem persists. If yes, follow the above steps to remove other packages and keep repeating this until the culprit updates package is found.

Remove “Update Pending” Packages

Because of the network issue or some other problems, some Windows updates can get forever stuck and remains pending. These unfinished updates could also result in inaccessible boot device error. So it is better to remove them permanently from the device.

1. By following the instructions explained in the previous method, open the Command Prompt using Advanced Startup.
2. On the command line window, run the following three commands. Press the Enter key after typing each of them.
   • reg load HKLM\temp c:\windows\system32\config\software
   • reg delete “HKLM\temp\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\SessionsPending”/v Exclusive
   • reg unload HKLM\temp 
3. Now, you have to move any pending updates into their own temporary file to delete them. Type dism /image:C:\ /get-packages to get the list of all the packages. Take note of packages having the “Install Pending” tag.
4. Now type MKDIR C:\temp\packages and press the Enter key to create a temporary file.
5. Finally, type dism /image:c:\ /remove-package /packagename:[package name] /scratchdir:c:\temp\packages and press Enter to move all pending packages into the temporary file. Replace [package name] with the one you noted down.

Run the SFC scan

SFC scan is a command-line tool that scans your system for any errors and glitches and automatic repair them. If you are still struggling with the fix inaccessible boot error, you can try the SFC scan. 

Here are the steps for that.

1. From the Windows search bar, search and launch the Command Prompt with the administrator rights.
2. Type this command and hit the Enter key: sfc/scannow.
3. The scanning would start, and it would take some time to complete depending on your system configuration.
4. After the scan, if it found any problem, the solution would be automatically applied.
5. Close the Command Prompt window and restart your system.

Run DISM

The next fix for the inaccessible boot device error in Windows 10 is running DISM on Command Prompt. Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) re-deploys the system image all over. During the re-deploying process, it fixes any system error on its way. So, it is possible that inaccessible boot device error can be solved using this.

1. Open Command Prompt with the admin rights.
2. Type the following command and press the enter key: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
3. The scan would take some time to finish.
4. After the scan is completed, restart the device.

Enable AHCI Mode in BIOS

The inaccessible boot device error could also be fixed by enabling the AHCI mode in BIOS.

1. Reboot your system, and while it is rebooting, press F2 or Del to enter the BIOS.
2. Go to the Advanced section and change the Set AHCI Mode to Enabled.
3. Save the changes and restart the PC. 

Check for the Corrupted Hard Disk

Some corrupted files can cause the hard disk problem and thereby causing the inaccessible boot device error. You can fix that by a single line command on Command Prompt. 

1. Open the Command Prompt with admin rights.
2. Type and run the following command: chkdsk /f /r
3. On prompt, type Y and hit the enter key.

Reset Windows to the earlier System Restore Point

Windows has a great feature in the form of the system restore point. In this, users are allowed to restore the system to the last restore point if the system is not working correctly. The restore points are automatically created by the OS whenever a new update or application is installed. Restoring Windows to the previous point would not affect your personal files and data. For resetting Windows, follow these steps:

1. Search for “rstrui” in the windows search bar and click on its icon to open it.
2. Click on Next to continue.
3. Choose the restore point where your system was working properly and click next.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to restore the system to your desired point.

Scan your System for Malware

A malware attack could also be the reason for the system failure and, thereby, Inaccessible Boot Device error. It might have entered in your system, corrupted many files, and disabled many functions. 

If your system is not equipped with an antimalware, it is recommended to get a robust security solution like MalwareFox and perform a full system scan.

Conclusion

These are the best solutions to the Inaccessible Boot Device error in the Windows 10 system. Even if you are not technically advanced, you can still easily apply these fixes by carefully following the instructions explained in this guide.

Peter Brown

Peter is an Electrical Engineer whose primary interest is tinkering with his computer. He is passionate about Windows 10 Platform and enjoys writing tips and tutorials about it.