6 Ways to Overcome Operating System Not Found

 You must be surprised when you get the “Operating system not found” error. Here's how to fix this unusual problem!

Of all the errors, glitches and problems that you may encounter when using Windows 10, only a few cause fear and one of them is "Operating system not found".

Let's see how to fix the Operating system not found error on Windows 10.

1. Check BIOS

Check BIOS

You need to check two things in the BIOS. First, you need to make sure your machine recognizes your hard drive. Second, you need to make sure the drive where you installed Windows is listed as the preferred boot drive.

The way to enter the BIOS changes according to the manufacturer. Usually, you'll need to press Escape, Delete, or one of the Function keys. You will see a message on the screen telling you which is the correct key to enter the boot process.

The BIOS menu itself also varies between devices. Broadly speaking, you need to find the Boot tab at the top of the screen. (you can only use the keyboard to navigate the BIOS menu.)

Under the Boot tab, highlight Hard Drive and press Enter. Make sure the Hard Drive is listed under USB Storage, CD\DVD\BD-ROM, Removable Devices, and Network Boot. You can adjust the order using the + and – buttons.

If everything in your BIOS menus seems fine, skip to step three. If you don't see the hard drive listed, go to step two.

2. Reset BIOS

BIOS reset

If your machine doesn't recognize your hard drive, there are many possible causes. For non-tech savvy users, the only easy solution is to try resetting the entire BIOS menu to its defaults.

At the bottom of the BIOS menu, you will see a button for Setup Defaults or Reset BIOS. On admin's computer, there is F9, but maybe it's different on your computer. Confirm your decision when prompted and restart your machine.

If the operating system is still not found, you can stop reading this article. Unless you know a lot about assembling computers, you should take your machine to a computer repair shop.

3. Repair Boot Records

Windows relies on three records to boot your machine. They are the Master Boot Record (MBR), DOS Boot Record (DBR), and Boot Configuration Database (BCD).

If any of these three records are corrupted, there is a high probability that you will encounter an "Operating system not found" message.

Fortunately, repairing these records is not as complicated as you might think. You just need to have a Windows installation drive. Use Microsoft's Media Creation Tool to create Windows 10 installation media.

When your tools are ready, you need to use them to boot your machine. Depending on your device, you may only need to press one key during the boot process, or you may have to change the boot order in the BIOS menu.

But in the end, you will see the Windows Settings screen. Enter your preferred language, keyboard, and time format, and click Next. On the next screen, select Repair your computer.

Next, navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt. When the Command Prompt loads, type the following three commands. Press Enter after each:

* bootrec.exe /fixmbr

* bootrec.exe /fixboot

* bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd

Each command may take several minutes to complete. After all the processes are complete, restart your PC and see if it boots successfully.

4. Enable Or Disable UEFI Secure Boot

Enable Or Disable UEFI Secure Boot

Almost every Windows machine ships with UEFI firmware and Secure Boot enabled. However, in some cases, it may not work. For example, if Windows is installed on a GUID Partition Table, it can only boot in UEFI mode. Conversely, if Windows 10 is running on an MBR disk, it cannot boot in UEFI mode.

That said, it's a good idea to enable or disable UEFI Secure Boot and see if it makes a difference. You make adjustments in the BIOS menu. Usually, this option is called Secure Boot and can be found under the Authentication or Security tab.

5. Activate Windows Partition

Activate Windows Partition

It is possible that the partition where Windows is installed has been disabled. You can fix it using Windows native diskpart tool. In order to perform the following steps, you will again need a USB Windows installation media.

Turn on your machine and boot from tools. Like in the third step, you have to enter your language preferences, etc., click Next, select Repair your computer, and go to troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.

In Command Prompt, type diskpart and press Enter, then type list disk and press Enter. You will see a list of all the disks attached to your machine. Write down the disk number you need. Usually, it's the biggest.

Next, type select disk [number] , replace [number] with that number. Press Enter .

Now type list volume and hit Enter . This will show you all the partitions on the disk you selected. Determine which partition Windows is installed on and note the number, then type select volume [number] , again replacing [number] with the number you just noted.

Finally, type active and press Enter. To see if the process was successful, restart your machine.

6. Use Easy Recovery Essentials

Use Easy Recovery Essentials

Easy Recovery Essentials is a third-party application that specializes in fixing boot problems. If none of the previous five steps work, it's worth trying.

In addition to fixing the “Operating system not found” message, this action can also resolve other common startup error messages.

Simply download the application, burn the ISO to a CD, and use the CD to boot your machine. The application wizard guides you through the repair process.

Conclusion

So those are some ways that will help you fix the Operating system not found error on Windows 10. Hopefully, of these methods, there is one that can fix it on your computer.