How to Fix Inaccessible Boot Device Error In Windows 11

We all know about the Blue Screen of Death and have faced this issue one or multiple times. Many things can cause the BSOD or Blue Screen of Death and the cause is always shown by a ‘Stop code’. One of them is the ‘INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE’ Stop code with the ‘0x0000007b’ error code.

Sometimes, while booting up, Windows can fail to access the partition of memory that has the system files in it. This causes the ‘INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE’ BSOD and prevents your computer from booting up. If you have recently experienced this issue on your Windows 11 computer then follow this guide to know about multiple ways to fix this issue in no time.

What causes the ‘INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE’ BSOD?

It can be hard to pinpoint what is the definitive cause behind this issue but some common factors that are known to trigger this particular BSOD are as follows:

• Damaged or disconnected HDD or SSD.
• Corrupted or broken system file.
• The conflict between drivers.
• Outdated graphics/SATA drivers.

Now that we know what might be causing this issue on your computer, let’s move on to the methods that you can use to eliminate this issue.

Perform A Safe Boot

To perform a Safe boot, you can use the ‘System Configuration’ app on your Windows 11 PC. To open the app, first press Windows+r on your keyboard to launch the Run Window. Once the Run window comes up, type ‘msconfig’ inside the command line and then press Enter.

After the ‘System Configuration’ window opens up, switch over to the Boot tab by clicking on ‘Boot’ next to ‘General’.

From here, you can turn on the Safe Mode by checking the ‘Safe boot’ option below ‘Advanced options’ and then clicking on ‘OK’. Make sure that under the Safe boot options, ‘Minimal’ is selected.

Now you will receive a dialog box. Here, click on ‘Restart’ and your PC will be booted into the Safe Mode.

Run SFC Scan

To run a System File Checker or SFC scan you have to use the Command Prompt tool in Administrator Mode. To do that, type ‘Command Prompt’ in the Start Menu search and then select ‘Run as administrator’ from the right panel.

On the Command Prompt window, to start the scan, type the following command inside the command line and then press Enter.

sfc /scannow

After the scan starts, give it 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your hardware, to complete and it will automatically detect & repair any corrupt or broken files present in your system. After the scan is complete, you should not receive the “Inaccessible Boot Device Error” anymore.

Run a DISM Scan

The Deployment Image Servicing and Management or DISM scan is a command-line tool similar to the SFC scan. If the SFC scan does not fix your issue or you want to be extra cautious, you can execute this command in a similar fashion to the SFC scan.

Start by opening the Command Prompt window in administrator mode by searching for it in the Windows search and then clicking on ‘Run as administrator’.

After the Command Prompt window opens, copy & paste the following command inside the command line and then press Enter.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

After you press Enter, the scan will start. Let the scan finish and it will fix the “Inaccessible Boot Device Error”.

Reinstall GPU Driver

The Device Manager application can be used to easily reinstall the graphics driver installed on your computer. First, type ‘Device Manager’ in the Start Menu search and then select the app from the search results.

On the Device Manager window, click on the arrow before ‘Display adapters’ to expand the menu.

After that, right-click on the installed graphics driver and then select ‘Uninstall device’.

Now, a dialog box will appear called ‘Uninstall Device’. From there, click on ‘Uninstall’ and the driver will be removed from your computer.

After uninstalling the driver, simply restart your computer. Once your computer boots up, Windows will automatically reinstall the driver and the problem will be fixed.

Check System Drive for Corrupt Files

If you are experiencing the ‘Inaccessible Boot Device Error’ then you should perform a scan on the drive where you have Windows installed using the ‘chkdsk’ command. First, open up the Command Prompt in Administrator Mode by searching for it in the Start Menu search and then selecting ‘Run as administrator’.

Once the Command Prompt window opens up, copy & paste the following command inside the command line and press Enter.

chkdsk /r C:

After you press Enter, it will ask you to schedule the disk checking for the next restart as it cannot be executed will your computer is still running. Simply type ‘Y’ and press Enter and the process will be scheduled.

Now, all that is left to do is to restart your computer and the error will be fixed.

Reset your Windows 11 Computer

To reset your computer, open up the Settings menu by pressing Windows+i on your keyboard. On the Settings window, click on ‘Windows Update’ from the left panel and then click on ‘Advance options’ from the right panel.

After that, click on ‘Recovery’.

Now, click on the ‘Reset PC’ button located under the Recovery options section.

After that, from the ‘Reset this PC’ window, click on ‘Keep my files’.

After that, click on ‘Local reinstall’.

Now, click on ‘Next’.

Lastly, click on ‘Reset’ and your PC will restart to begin the resetting process.

Disconnect attached External Drives

If you are having the ‘Inaccessible Boot Device’ error on your computer and you have an external hard drive or solid-state drive attached to your computer then it might be the cause of this issue. If any sort of memory device is connected to your computer while it boots up, this kind of issue can occur.

If this is the case for you then first restart your computer by going to the Power Options in the Start Menu and then selecting restart. Now before your computer boots up, disconnect any kind of external memory device and you will not receive the ‘Inaccessible Boot Device’ error.

Inspect Your Boot Drive connection

Another thing you should look for is that your boot drive or the Hard Drive or SSD that has Windows installed is properly connected to the motherboard. If it is a Hard Drive Solid State Drive then check if the SATA cables are properly connected or not.

If you have an NVME Solid State Drive then check if it is properly attached to the correct PCIe slot on your motherboard. If the connection is somehow being interrupted then windows will fail to access the Boot Drive and you will receive the Blue Screen of Death Error.

Update SATA Adapters

To update the SATA adapters you have to use the Device Manager application. First, press Windows+r on your keyboard to open up the Run window. Now, on the Run window, type ‘devmgmt.msc’ inside the command line and then press Enter.

After that, on the Device Manager window, click on the arrow before ‘IDE ATA/ ATAPI Controller’.

Now, from the expanded menu, right-click on ‘Standard SATA AHCI Controller’ and then select ‘Update driver’.

A new window will come up. From there, click on ‘Search automatically for drivers’. If there is a driver update available, it will be downloaded and installed. Afterward, just restart your computer and the problem will be fixed.

Choose the Proper Boot Device from BIOS

If you are facing this issue then you should check if the proper boot device is selected in the BIOS of your motherboard. To do that, first, restart your computer by going to the Power Options in the Start menu and then selecting ‘Restart’.

After that, once your computer begins to boot, keep pressing the BIOS key, which is generally DEL until you load into the BIOS menu.

Now, switch over to the ‘Advanced Mode’ by pressing F2 on your keyboard.

To check if the proper boot device is selected, first click on ‘Boot’ to switch to the boot settings tab.

After that, click on ‘Boot Option #1’

Now, make sure that the memory device that has Windows 11 installed is selected.

Then, click on ‘Save & Exit’.

After that click ok ‘Save & Exit Setup’ to save the changes you have made and your PC will be restarted.