Windows PC won't boot after upgrading or installing new SSD

SSDs are solid-state Drives known for their high data transfer speeds. Therefore, installing Windows OS on an SSD results in better computer performance. What if your Windows PC won’t boot after upgrading or installing a new SSD? This article will show us what you can do in such a situation.

Windows PC won’t boot after upgrading or installing a new SSD

The following suggestions will help if your Windows 11/10 PC won’t boot after upgrading or installing a new SSD.

Make sure that the SSD is installed correctly
Is the SSD showing in the BIOS?
Change the boot order
Reseat RAM

We have explained all these fixes in detail below. In these fixes, we have assumed both the following cases:

Case 1: You have installed the Windows OS on the SSD and deleted the Windows OS from the HDD. After doing that, your computer is not booting.
Case 2: Your computer stops booting just after installing an SSD. In this case, the Windows operating system is not installed on the SSD. However, the HDD still has the Windows OS, but despite that, the computer is not booting. In this case, the computer has stopped detecting HDD after the installation of the SSD.

Let’s start.

1] Make sure that the SSD is installed correctly

Apply this fix if your problem falls under Case 2 described above. While installing an SSD or another hardware, like a CPU, RAM, etc., it is important to follow the right procedure. Therefore, make sure that you have installed the SSD correctly. Check all the cable connections properly. Try changing the cable connecting your SSD to the motherboard.

In some computer motherboards, some SATA slots become disabled automatically after installing the SSD, depending on the type of SSD you installed. In this case, your computer will not boot because it stops detecting the port the HDD is connected to. To fix this problem, connect the HDD to other available ports. You can also refer to the user manual of your computer motherboard to know this in detail. This will help you install the SSD correctly.

2] Is the SSD showing in the BIOS?

This situation falls under Case 1. Suppose you have installed Windows OS on SSD after disconnecting the HDD. Now, the computer stops booting when you reconnect the HDD. After connecting the HDD, the port to which you have connected the SSD might have been disabled. There is an easy way to check this. Enter your system BIOS and see if it shows SSD there. If not, follow the same solution we have explained in the first fix.

Computers of different brands have different BIOS interfaces. Therefore, you need to refer to your computer manufacturer’s official website to know how to see the storage devices connected to your computer in BIOS.

3] Change the boot order

Again, here the situation falls under Case 1. If you have installed Windows OS on SSD and formatted the HDD, and after doing that, your system won’t boot, check the boot order. If the previous boot order is selected, the computer will still try to boot from the HDD, but the HDD does not contain Windows OS, as you have formatted it. Therefore, your system won’t boot. In this case, you just have to change the boot order to fix this issue. Select the SSD while changing the boot order.

4] Reseat RAM

We also suggest you reseat RAM. This can work if your computer is not booting after installing a new SSD. Remove all the RAM sticks and reinsert them. If they are dirty, clean them and also clean the RAM slots.

I hope this helps.

Can an SSD cause a PC to not boot?

No, as SSD can never cause a PC to not boot. Such a thing happens if the SSD is damaged and in some other situations. For example, if your SSD is not selected as the boot device in the boot order, the SSD is not detected in BIOS, etc. In the latter case, you need to check the SSD cable connections or you can try connecting it to other ports available for SSD.

How to activate SSD in BIOS?

You need not activate SSD in BIOS. After installing the SSD, your computer BIOS will automatically detect it, provided you have followed the right procedure while installing the SSD. If BIOS is not detecting the SSD, check the cable connections or try connecting the SSD to all available ports. If the SSD is still not detected in BIOS, it might be faulty.