INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE: Causes, Fixes, and Solutions.
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE
The INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE error is a Windows blue screen (BSOD) that appears when Windows loses access to the drive or system partition required to start the operating system. It may occur after hardware, storage-driver, BIOS/UEFI, disk, or system changes.
If you’d like to know more, you can search online later for this error: INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE
Stop Code: 0x0000007B
Platform
Windows 10/11
Difficulty
Intermediate Level
What does this Error mean?
The INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE error means Windows cannot access the system partition during startup. Because Windows needs this partition to load the operating system, startup stops and displays a blue screen.
Common Causes
-> Storage drive or storage hardware failure
-> Incompatible or malfunctioning storage drivers
-> File system or boot-drive corruption
-> Recent hard drive or disk-controller changes
-> BIOS/UEFI configuration changes
-> Changes to the system partition
Microsoft specifically identifies boot-device failure, file-system initialization problems, BIOS configuration changes, repartitioning, disk-controller changes, incompatible hardware, and failed storage hardware as possible causes.
Quick Fixes
✓ Remove recently added storage hardware — Disconnect a newly installed drive or storage controller and restart the PC. Microsoft specifically recommends reverting recent hardware changes when this stop code prevents Windows from booting.
✓ Run Startup Repair — Enter Windows Recovery Environment and select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Repair. Windows will attempt to diagnose and repair common startup problems.
✓ Undo a recent update or system change — Windows RE includes Uninstall Updates and System Restore, which can be useful when the problem began immediately after a system change.
✓ Check the drive for errors — From the Windows Recovery Environment Command Prompt, CHKDSK can check and repair file-system errors. Microsoft documents /f for fixing disk errors and /r for locating bad sectors and recovering readable information.
Important
If the error started after changing storage settings in BIOS/UEFI, don’t randomly switch SATA/AHCI/RAID modes. An incorrect storage-controller configuration can itself prevent Windows from accessing the boot device..