0xc00000e9
Unexpected I/O error
What it means
Windows lost contact with the device it was reading during boot: the drive, its cable or a USB device in the way.
Common causes
- A loose or failing SATA/NVMe drive
- A USB drive or card reader Windows tries to boot from
- Drive electronics failing
How to fix it
- Unplug every USB device except keyboard and mouse, then start again.
- Check the BIOS sees the Windows drive and that the boot order is right.
- Reseat the drive and its cable, or move an M.2 drive to another slot.
- Check the drive's health in CrystalDiskInfo. A Caution or Bad status means back up now and replace the drive.