Fix No Boot disk Has Been Detected Or The Disk Has Failed

Many Computer users especially Hp, Dell and Acer users tend to get an error message as,

''No boot disk has been detected or the disk has failed''

This error is also known as the Hard disk 3F0 error which normally shows up when the computer is starting in Windows 7, 8, 10 Operating systems. This may cause a frustration for the user and make the user frightened but nothing to worry about, this can be easily fixed if you correctly identified where it had gone wrong.

From the error message we can get an idea that the Operating system has not been able to find a Bootable device. It can be a USB connection, DVD / CD drive, Hard / Boot drive from which the computer normally boots, from any of the device from the above the computer was unable to boot. As a result the computer was unable to start in the normal process.

The common causes of the Boot device not found 3f0 error are the Hard drive is broken, SATA / ATA cables connecting the Hard drive is malfunctioned or has a loose connection, change in Boot sequence, Boot Sector / Master Boot Record (MBR) is damaged.

Now let's analyze the causes and look how to fix them one by one.

1. Hard drive is Broken

This is the most common cause of this error and this may be a nightmare for the user as he will not be able to recover the data store inside the Hard drive. Generally Hard drives have a Life span of 5 to 10 years, any physical or other logical failures causes the lifespan of the Hard drive to reduce. Physical damages include Water, Heat, Shock and other factors. 

Commonly Heat contributes the most because when the computer especially Laptops are put under heavy tasks such as Gaming it causes too much Heat to build inside, so always make sure that the computer is on a Heat level which it can withstand, you can use softwares to monitor them. 

Water and Shock too contributes to this as the Hard drives are not Water and Shock resistant. So the most preferable solution to this is replacing the Hard drive, you can either purchase a Hard drive from the online shopping sites or from a Local shop. Just make sure that the Hard drive you purchase supports your computer model.

2. SATA / ATA Cables Connecting the Hard drive is Malfunctioned or has a Loose Connection

When you unplug and plug in your SATA / ATA Cables too many times you will not be able to snap the cables into the right places, over time it will cause a loose connection. Either you have to make it tight and see whether your computer starts normally without the error message or replace the cables.

There is nothing to worry about purchasing the new cables as they will not cost you much. Just make sure that the SATA cables you buy comes with a locking clips.  

3. Change in Boot Sequence

Hard drives are always the first priority in Boot Order others may be USB flash drive or DVD / CD drive. From one of these the BIOS will try to boot, only if the BIOS cannot boot from the Hard drive then the next option goes to the USB flash drive or DVD / CD drive. 

The problem generally starts after making a wrong configuration in the Boot Order, as a result the Boot Order changes. This makes the BIOS boot from a device that actually doesn't contain the Operating system. You can easily fix this by changing the Boot Order in the BIOS setup utility.

4. Boot Sector / Master Boot Record (MBR) is damaged

Boot Sector is the part on the Hard drive that contains the information on how to start the Operating system. There is only one Boot sector available per Hard drive even if the Hard drive contains multiple Operating systems. Sometimes Virus attacks can cause the Boot sector to be damaged. So always install an Anti Virus guard on your system and scan for viruses regularly, especially make a scan on the Boot sector because Boot sector is one of the areas prone to Malware attacks. 

So what can you do after the Boot Sector is damaged ? You can simply format the Hard drive by reinstalling the Windows, by this way you can retrieve the information contained on the Boot sector on how to load the Operating system normally. 

But if you need to repair the Boot Sector damage without erasing your data there is still many other ways like creating a New Partition Boot Sector Windows.