Lenovo boot loop + Hard Disk saying: Not Installed

[phillpower2]

it actually said my hard drive was there

Can I ask how the HDD/SSD is identified in the BIOS, a Seagate HDD for example will be listed something like ST1000DM004 and a Western Digital along the lines of WD10JPLX or for an SSD WDS100T1BOE, other brands will have similar identification codes and only when such an ID code is present has a HDD or SSD actually been detected and an entry simply listed as SATA etc HDD or SSD means that the BIOS has looked for a storage device in that particular boot sequence but no HDD or SSD was detected.

[COLOR=rgb(44, 130, 201)]NB: I suspect one of the following, Windows has become corrupt due to be overwritten, there is so little free storage space left on the boot drive for Windows to be able to function.[/COLOR]

[phillpower2]

it actually said my hard drive was there

Can I ask how the HDD/SSD is identified in the BIOS, a Seagate HDD for example will be listed something like ST1000DM004 and a Western Digital along the lines of WD10JPLX or for an SSD WDS100T1BOE, other brands will have similar identification codes and only when such an ID code is present has a HDD or SSD actually been detected and an entry simply listed as SATA etc HDD or SSD means that the BIOS has looked for a storage device in that particular boot sequence but no HDD or SSD was detected.

[COLOR=rgb(44, 130, 201)]NB: I suspect one of the following, Windows has become corrupt due to be overwritten, there is so little free storage space left on the boot drive for Windows to be able to function.[/COLOR]

[Mylenovomademesad]

Can I ask how the HDD/SSD is identified in the BIOS, a Seagate HDD for example will be listed something like ST1000DM004 and a Western Digital along the lines of WD10JPLX or for an SSD WDS100T1BOE, other brands will have similar identification codes and only when such an ID code is present has a HDD or SSD actually been detected and an entry simply listed as SATA etc HDD or SSD means that the BIOS has looked for a storage device in that particular boot sequence but no HDD or SSD was detected.

[COLOR=rgb(44, 130, 201)]NB: I suspect one of the following, Windows has become corrupt due to be overwritten, there is so little free storage space left on the boot drive for Windows to be able to function.
[/COLOR]

[COLOR=rgb(44, 130, 201)]
Yup sure thing it said

SAMSUNG MZAL8512HDLU-00BL2

and it usually just says not detected in its place.

In terms of the things you suspect, is there any way of fixing those>[/color]

[Mylenovomademesad]

Can I ask how the HDD/SSD is identified in the BIOS, a Seagate HDD for example will be listed something like ST1000DM004 and a Western Digital along the lines of WD10JPLX or for an SSD WDS100T1BOE, other brands will have similar identification codes and only when such an ID code is present has a HDD or SSD actually been detected and an entry simply listed as SATA etc HDD or SSD means that the BIOS has looked for a storage device in that particular boot sequence but no HDD or SSD was detected.

[COLOR=rgb(44, 130, 201)]NB: I suspect one of the following, Windows has become corrupt due to be overwritten, there is so little free storage space left on the boot drive for Windows to be able to function.
[/COLOR]

[COLOR=rgb(44, 130, 201)]
Yup sure thing it said

SAMSUNG MZAL8512HDLU-00BL2

and it usually just says not detected in its place.

In terms of the things you suspect, is there any way of fixing those>[/color]

[phillpower2]

lenovo ideapad slim 1

There are different specs of the same model of computer, see here, some with and some without a second storage device and namely a M2 SSD, all variants have a 64GB eMMC 5.1 on the system board and this is where Windows gets pre installed.

Short version, the 64GB eMMC should be the first device in the boot order and if it is not there it has failed.

Boot from a USB stick to double-check visibility
[ul]
[li]Make a Windows-10/11 setup USB with Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool or a small Linux live USB (Rufus + Ubuntu works).[/li][/ul]

I second the Linux or Ubuntu suggestion, boot from whatever option that you decide upon and then see if you can mount the 64GB eMMC.
In terms of the things you suspect, is there any way of fixing those>

Sometimes but not always, lets see what transpires with what has been suggested but for me I would not be booting from such a small drive in any event.

[phillpower2]

lenovo ideapad slim 1

There are different specs of the same model of computer, see here, some with and some without a second storage device and namely a M2 SSD, all variants have a 64GB eMMC 5.1 on the system board and this is where Windows gets pre installed.

Short version, the 64GB eMMC should be the first device in the boot order and if it is not there it has failed.

Boot from a USB stick to double-check visibility
[ul]
[li]Make a Windows-10/11 setup USB with Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool or a small Linux live USB (Rufus + Ubuntu works).[/li][/ul]

I second the Linux or Ubuntu suggestion, boot from whatever option that you decide upon and then see if you can mount the 64GB eMMC.
In terms of the things you suspect, is there any way of fixing those>

Sometimes but not always, lets see what transpires with what has been suggested but for me I would not be booting from such a small drive in any event.

[Mylenovomademesad]

Full “static-drain” reset
[ul]
[li]Unplug AC + remove any USB, hold the power button 15 s, then reconnect AC and power-on.[/li][li]If the eMMC/NVMe shows up afterward (BIOS now lists a drive), it was just a stuck power rail and you can skip to Step 3.[/li][/ul]
Run Lenovo’s built-in diagnostics (works even when no OS boots)
[ul]
[li]Tap F10 or, on some Slim 1 variants, Fn + F2 the instant you power on → “Lenovo Diagnostics”.[/li]

• [li]Choose Storage Test → Quick Test.[/li][li]If the test fails or the tool can’t even detect a disk, the hardware itself is bad .[/li][li]If it passes, the controller can still “see” the device and a software repair is worth trying.[/li][/ul]

Boot from a USB stick to double-check visibility
[ul]
[li]Make a Windows-10/11 setup USB with Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool or a small Linux live USB (Rufus + Ubuntu works).[/li][li]Enter the Boot Menu (F12 at power-on).[/li][li]If the installer/live Linux detects the internal drive (diskpart - list disk in Windows setup or lsblk in Linux):[/li]

• [li]It’s almost surely a corrupt file system/bootloader. Run “Repair your computer - Startup Repair” from the Windows USB or back up and do a clean reinstall.[/li][/ul]
  [li]If the installer cannot see any internal drive at all, then let me know.[/li]

I just realised the laptop I’m borrowing is a mac with no USB ports so I can’t even get recovery media on a USB until im back from overseas, maybe an internet cafe would give me access to a computer with USB ports to download recovery media off of to try this? Otherwise I guess I can just reply in like a week when I can actually try this step. One more thing i’ve seen mentioned on videos is re-seating the SSD, based off of my thread do you think this could work? I just need to find a screwdriver.

[Mylenovomademesad]

Full “static-drain” reset
[ul]
[li]Unplug AC + remove any USB, hold the power button 15 s, then reconnect AC and power-on.[/li][li]If the eMMC/NVMe shows up afterward (BIOS now lists a drive), it was just a stuck power rail and you can skip to Step 3.[/li][/ul]
Run Lenovo’s built-in diagnostics (works even when no OS boots)
[ul]
[li]Tap F10 or, on some Slim 1 variants, Fn + F2 the instant you power on → “Lenovo Diagnostics”.[/li]

• [li]Choose Storage Test → Quick Test.[/li][li]If the test fails or the tool can’t even detect a disk, the hardware itself is bad .[/li][li]If it passes, the controller can still “see” the device and a software repair is worth trying.[/li][/ul]

Boot from a USB stick to double-check visibility
[ul]
[li]Make a Windows-10/11 setup USB with Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool or a small Linux live USB (Rufus + Ubuntu works).[/li][li]Enter the Boot Menu (F12 at power-on).[/li][li]If the installer/live Linux detects the internal drive (diskpart - list disk in Windows setup or lsblk in Linux):[/li]

• [li]It’s almost surely a corrupt file system/bootloader. Run “Repair your computer - Startup Repair” from the Windows USB or back up and do a clean reinstall.[/li][/ul]
  [li]If the installer cannot see any internal drive at all, then let me know.[/li]

I just realised the laptop I’m borrowing is a mac with no USB ports so I can’t even get recovery media on a USB until im back from overseas, maybe an internet cafe would give me access to a computer with USB ports to download recovery media off of to try this? Otherwise I guess I can just reply in like a week when I can actually try this step. One more thing i’ve seen mentioned on videos is re-seating the SSD, based off of my thread do you think this could work? I just need to find a screwdriver.

[Mylenovomademesad]

There are different specs of the same model of computer, see here, some with and some without a second storage device and namely a M2 SSD, all variants have a 64GB eMMC 5.1 on the system board and this is where Windows gets pre installed.

Short version, the 64GB eMMC should be the first device in the boot order and if it is not there it has failed.

I second the Linux or Ubuntu suggestion, boot from whatever option that you decide upon and then see if you can mount the 64GB eMMC.

Sometimes but not always, lets see what transpires with what has been suggested but for me I would not be booting from such a small drive in any event.

Copy pasting from my other comment I just made: I just realised the laptop I’m borrowing is a mac with no USB ports so I can’t even get recovery media on a USB until im back from overseas, maybe an internet cafe would give me access to a computer with USB ports to download recovery media off of to try this? Otherwise I guess I can just reply in like a week when I can actually try this step. One more thing i’ve seen mentioned on videos is re-seating the SSD, based off of my thread do you think this could work? I just need to find a screwdriver.

[Mylenovomademesad]

There are different specs of the same model of computer, see here, some with and some without a second storage device and namely a M2 SSD, all variants have a 64GB eMMC 5.1 on the system board and this is where Windows gets pre installed.

Short version, the 64GB eMMC should be the first device in the boot order and if it is not there it has failed.

I second the Linux or Ubuntu suggestion, boot from whatever option that you decide upon and then see if you can mount the 64GB eMMC.

Sometimes but not always, lets see what transpires with what has been suggested but for me I would not be booting from such a small drive in any event.

Copy pasting from my other comment I just made: I just realised the laptop I’m borrowing is a mac with no USB ports so I can’t even get recovery media on a USB until im back from overseas, maybe an internet cafe would give me access to a computer with USB ports to download recovery media off of to try this? Otherwise I guess I can just reply in like a week when I can actually try this step. One more thing i’ve seen mentioned on videos is re-seating the SSD, based off of my thread do you think this could work? I just need to find a screwdriver.

[Malnutrition]

You can use your phone as a USB to try and boot the machine.

[ul]
[li]Install Ventoy from Play (the “Unofficial” build).[/li][li]Run the app → Install Ventoy (this writes a small FAT partition on internal storage or SD-card; back up first!).[/li][li]Copy as many ISO/WIM/IMG files as you like into the new /ventoy drive that appears.[/li][li]Plug the phone into the PC and reboot; Ventoy’s boot-menu shows every ISO so you can pick one.[/li][/ul]

One more thing i’ve seen mentioned on videos is re-seating the SSD, based off of my thread do you think this could work? I just need to find a screwdriver.

So long as you are sure this will not void the warranty, you mention the laptop is 6 months old this may void warranty…

[Malnutrition]

You can use your phone as a USB to try and boot the machine.

[ul]
[li]Install Ventoy from Play (the “Unofficial” build).[/li][li]Run the app → Install Ventoy (this writes a small FAT partition on internal storage or SD-card; back up first!).[/li][li]Copy as many ISO/WIM/IMG files as you like into the new /ventoy drive that appears.[/li][li]Plug the phone into the PC and reboot; Ventoy’s boot-menu shows every ISO so you can pick one.[/li][/ul]

One more thing i’ve seen mentioned on videos is re-seating the SSD, based off of my thread do you think this could work? I just need to find a screwdriver.

So long as you are sure this will not void the warranty, you mention the laptop is 6 months old this may void warranty…

[Mylenovomademesad]

Thanks for the suggestion, I’ve only got iphone though but there does seem to be ventoy tutorial for iphone. What would I need to back up on iphone?

[Mylenovomademesad]

Thanks for the suggestion, I’ve only got iphone though but there does seem to be ventoy tutorial for iphone. What would I need to back up on iphone?

[Malnutrition]

Iphone i found this online.

Might be better to wait.

iPhone/iPad on iOS 17+ with USB-C Only USB-C models let you power and write to most external drives without special adapters.
External SSD or thumb-drive Prefer one that draws < 4.5 W so the phone can power it directly.
USB-C↔USB-C cable or Apple USB-C Digital AV / USB-C–to–USB-A adapter Physical connection; a powered hub is optional but helpful for hungry SSDs.
≥ 8 GB free on the phone Temporarily stores the ISO while you copy.
ISO image Download from distro site or save from iCloud/Dropbox.
Windows PC with Rufus or Ventoy That’s where you’ll make the drive bootable.

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/transfer-files-iphone-a-storage-device-server-iphe9aff429a