What to Do When Computer Says Invalid System Disk Replace the Disk Windows 10/8/7

Your computer refused to boot and prompted an "Invalid system disk. Replace the disk, and then press any key" error message? This issue was commonly seen in almost all Windows versions like Windows 10/8/7/XP and frustrated a large number of users.

Here, we analyze all the possible causes that might result in an invalid system disk issue and offer the corresponding solutions. 

Important: Recover Data from Your Computer That Can't Boot in Advance

If you have any important files stored on the PC hard drive, we highly recommend you first recover data from your computer in case data loss happens while you are trying to troubleshoot the invalid system disk error.  

But how to restore files from the hard drive when the computer can't boot? Use Deep Data Recovery WinPE Edition to retrieve data from the computer that is dead or won't turn on. This data recovery software has a graphic user interface and lets you recover data with simple clicks.

Step 1. Create a bootable disk

Prepare an empty USB. If you have important data on it, copy the data to another device. When you create a bootable disk, the data on the USB will be erased. Deep Data Recovery WinPE Edition will help you create a bootable disk.

Connect the USB drive to PC, launch Deep Data Recovery WinPE Edition. Select the USB drive and click "Create" to create a bootable disk.

Step 2. Boot from the bootable USB

Connect the bootable disk to PC that won't boot and change your computer boot sequence in BIOS. For most users, it works well when they restart their computer and press F2 at the same time to enter BIOS.

Set to boot the PC from "Removable Devices" (bootable USB disk) or "CD-ROM Drive" (bootable CD/DVD) beyond Hard Drive. Press "F10" to save and exit.

Step 3. Recover data from a hard drive that won't boot

When you boot from the USB, you can run Deep Data Recovery from the WinPE bootable disk. Select the drive you want to scan to find all your lost files. 

Click "Scan" to start the scanning process.

Recover data from the computer or laptop. After the scan completed, you can preview all recoverable files, select the targeted files, and click the "Recover" button to restore your files. You'd better save all of the recovered data to another place to avoid data overwriting.

More stunning features of Deep Data Recovery.

How to Fix Invalid System Disk Replace the Disk Error in Windows 10

After you've restored the files, you can begin to solve the invalid system disk error safely. 

Fix 1. Set a Bootable Disk as the First Boot Disk

After data recovery, you can start taking measures to fix invalid system disk error to make the PC boot and work properly. If you want to boot from the internal hard disk, unplug any USB flash drive, external hard drive, CD, or floppy disk. And if you want to boot from a removable disk, make sure it is bootable and has set as the first boot disk.

To change the boot order, just go to BIOS, in the Boot tab, list the CD, removable device, or hard drive first. Finally, save the settings and exit. 

Fix 2. Repair Master Boot Record

A corrupted Master Boot Record is one of the reasons for the appearance of an invalid system disk error. To exclude this factor, try Qiling partition software to rebuild MBR in the WinPE environment. 

Step 1. Create a WinPE bootable disk

• Launch Qiling Partition Master, click "Create bootable media" on the toolbar. Select to create the bootable disk on a USB drive. If your computer has a CD/DVD drive, you can also create the bootable disk to CD/DVD.
• Click "Proceed" to finish the process.

Step 2. Boot Qiling Partition Master Bootable USB

• Connect the bootable USB or CD/DVD to your PC. 
• Press F2 or Del when you restart the computer to enter the BIOS screen. Set and boot your computer from "Removable Devices" or "CD-ROM Drive". And then Qiling Partition Master will run automatically.

Step 3. Rebuild MBR

• Click the disk whose MBR is damaged. Choose "Fix boot" to continue.
• Select the type of MBR with the current operating system.

• Click the "Proceed" to build the MBR. After that, your computer can boot normally again.

Fix 3. Perform an Automatic Repair

If the above methods don't work, you can try performing the Automatic Repair or Start-up Repair to solve the "invalid system disk replace the disk and press any key" error.

Step 1. Insert the Windows bootable drive and boot from it.

Step 2. When you access the Windows Boot Options menu, go to "Troubleshoot > Advanced Boot Options", select "Automatic Repair" and follow the wizard instructions to complete the process.

Fix 4. Run Windows Repair Services

If the above methods don't work and your computer is still unbootable, try Windows repair services from Qiling. Our professional technical team can help you solve any system startup errors, including system failure, BSOD, unbootable device, and so on.

Fix 5. Replace Hard Drive with Invalid System Disk Error

If none of the methods helps, I am afraid you have encountered a hard drive failure issue and you have to replace a hard drive and reinstall Windows to fix the invalid system disk error in Windows 10/8/7.

How to Fix Invalid System Disk Replace the Disk and Then Press Any Key

When the invalid system disk, replace the disk problem arise, first you need to ensure data security by using professional data recovery software to export the data and then try to solve the problem later.

• Free Download
• Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Go to the BIOS interface and check whether the system hard drive is detected or not. If the master boot record is corrupted, use Fix 2 to resolve the issue. Besides, running an automatic repair might be helpful. If it is a hard drive failure that leads to the invalid system disk error, you can look for help from the hard drive manufacturer for replacement.

See More Related Topics About Invalid System Disk Windows 10

If you also have any of the following frequently asked questions about invalid system disk replace the disk issue, find solutions here.

What is a common cause of the invalid system disk error?

The causes could be various, including but not limited to the following reasons:

• The boot disk is not set correctly.
• Your hard disk might be infected by a virus.
• The master boot record of the system drive is corrupted.
• Your hard drive could be physically damaged.

How do I fix disk boot failure?

There are a few solutions to help you remove the Windows disk boot failure error:

• Change boot order
• Repair the operating system
• Fix by running CHKDSK to repair the corrupted file system
• Remove installed hardware

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