What is hard drive not found 3F0 error?

When starting the HP computer, some users receive an error message: “Boot Device Not Found. Please install an operating system on your hard disk. Hard disk (3F0).” It is a common boot error seen in HP models which indicates your computer fails to detect the hard drive that contains the operating system.

Usually hard disk 3F0 error can be caused by following reasons:

  • Wrong boot order in BIOS
  • Hard disk connection problem
  • Outdated or misconfigured BIOS
  • Corrupted or died bootable disk
  • Damaged system files…

For the first two reasons, you should check to make sure that your hard drive is the primary boot device in BIOS and the cables connecting it to the motherboard are tight and secure. For other reasons, please learn HP laptop 3F0 error fixes in the next part.

How to fix boot device not found on HP laptop?

Here I’m going to show you four quick fixes to boot device not found 3F0 error on HP laptop:

Fix 1: Perform a hard reset

1. Turn off the computer. Remove the computer from any port replicator or docking station.

2. Disconnect all external connected peripheral devices.

3. Unplug the AC adapter from the computer and remove the battery (if applicable).

4. Press and hold down the Power button for 15 seconds to drain the electrical charge.

5. Insert the battery (if applicable) and plug the AC adapter back into the HP laptop.

6. Press the Power button to turn on the computer. If a startup menu opens, use the arrow keys to select Start Windows Normally and press Enter.

7. Reconnect each of the peripheral devices. Run Windows Update and HP Support Assistant to update all device drivers.

Fix 2: Restore default settings of BIOS

1. Turn off the computer and wait five seconds.

2. Press the Power button to start the computer and repeatedly press F10 to enter the BIOS setup menu.

3. On the BIOS Setup screen, press F9 to select and load the BIOS Setup Default settings.

4. Press F10 to Save and Exit. When asked “Exit Saving Changes?”, use the arrow keys to select Yes and press Enter.

5. Follow the prompts to restart your computer.

Fix 3: Test the hard drive using HP PC Hardware Diagnostics

1. Plug the AC adapter into the computer.

2. Press the Power button for at least five seconds to turn off the computer.

3. Turn on the computer and press Esc repeatedly. When the menu appears, press F2 to open HP PC Hardware Diagnostics.

4. On the main menu of HP PC Hardware Diagnostics, click Component Tests. And then click Hard Drive > Quick Test > Run once successively.

5. If the computer has more than one hard drive, select the drive you want to test. To test all the hard drives, select Test All Hard Drives. Then, the Hard Drive Quick Test begins.

6. When the test completes, the results will be displayed on the screen and also in Test Logs on the main menu.

Fix 4: Run system recovery with HP Recovery Manager

Take Windows 10 as an example. Learn how to fix boot device not found on HP Windows 10 laptop below:

1. Turn off the computer and disconnect all connected devices and cables except the mouse and power cord.

2. Turn on your computer and immediately press F11 repeatedly.

3. When the Choose an option screen appears, click Troubleshoot and then select Recovery Manager.

4. Under Help, click System Recovery.

5. When Recovery Manager prompts you to back up your files, select Back up your files first (recommended) and follow the wizard to complete the process. You can also select Recover without backing up your files if you have backed them up before.

6. When you back to the System Recovery screen, click Next to start recovery preparation.

7. When recovery preparation is complete, click Continue to proceed to the installation phase of the recovery process. The computer will restart several times during the recovery.

8. After the system recovery is complete, click Finish to restart the computer. Complete the setup screens and wait until the computer finishes the setup.

9. Once the setup is complete, turn off the computer, reconnect all devices and cables, and then turn on the computer to see if hard disk 3F0 error is fixed.