You may encounter an error stating that the operating system cannot be found after installing Windows XP. There are several steps you can take to resolve this issue, and we will do so shortly. When the computer boots up, the BIOS tries to locate an operating system on the hard drive that it can boot from. However, if nothing is found, the error “Operating system not found” is displayed. This could be due to an error in BIOS setup, a faulty hard drive, or a corrupted MBR.
When your computer boots up, the BIOS will find a system on your hard drive to boot. If there is no system, the computer does not knowWhere to go and you will receive a message to solve the problem. Here are the main reasons for the lack of a Windows operating system.
7 Solutions To Fix Windows 10/7/8 / Vista / XP Not Found / Missing Operating System
According to the above possible causes of the “OS not found” error, there are 7 solutions to fix the missing OS error.
Notes. Be very careful with some of the fixes below, as any small mistake can result in data loss. If you are not familiar with the following procedures, please contact a professional or your manufacturer.
Solution 1: Check BIOS Settings To See If The Hard Drive Is Recognized
1. Restart your computer and press a specific key (usually F10, F12, Esc, Del, etc.) to enter BIOS.
2. Check the main BIOS tab to see if the Windows installation disc is recognized. They are primary master, primary slave, secondary master, secondary slave, etc.
If the hard disk information is displayed, it means that the BIOS recognizes the hard disk. Then youyou need to restart your computer and see if it can start correctly or not.
If they appear as “None” or “Not Detected,” it means the BIOS does not recognize the hard drive. There are 3 possible reasons; They are listed below, along with their respective solutions:
Crossover cable: Reconnect the data cable or even replace a new one.
Player interface disabled: switch “No” to “Auto” by highlighting the hard disk option and pressing Enter. Select Auto if available.
The hard drive is corrupted: See solution 2 to fix the Windows 10 operating system not found error.
Solution 2: Check Your Hard Drive For Bad Sectors
A hard drive diagnostic tool is built into the BIOS to check the primary hard drive. However, this depends on the motherboard. Only a few people have the tool; B. HP laptop.
If the check shows that the hard drive is damaged, you can contact the manufacturer for a free replacement (if the hard drive isunder warranty) or for a fee.
Before distributing a hard drive, it is important to move important data and wipe data from the hard drive in case of data loss. If you have another work machine, you can remove this hard drive, connect it to a working computer, and follow these steps. Otherwise, you can rely on the bootable hard drive to start the failing computer and delete your data.
If your hard drive passes the test, skip to the next solution.
Solution 3. Reset BIOS To Default Settings.
Sometimes incorrect or incorrect settings in the BIOS can prevent the operating system from being detected. Therefore, resetting the BIOS to its default state can fix this error.
Enable the Load Optimal Defaults option in the BIOS Output tab. Or the option could be Load Optimized Defaults, Load Defaults, Get Defaults, etc.
After successfully loading the default settings, go to “Save Changes and Exit”.
If this still does not resolve the Windows 7 operating system missing issue, try Solution 4 below.
Solution 4: Run Automatic Repair
The automatic repair built into Windows can fix some problems with the startup process in certain situations. Here you need to prepare a Windows installation disc or Windows recovery disc.
1. Boot from the Windows installation disc or Windows recovery disc.
2. Select language, time and keyboard input and click Next.
3. Click Repair Your Computer.
4. Select Troubleshoot, then Advanced.
5. Select the “Start Recovery” option.
Let it automatically repair your hard drive and wait for the result. If you fail again, please be patient and try the next solution.
Solution 5. Recover Master Boot Records – Repair MBR
Incorrect operation and virus attack can damage the MBR, which is located in the first sector (usually sector 0) of the hard disk. Therefore, Windows does not start.It is. Fortunately, you can repair / rebuild the MBR using the Windows command line or a third party program like the free AOMEI Partition Assistant.
Part 1. Recovering MBR using the Windows command line.
1. In the fifth step of solution 4 above, select Command Prompt.
2. Type bootrec / fixmbr and press Enter.
Tips. Besides the MBR, Windows can stop working due to two other boot records, DBR (DOS boot record) and BCD (Boot configuration database). So by the way, you’d better fix these two boot entries by typing “bootrec / fixboot” and “bootrec / rebuildbcd”.
The partition table can be corrupted by these commands if there is a virus or hardware problem on the hard disk. These command sequences can create inaccessible partitions on the hard disk. Therefore, it is recommended to perform an anti-virus scan before use. Move or back up your important data. Is there a safer way to fix MBR?
Part 2. Recreate MBR for free with AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard
1. First install AOMEI Partition Assistant on another and The right computer and use it to create a bootable USB drive. AOMEI Partition Assistant automatically integrates into your bootable media, just like AOMEI Backupper, a professional and reliable backup and recovery software.
2. Insert a bootable USB drive into the target computer and start from there.
3. You can back up important data using AOMEI Backupper before MBR recovery.
4. Open the partition wizard and repair the damaged MBR using the “Repair MBR” function.
Solution 6: Disable / Enable UEFI Secure Boot
If the system is running on a GPT hard drive, it can run in UEFI boot mode. However, if the operating system is installed on an MBR hard drive, it will not boot in UEFI mode. Therefore, you can try disabling or enabling UEFI Secure Boot to see if the issue with the missing OS is resolved.
Under the BIOS Security tab, find and select Secure Boot and change its status.
Solution 7. Windows Active Partition
If your system works Not in Legacy BIOS MBR boot mode, make sure the partition containing boot files is enabled. Therefore, the boot manager, whose task is to find the operating system while the computer is turned on, can be granted boot permission authorized by the MBR.
Part 1. Make the system partition active with Diskpart
When prompted for solution 5, enter the following commands in order, pressing the Enter key for each one. (Replace # with the target floppy or disk number)
List of hard drives
Select drive #