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Background:
I have an nvme-SSD with Windows 10 installed, this was my default drive in the system.
Yesterday I swapped the wi-fi card in the system and with it a new nvme-SSD that contains Linux.
While Linux works fine (wifi too) I have trouble booting the old Windows install from this enclosure.
[UGREEN M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure, USB C 3.1 Gen 2 to M-Key M&B-Key NVMe PCIe ]

Disclaimer:
Previously I've used this setup with a friend's nvme and we were able to boot Windows from such enclosure (so it's possible). The only difference was that the target system did not have any other drive in it, while my does (Linux one).
[I would not like to re-open the laptop since it's very fragile]
Before swapping nvmes I've used the enclosure to run Linux as an external system while Windows was the primary one installed directed onto the motherboard.

Problem:
My windows BSOD error is: INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE. So after searching for some solutions I found those ones:

  1. make existing windows 10 installation bootable from usb:
    • by following the steps I was able to boot in the system in Safe mode but after rebooting, the error still applies.
    • the AHCI parameter in BIOS is not the solution since it was my previous default mode and windows worked fine.
    • I looked at the WinToUSB sfw but since I'm not able to fully load my windows system I cannot clone it.
  2. Can I boot Windows from an HDD via USB? inaccessible_boot_device:
    • I took a look at registers values and found that some usb drivers are not configured with 0x10, 0x14 boot_flags but since the time of writing of that post things changed and the solution is not always that simple, in fact:
  3. Booting from USB 3.0:
    • this article describes loosely (for me at least) how to make this procedure but raises new questions about which particular drivers I'm interested in promoting and which class type to assign.

Questions:

  1. Is there an update on how to make previous windows installs runnable externally without resetting the OS (I have lots of programs and wouldn't want re-downloading them)?
  2. If the only solution is to clone the system and make it a WindowsToGo, will I be able one day to plug it in directly and still work?
  3. If I need to change boot_flags for drivers which one I need to change? Is there a detailed procedure? Changing drivers boot flags could fix the problem (I remember that in Linux I had to change the boot order of some of them to be able to load the kernel) but it's very risky because I'll need to change register parameters and not text files like in Linux.
Jhonathan Asimov
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    Windows has never been able to boot natively from USB enclosures with the exception of Windows To Go, which is an Enterprise feature. – Mokubai May 25 '20 at 11:28
  • @Mokubai From a USB thumb drive no, but from USB HDD/SSD, yes. – JW0914 May 25 '20 at 11:30
  • Please see Microsoft Docs: [Bug Check 0x7B: INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/bug-check-0x7b--inaccessible-boot-device). General FYIs: **(1)** Unless using RAID, AHCI should always be used, and if the disk mode is changed in the BIOS to a different type (IDE, AHCI, or RAID) than what it was set to when Windows was installed, Windows will need to be reinstalled; **(2)** If you choose to Reset/Reinstall, capture a WIM of the OS partition prior to doing so, see [Imaging](https://superuser.com/a/1544563/529800) section. – JW0914 May 25 '20 at 11:34
  • "From a USB thumb drive no, but from USB HDD/SSD, yes." Some examples please. – Moab May 25 '20 at 11:50
  • @JW0914 The article talks about removing new controllers, it's obviously that because the adapter has a new controller in it, in fact later the report says that the system is able to enter in safe mode because _loads a core set of storage drivers_ but now what can I do? – Jhonathan Asimov May 25 '20 at 13:20
  • @JhonathanAsimov No idea... I'd follow what's on Microsoft Docs, as that's the official source for Windows man pages and help files. – JW0914 May 25 '20 at 13:31
  • @Moab Superuser has plenty, as I've commented on a couple regarding booting Windows from USB HDDs/SSDs. I personally never recommend it because it's too easy for data corruption/OS instability to occur from a bumped USB connector/accidental disconnect. AFAIK, the reason why Windows can't boot from USB drives is that Windows assigns them a specific bit flag that prevents the creation of >1 partition, and AFAIK, it's due to this hex bit that prevents booting Windows from a USB drive. External USB HDDs/SSDs don't have this flag set. To test: plop a Windows drive into an external case & boot it. – JW0914 May 25 '20 at 13:39

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