When you cannot boot into Windows successfully, the most likely reason is due to a corrupted or damaged BCD file on your system. I will show you how to fix requested system device cannot be found error using 3 methods.
You would now use a Windows Recovery Media like a USB or repair disc to fix when Windows is unbootable. To fix the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) file, users would use the 3 bootrec commands to fix the issue in command prompt:
- bootrec /rebuildbcd
- bootrec /fixmbr
- bootrec /fixboot
However, this attempt to fix the MBR results in the following error:
Successfully scanned Windows installations: 1
[1] C:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? Yes(Y)/No(N)/All(A): Y
The requested system device cannot be found
When running the bcdedit /enum command, they receive the following message:
The boot configuration data store cannot be opened.
The requested system device cannot be found
You can solve this issue easily using the fixes given below. You can use these three steps to get out of the trouble you are facing.
To solve the issue, you must know why these issues occur in the first place. Here are the reasons why the requested system device cannot be found error occurs.
1. Wrong USB slot
Your system’s BIOS may support only one specific USB slot for Windows Recovery. If the system’s BIOS supports a given USB slot but the repair environment does not, you may get this error due to this.
2.Damaged BCD registry file
On a GPT disk, the system will look for an EFI partition. If the system cannot find this partition because it got corrupted, you may get this error.
3.Non-EFI recovery Media
If the USB drive is MBR and the system disk is a GPT disk, the system won’t recognize the disk and you are very likely to get this error.
4.USB 3.0 interface
Some users may try and use the USB 3.0 which is not yet supported by the Windows repair Environment.
5.Convert MBR to GPT
If you recently converted from MBR disk type to GPT disk, you need to select UEFI boot in BIOS and start the PC again, if you haven’t done this step, you may get this error.
6.Windows adds wrong installation
Windows may select the corrupted internal hard disk partition as primary boot installation path. You may need to manually add the installation path of recovery media or else you may get this error.
How To Fix The Requested System Device Cannot Be Found
Now that you know the cause of this error, solving this issue is a lot easier. I will show you how to solve the requested system device cannot be found error.
# Method 1 (Changing Boot Media)
Windows may sometimes not recognize USB 3.0 as a repair media. In this case, you can try booting from a CD disc or a USB 2.0 device. You can choose whichever you may be feasible with, and then follow these steps to repair:
- Boot from the CD or USB 2.0 interface and press Shift + F10 to bring out command prompt.
- Type these commands one by one and press enter after each one;
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd
- Restart your PC.
You will now see that your system boots up normally
# Method 2 (Turning Off EFI Mode)
If your hard disk is a GPT system disk, the Windows will boot in UEFI/EFI mode. If the repair disc/USB is in MBR boot mode, Windows will not find the system device.
You need to turn off the UEFI boot in the BIOS settings and then run the repair commands given above again.
# Method 3 (Creating A New Boot Media)
If both these methods don’t work for you, you can alternatively create a new MBR boot repair media to solve this boot issue.
You can use a third party app like Rufus or MiniTool Partitioning Wizard to create a new MBR bootable USB 2.0 device.
- Download the apps from their respective websites.
- Install the apps, and follow the on-screen instructions to create a Windows PE-based boot media
- Remember to select the partition type as MBR, and Target system as BIOS instead of UEFI/EFI.
After creating the boot media, it’s time to reset your PC.
- Insert the Windows 10 installation Media (USB 2.0/CD Disc) to your computer and boot from it. You need to change the boot order in order to do so.
- Select your Language preferences and click on Next.
- Click on Install now to perform a clean install.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup configurations and select any answers that may prompt up during the installation.
- Sign-in with your Microsoft account and you restore your files from the backup you created.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Now you know three methods to fix the issue ‘Requested system device cannot be found’ error. You now may try any of the three methods to fix it and reboot your system. Comment below if you found this post useful and tell us which method helped you solved the issue.
