This post features solutions to fix An operating system wasn’t found error in Windows 11/10. This error prevents your Windows device from booting up properly, leaving users searching for solutions to restore their operating system’s functionality.
An operating system was not found. Try disconnecting any drives that don’t contain an operating system. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart.
Fix An operating system wasn’t found error in Windows 11/10
Follow these steps to fix An operating system wasn’t found error on your Windows computer:
1] Access Command Prompt using Bootable USB
To start, you’ll need to create a Windows 11/10 bootable media. Here’s how you can create a bootable flash drive. Now, boot your device using the installation media and press Shift + F10 on the Windows Setup Screen to open Command Prompt.
2] Check if the Disk Type is GPT or MBR
Once the Command Prompt opens, type the following commands one by one:
diskpart
list disk
Look for your disk and see if there’s an asterisk (*) beside GPT. If it’s not present, it’s MBR.
Next, type exit to close diskpart.
3] If the Disk Type is MBR
Type dir a: hit Enter and search for the \Windows folder. If it’s not here, type dir b:, dir c: and search for the same.
Next, type the following command and hit Enter. Remember to replace C with the correct drive letter.
bcdboot C:\Windows /S C:
A message saying Boot files successfully created will appear. Once it appears, type the following command and hit Enter.
diskpart
list disk
sel disk C
list vol
sel vol C
active
Type exit and hit Enter to exit Diskpart.
Lastly, type the following and hit Enter to reboot your device.
shutdown -f -r -t 00
4] If the Disk Type is GPT
Type dir a: hit Enter and search for the \Windows folder. If it’s not here, type dir b:, dir c: and search for the same.
Next, type the following command and hit Enter. Don’t forget to replace C with the correct drive letter.
bcdboot C:\Windows /S C:
A message saying Boot files successfully created will appear. Once it appears, type the following commands and search for a partition labeled System.
diskpart
list disk
sel disk C
list part
Now, type assign letter=r: and hit Enter to assign a letter to the partition. Here, R is the assigned letter.
Type exit and hit Enter to exit Diskpart.
Next, type these commands one by one and hit Enter.
cd /d r:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\
ren BCD BCD.bak
bcdboot c:\Windows /l en-us /s m: /f UEFI
Lastly, run the following command to reboot your device.
shutdown -f -r -t 00
Read: Missing Operating System Not Found error
Why is my computer not detecting the operating system?
Your Windows device may not detect the operating system if there’s a misconfiguration in the system’s BIOS or a defective hard drive. If that’s the case, ensure the BIOS settings are correct and plug in a different hard drive.
Fix: Error 1962, No operating system found on Windows computers
How do I fix Windows 11 operating system wasn’t found?
To fix the Windows 11 operating system wasn’t found error, run the Startup Repair Tool. To do so, boot your device using the Installation media. Next, select a language you’d like to continue and select Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
