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Windows 7 Thinks my C Drive is a removable disk

R

raven

Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2016
Posts
15
Hello,

I hope I am posting in the correct forum.

My husband has been having a lot of trouble with his computer for the past month or so. His computer would randomly shut down or reboot or sometimes would not start at all. For the past week the only way he could get Windows to start was to unplug the computer from the wall and plug it back in. Now though, even that does not work. When he started having issues he backed up all his important files so no problems there.

Fast forward to today. The only way I can get the computer to boot is by inserting the Windows 7 CD, otherwise we see the following on the screen "Reboot and select proper boot device." When the CD asks if I want to reinstall Windows I say yes. When it gets to the screen asking where I want to install windows the list is blank. When I do a browse I see that the computer sees the C drive as a removable disk. How can I get the C drive to show up on that list so I can go forward with the Windows installation?

I have all the CDs and paperwork for the desktop computer but am not sure what information you need in order to help.

Thank you in advance,

Raven
 
It would be good to know more about the computer. Your initial boot problems could have been due to a failing power supply. The errors about the boot device could be due to a failing CMOS battery on the motherboard.

Please tell us more about the computer itself. Brand and model number if factory built would be good. Or motherboard brand and model if custom built. What is being used for security?
 
Hi, thanks for your quick response.

It is a custom built (2013) computer.
On the invoice it says:
MSI 97OA-G43 AMD 970 AM3+ Atx Motherboard
I also see the following number MBMSI97OAG43
Hope one of those is what you are after.

The computer is using MSE for security.

Thanks.
 
Well, I am assuming you don't participate in illegal filesharing through torrents or P2P sites, and you are not "click-happy" on unsolicited links, popups and downloads. Therefore MSE is just fine, as long as you otherwise keep Windows and MSE current. Regardless of your security program of choice, everyone should have a secondary scanner just to double check you (the user is always the weakest link in security) or MSE didn't let something slip by. I recommend Malwarebytes for that. The Free version is fine for that and is the setup I used for years when I was running Windows 7. Once the free trial period expires, you will need to manually run the scan - I recommend once a week, or whenever you want to verify nothing "funny" is going on. If considering a paid security program, Malwarebytes Premium is a good choice because it works well along side MSE (or the new Windows Defender should/when you move to Windows 10).

It appears that motherboard came out about 4 years ago so it could be the CMOS battery is failing. Because they only cost a couple dollars at Wal-mart or Best Buy, little is lost if not the problem (Best Buy will recycle the old one too :)). These are CR2032 "wafer" batteries about the size and shape of a quarter. It will be inserted in a socket on your motherboard. Unplug the computer from the wall and touch bare metal of the case interior to discharge any static in your body BEFORE reaching in. Then carefully pry the old battery out. I use one of those wooden cuticle sticks. Observe the polarity (+ and -) before removing.

If the interior is full of heat trapping dust, now would be a good time to blast it out with compressed air. Heat is a common cause for a computer to suddenly shutdown or reboot. So verifying all fans spin properly would be a good idea too.

Do not touch the new battery with your bare fingers. Skin oils attract dust and can promote corrosion. I put a clean sock over my hand (remembering to touch bare metal before reaching in). Be sure to observe polarity again. The sockets are designed so the battery can go in only one way but excessive force can damage the socket.

Connect power and boot directly into the BIOS Setup Menu. This is done by tapping the Del key when prompted during the very early stages of the boot process. Removing the battery resets the BIOS (if it was not reset already due to the failing old battery). So reset the date and time then make sure your boot drive order is set so your boot drive is before other hard drives.

Then "Save and Exit" to boot normally. If all is good, then you should be good to go.

While many things can cause a computer to "randomly shut down or reboot or sometimes would not start at all", including a failing motherboard, RAM, or CPU, a failing power is one of the most common causes. So if still having problems after replacing the battery, I would want to swap out power supplies with a known good supply since everything inside the computer depends on good, clean stable power. You definitely want to ensure good power before spending money on other parts.

When he started having issues he backed up all his important files so no problems there.
Click to expand...
That was very smart! :thumbsup2:
 
Hi, we did the battery change, (which was easy using your instructions) and when I went into the BIOS I did not have the option of choosing the Hard Drive (C) for boot position. The DVD/CD and USB drives were bold up along the top but the Hard drive was not and when I clicked on it the Hard Drive did not turn bold like DVD and USB. I also did not have the option of choosing the Hard Disk for anything at all.

The fans are running fine, and there was very little dust inside the case although I did blow out what was there with canned air. We really do not think the power supply is bad, as this computer has not really been used a lot.

Back to my original message, the Windows Installation Disk could also not see the C drive (and browsing showed that the C drive was removable). Is there a chance the hard drive is dead?

Thanks.
 
That suggests the hard drive was not detected at all. You need to make sure the power and data cables for the hard drive are securely attached, both ends for the data cable, and both ends for the power cable too if using a "modular" power supply.

We really do not think the power supply is bad, as this computer has not really been used a lot.
Click to expand...
I understand this reasoning but it really is not valid. Even the best power supplies from the best makers can fail prematurely.

Swapping in known good supply will help determine if that hard drive is dead or not too.
 
Okay. We will try a power supply change and will let you know the results. Are they generic?

Thanks :)
 
We tried a new power supply and there is no change. The same message comes up that says reboot and select proper boot device. We are going to put the old power supply back in and try getting a new Hard Drive. Will let you know how it goes.
 
Sorry that did not fix it, but at least now you know the old supply was good. And knowing you have good power is essential when troubleshooting hardware.
 
Thank you for your helpful suggestions. They were definitely worth a try before forking out a bit more $$ for a new hard drive which fixed the problem. We are back in working order :)

Thanks again.
 

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