Hello!

I’ve been limping an old computer along for a while for budgetary reasons and the most recent Windows update appears to have bricked it. This is a custom I built years ago. Core i5 3570k and a gigabyte z77-d3h motherboard.

After I clicked “update and shut down,” the computer rebooted itself and gave me the error “Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device.”

I went into the BIOS and the boot order was wrong - starting with my hard drive that only had music and movies on it, the SSD had been totally removed from the list, etc - so I set it to boot from the SSD as normal. I ran into the same error. I unplugged all other drives and peripherals and did it again. Same error. I reset the BIOS to factory settings. Same error. I found my Windows 10 install DVD and tried to boot from the disk after selecting “repair my computer” - this gave me a “disk read error.”

When I try to boot from the install disk, I get the options to “troubleshoot” or “shut down.”

Here are my options in the “Troubleshoot” menu, the only one I have, and what happens when I click them.

1. System Restore: “To use System Restore, you must specify which Windows installation to restore. Restart this computer, select an operating system, and then select System Restore.”

2. Command Prompt: Opens the Command Prompt.

3. System Image Recovery: “Windows cannot find a system image on this computer. Attach the backup hard disk or insert the final dvd from a backup set and click Retry. Alternatively, close this dialog for more options.” I am pretty good about making new system images, I think I made one a few weeks ago before I moved, but it can’t find any of them, even if I plug the drives back in.

4. UEFI Firmware Settings: “Restart to change firmware settings.”

5. Startup Repair: Puts the computer into a reboot loop and gives me a “disk read error.”

6. Go back to the previous build: “we ran into a problem and won’t be able to take you back to the previous build. Try resetting your current build instead (Troubleshoot > Reset this PC).” I do not have a “reset this pc” option.

I have only been able to get into the command prompt. It is telling me I only have a windows installation on my F:/. I think the F:/ is my DVD drive. When I go into DISKPART and type “list volume” the F:/ is labeled as an NFTS partition of “Volume 2” and has a status of “healthy.” and running /bootrec fixboot gives me “element not found.”

What do I do next?

tl;dr: After installing Windows updates, I can’t boot from my SSD nor the Windows installation DVD. The SSD gives me the error “reboot and select proper boot media,” the DVD gives me a “disk read error.”