Unplugged sata, now getting "reboot and insert bootable media then press key" error

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U

Unseen Crime

Honorable
Jul 20, 2013
3
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10,510
So here's the deal: I have a custom rig i built myself. Its an Asus P7P55D Mobo, I7-870k, liquid cooled pc with 7tb of storage and 2 optical drives. The pc was a tad dirty, so i unplugged most of my sata hardware, cleaned it out, and reconnected everything. When i tried to boot, the unit posted as normal, but then gave a "missing operating system" error. I then changed the sata connection pattern, but now it gives the "reboot and insert bootable media then press a key" error.
The BIOS posts, and I can see all my equipment therein. Additionally, the boot order seems to try to "correct" itself to reflect the order of drives rather than the order I set. After correcting the boot order, the same error "reboot, insert, press key blah blah blah" pops every time. The ssd has win 7 ultimate on it, so i know its good to go. Nothing has been changed except the physical location of where each device is connected. I've tried removing all unnecessary hardware, booting just with the ssd, and i get the same stupid "reboot, insert, press key" error. I've also tried connecting the various components in every pattern i can think of. I'm losing it here...someone with massive experience, please help me. I'm a pc repair tech, so this is far from my first custom rig. I dont understand why this popped up out of nowhere, and i'm running out of ideas. I don't want to reinstall windows. There's no reason why I should have to, and suggesting so just indicates a lack of true awareness as to the nature of the problem. Is there anyone out there who can help me?

EDIT: Additional info: So i just tried to do a windows disc repair and my operating system doesn't even show up. wtf?????
 
Solution
DarkSable
Sounds like either 1) The ssd was previously plugged into Intel's sata 3 controller and got moved to a 3rd party controller's port, or vice versa. Usually you have two SATA 3 ports that are connected to the Intel chip, and the rest are routed to a controller chip first. If that got messed up, it might screw with you, but that's doubtful.

The other thing is that the sata controller might be borked. That would be a worst case scenario, but SATA and USB are the most likely things to fail, in my experience, and if the computer had a lot of dust buildup before, well...

Try stripping the system to the absolute barebones. Take out all but one stick of ram, remove the graphics cards, and have only the SSD connected. Try booting / reinstalling...
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DarkSable

DarkSable

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Sep 27, 2012
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Sounds like either 1) The ssd was previously plugged into Intel's sata 3 controller and got moved to a 3rd party controller's port, or vice versa. Usually you have two SATA 3 ports that are connected to the Intel chip, and the rest are routed to a controller chip first. If that got messed up, it might screw with you, but that's doubtful.

The other thing is that the sata controller might be borked. That would be a worst case scenario, but SATA and USB are the most likely things to fail, in my experience, and if the computer had a lot of dust buildup before, well...

Try stripping the system to the absolute barebones. Take out all but one stick of ram, remove the graphics cards, and have only the SSD connected. Try booting / reinstalling windows, then try it again, taking out that stick of ram and swapping it for each other one you have.
 
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Solution
U

Unseen Crime

Honorable
Jul 20, 2013
3
0
10,510
Thank you, Dark Sable, for such a prompt and thoughtful reply. You were, in a sense, correct. I had placed the SSD on the wrong controller, AND the sata control type had somehow changed (possibly in my vain attempts at repair at 4am, NEVER AGAIN, Lol). After I changed the port, the ssd popped up correctly in the device sequence, and that led me to check the settings one at a time. Somehow, I had changed it to IDE, probably out of desperation. Having reverted to AHCI, the pc boots perfectly, and all is well. Seriously thought I had just lost literally weeks of work (thats how long it took me to install/update everything and make it work harmoniously). Thanks again. You gave the most informed answer out of roughly 30 posts that read similar to mine.
 
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