sync: auto-sync from ACG-TECH03L at 2026-04-17 11:44:31

Author: Howard Enos
Machine: ACG-TECH03L
Timestamp: 2026-04-17 11:44:31

clients/cascades-tucson/reports/2026-04-17-chef-jd-no-boot-repair.md

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+# Chef JD laptop — "no boot device" repair
+
+**Date:** 2026-04-17
+**Technician:** Howard Enos
+**User:** JD Martin (Chef, Cascades of Tucson)
+**Machine:** Acer laptop (JD's workstation)
+**Symptom:** Laptop reports "no boot device detected" at power-on.
+
+## Diagnosis
+
+Pulled the internal drive and connected via USB-SATA adapter (appeared as E:). Drive hardware was healthy; GPT partition layout intact (MSR + 100 MB ESP + 222 GB Windows + 1 GB Recovery). Windows install at `E:\Windows` was fully intact.
+
+**Root cause:** The EFI System Partition's `\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\` directory was empty. UEFI firmware expects `bootmgfw.efi` and the BCD at that path; without them, firmware cannot find a boot loader and reports "no boot device." A stray copy of the Microsoft boot files existed under `\EFI\OEM\Boot\` but UEFI does not boot from that path. Fallback `\EFI\Boot\bootx64.efi` was present but the firmware's NVRAM boot entry pointed at the Microsoft path specifically.
+
+## Repair steps
+
+1. Mounted the ESP to drive letter `S:` (elevated).
+2. Ran: `bcdboot E:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI`
+   - Result: "Boot files successfully created."
+   - Rebuilt `\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\` with `bootmgfw.efi` (3.0 MB), `bootmgr.efi`, `memtest.efi`, `SecureBootRecovery.efi`, BCD, language packs, fonts, resources.
+3. Verified BCD with `bcdedit /store S:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\BCD /enum all`:
+   - `{bootmgr}` → `\EFI\Microsoft\Boot\bootmgfw.efi`
+   - `{default}` "Windows 11" → `E:\Windows\system32\winload.efi`
+4. Unmounted `S:`, reinstalled drive in laptop.
+
+## Secondary issue
+
+On first boot attempt, firmware reported "invalid signature detected — check Secure Boot." The Acer's Secure Boot database did not trust the restored `bootmgfw.efi` signature (either custom-mode keys or a DBX revocation state mismatch).
+
+**Resolution:** Secure Boot disabled in BIOS → system booted normally into Windows.
+
+## Outstanding / recommended follow-up
+
+- **Secure Boot is currently OFF.** Recommend re-enabling after next Windows Update cycle, which should refresh the firmware's Secure Boot DBX and signing trust. Procedure:
+  a. Let Windows Update run to completion (reboots included).
+  b. Enter BIOS (F2) → Security → Secure Boot → Enabled.
+  c. If "invalid signature" returns: BIOS → Security → "Erase all Secure Boot Settings" → "Restore Factory Default Keys" → Secure Boot Enabled → Save.
+- No data loss; user profile, installed apps, and files unaffected.