Intel NUC loses boot device after fresh Win 10 Install

PilotPlangy

Distinguished
Sep 16, 2011
58
0
18,660
Im pulling my hair out here please help!


Ive got a BOXNUC5i5RYH with two sticks of 4GB RAM (8GB total) and an Intel M.2 SSD (ssdsckjw120H6). Installing Win 10 Pro via USB goes without a hitch. After installing the initial windows files it reboots as normal. At this point I pull the USB stick out it boots off the SSD and continues to finalise the windows install. It makes it all the way through to desktop and starts running standard windows updates. It runs normally and I can install and use Chrome and anything else... THEN! as soon as it reboots to finalise windows updates it posts and says there is no boot device.. to be specific the boot device is there (detected in BIOS) but it cant boot from it. Error says the standard "Reboot and select proper boot device".

The puzzling part is it has already booted off the SSD right after I remove the USB stick.

I have done this 4 times now. 3 times on the M.2 SSD and once off a standard 2.5 sata SSD - still same results. Ive upadated BIOS to latest version.

Is windows sabotaging itself during windows update or is this NUC chosing an unusual way to die??

Oh and probably should have mentioned earlier, it has been running Win 10 in this harware configuration for 12 months plus already without a hitch. This started randomly when I turned it on one day and blue screened during windows load with error "critical_process_died"

Any ideas?

Thanks in advanced
 
Solution
I don't have a great answer yet but I'd start by verifying your DDR3/4 memory with MEMTEST86 (run a full pass) www.memtest86.com

Just create a USB stick, boot to it and monitor until you get a full PASS or until errors. If errors then test one stick at a time.
I don't have a great answer yet but I'd start by verifying your DDR3/4 memory with MEMTEST86 (run a full pass) www.memtest86.com

Just create a USB stick, boot to it and monitor until you get a full PASS or until errors. If errors then test one stick at a time.
 
Solution

PilotPlangy

Distinguished
Sep 16, 2011
58
0
18,660
I ran the memtest and passed with flying colours :/

But ive figured it out.. the version on windows i was installing was so old that when it updated itself it damaged its own master boot record. "Error:0xc000021a" check it out.

I downloaded the latest ISO version and now boots no problem every time :)

Thanks for your help Photonboy