Hard drive won't boot on one specific computer

LDL707 · 05 Oct 2015

I have a Toshiba Satellite S55-A5294 laptop computer. It is running Windows 10. I had the drive encrypted using Jetico's BestCrypt full disk encryption.

Several weeks ago, I was using Windows, put the computer to sleep, and when I came back an hour later and woke it up, I got the "Preparing Automatic Repair" screen. This was followed by a message that automatic repair was unsuccessful. This problem has happened in the past. In the past, it was the result of a Windows update overwriting the BestCrypt bootloader (BestCrypt encrypts the system partition, so it has to have its own pre-environment password prompt, which can then pass to the mounted system). However, this time it wasn't the case.

As it turned out, I had a corrupted volume. With the excellent help of Jetico's technical support, I was able to recover my data. I pulled the hard drive out of the Toshiba computer, put it in a USB enclosure, and connected it to a Lenovo Thinkpad E530, also running Windows 10. In this configuration, I was able to decrypt the drive, and access my data.

I restarted my Lenovo and forgot to disconnect the Toshiba's hard drive. The Lenovo booted right up, into the Toshiba's desktop. I backed up my data, and, for good measure, made a disk image of the whole thing.

I pulled the drive out of the enclosure, and reconnected it to the Toshiba, from which it originally came. When I turn it on, however, I get a BSOD informing me that I have an error: INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE, and the computer then automatically restarts. Upon restart, I receive either the same thing, or a "Preparing Automatic Repair" screen, which then tells me that my computer failed to boot, and suggests a restart. There is also the option for advanced troubleshooting. If I restart, I get locked into the same loop.

I am still able, however, to pull the drive out of that computer, and boot it up when it's attached to my other computer.

I tried connecting the drive to the Toshiba (the original computer from which it came) via the USB enclosure, and I still get the same errors. The Toshiba is able, however, to boot a Linux Live USB.

I know that the drive is bootable. And I know that the Toshiba is willing to boot. They just won't play together.

I ran chkdsk on the system volume, and found no errors. I tried using the Repair option on a Windows 10 installation USB, and didn't really get anywhere.

I can come up with no explanation for why the same disk would be bootable on one computer, and not bootable on the other.

Please help

SoxmisUK · 06 Oct 2015

I would try clearing the ESCD table in the BIOS of the Toshiba you may find it in the BIOS SETUP.

Then it wouldn't harm to clear your BIOS.

Antilope · 06 Oct 2015

Try using a Linux partition manager to delete any partial or scrambled partitions on the hard drive in question.

I would try putting Linux (Ubuntu or Linux Mint, both are free) on a bootable USB drive (an 8gb USB stick will work). Download a Linux .ISO, use Rufus to make a bootable USB stick from the .ISO. Boot up linux from the USB drive and run the Gparted partition manager program that comes with linux. Use that program to delete all partitions on the stubborn hard drive.

Then use Windows to partition and format the drive.

The idea is, if there is some kind of partition fragment or some scrambled partition that Windows can't fix, maybe the Linux partition manager can delete them and allow it to be fixed. It doesn't cost anything to try.

Ubuntu and Linux Mint look and operate like Windows. Point and click with a mouse. You don't have to type any commands into a command window to run the partition manager in Linux.