How to Fix Inaccessible Boot Device on Windows 11

4 min readDec 11, 2022

Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors are commonly reported among Windows 8/10 users. They can be caused by third-party problematic software, by faulty drivers or hardware. Here in this post, we have covered several fixes for the Inaccessible Boot Device error on Windows 11 that will help protect your system from failing.

Check Boot Device For Any Damage.

One of the reasons for the Inaccessible Boot Drive error on Windows 11 is loose connections. So before we jump to some serious fixes, your first step should be to take out the drive, clean the pins, and reinsert it. Also, make sure you’re connecting the SATA/IDE cable correctly.

Remove Recently Installed Programs.

At times, a third-party application may start interfering with the system and prevent it from booting up. In this case, you should uninstall the program immediately so that you can regain access to your computer.

Perform Startup Repair.

The BSOD error renders your computer inaccessible. Fortunately, a built-in utility called Windows Recovery Environment is available outside of Windows, through which you can perform various functions to repair your system.

Update your drivers

The next step is to fix the Windows 10 stop code Inaccessible Boot Device error is to update your drivers. In most Windows stop code — Inaccessible Boot device errors, the driver “Standard SATA AHCI Controller” is the faulty one.

Outdated or faulty drivers, specifically SATA and GPU, most often result in the Inaccessible Boot Device on Windows 11. So, you are advised to update or uninstall such drivers to resolve the issue.

Follow the below step-by-step instructions below.

Step 1: Click “Windows” + “X” to open the Power User Menu.

Step 2: Choose “Device Manager”.

Step 3: Click to expand on the device that is causing the problem. As mentioned earlier, the most common driver that is at fault is the “Standard SATA AHCI Controller” under “IDE ATA/SATA controllers”.

Step 4: Select “Update Driver Software”.

Step 5: Click “Search automatically for updated driver software”.

Step 6: Follow the instructions that follow on your screen to update the device driver.

Step 7: Reboot your system.

Run CHKDSK.

CHKDSK is a command to run a disk scan on your computer. Once done, it displays the report for that disk and also corrects all errors found in it. However, it requires the Autochk.exe file to run.

Boot your device into Recovery Mode and click on Command Prompt from the Advanced Options screen.
Next, type out the following command and press Enter:

chkdsk /f /r c:

Once done, close the Command Prompt using exit Restart your computer and check if the issue is resolved or not.

Run SFC And DISM Scan.

Both the SFC and DISM scans can be performed on your PC from the Command Prompt. The SFC tool scans all system files for any damage and replaces or repairs them. Afterward, DISM is run to service and restore Windows images.

Disable or update any antivirus software

The antivirus software in your system could be the reason behind the stop code — Inaccessible Boot Device error. In a way, antivirus software can prevent your Windows from reading data in your system/PC. If you have any antivirus in your system, disable it/them temporarily.

If you are not sure about the above step, update your antivirus software. Check if the error has gone or not.

Rebuild Boot Configuration Data

As mentioned in the introduction, stop code — Inaccessible Boot Device error or stop code — Unmountable Boot Volume error could also be caused by the hard drive of your PC.

In this solution, we will be fixing hard drive issues via command prompt. Before we get into that, make sure to remove any external hard disk attached to your system.

Follow these simple steps to check your hard drive for any potential issues.

Step 1: Follow Steps 1–4 mentioned in Solution 1: Uninstall the Recently Installed Packages to open Command Prompt through Advanced Recovery Options.

Step 2: Type: “bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd” and hit “Enter”

Step 3: Type — “bootrec.exe /fixmbr” and hit “Enter”

Step 4: Type command: “bootrec.exe /fixboot” and hit “Enter”.

Reboot your system after these steps are completed. Your stop code — Inaccessible Boot Device should be fixed now!