990FXA-UD3 - Win 8 Boot issue

[Madhatstand]

Hi guys, I did a fresh install (not an update) of Windows 8 Pro x64 early last December (Before i did a fresh install I had all the same gear and settings running fine in Windows 7 x64...)

Install went fine but it wasn't until a couple of weeks later when I finally got around to ejecting the install disc from my bluray drive (I don't use my drive very often) that I noticed windows will not boot unless the disc is in the drive!!! Without the disc in the drive Windows just complains that a required device is missing and wont boot???

So I went into the bios and changed the SATA/IDE settings until I managed to get Windows to boot without the disc in the drive! (I'm at work now so can't look up the bios settings but will add later when back home...)

Problem solved... or so I thought! It was't until the other day I went to use my Bluray drive that I noticed it's missing from windows... so back in the bios again, changed my settings back to what they were before and now the bluray drive works again... but I now need the install disc in the drive again for it to boot!

Now it's stuck there, any changes I make to the SATA/IDE or drive settings now just results in Windows 8 trying to do a repair (which it cant repair) or I'm stuck at the required device is missing screen - so I'm now stuck with the disc in the drive - not a big deal really as I don't use the drive often enough for it to annoy me, but it would be nice for it everything to work as it should - everything else though is running as it should (well the USB 3 controller is a fussy bugger but that's the nature of the controller!).

I have a horrible feeling I'll need to do a fresh install making sure the bios settings are correct before the install as Windows 8 seams fussy with change, but I really can't be bothered, I've been pissing around with PCs for many years now and Windows 8 needs lots of fiddling with to get it how I like it - whereas I used to find it all this kind of stuff fun, now the ballache of a fresh install just makes me die a little inside - I'd rather do the chores around the house than have to configure Windows 8 again! So is there anything obvious I'm missing?

Oh yeah, system specs:

990FXA-UD3 (REV 1.2) - lastest FE bios
AMD FX-8350
Twin Frozr 680GTX
16GB Corsair DDR3 Ram (4x4GB)
1x OCZ Vertex 2 120GB (windows 8 boot drive) - SATA Channel 0
1x OCZ Vertex 2 60GB
1x 3TB Seagate HDD
2x 1TB Seagate HDD
1x LG Bluray R/W - SATA Channel 5
1000W PSU

Any pointers would be most appreciated!

[autotech]

Well a fresh install has to be done, I know i hate it to messed with so many OS that now it kills me just like you i would do anything to avoid it. Secondly can you get your hands on a plain dvd drive?  You will use it for the install Another one of those has to be done things unless you can load an iso onto a usb formatted as a hard drive so you can boot from it.

Those are the options as i see them maybe just maybe someone will post a better idea but i dont have one.

  Hate being the bearer of bad news.

[Madhatstand]

Think I've sussed it, looks like my Windows 8 bootloader got messed up - I've tried the Windows repair tools and they didn't seam to help which is why my next move was the bios, but yesterday evening I stumbled across EasyBCD whilst randomly browsing around and thought I'd give that a go as I've nothing to lose - deleted the bootloader and made a fresh one et viola, so far so good!

[autotech]

I used that program on vista is easy to use and works wonders glad you got it figured out. If it hadnt been so long since i used it i might of remembered in my dottering old age.