Won't boot up

Discussion in 'PC hardware help' started by bruce7834, May 12, 2016.

  1. bruce7834

    bruce7834 Member

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    I have a Dell Inspiron computer desktop I purchased in 2011.

    A few months ago I started getting this message when I tried to boot up:

    no boot device available press enter key to retry

    I tried using the Dell recovery disk to boot but that just brings me to a screen where I get the options to restore to a system backup or restore to factory. Neither option works when I pick it because then it tells my hard drive isn’t big enough. If I choose to run diagnostics (F12) that tells me it can’t detect the hard drive.

    any idea what the problem most likely is?
     
    bruce7834, May 12, 2016
    #1
  2. mahlemuts

    mahlemuts Member

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    try removing any usb drives that may be connected - PC might be trying to boot from those, failing that, enter Bios and restore to defaults, see if that makes any difference.

    if that don't work, your HDD could be knackered!
     
    mahlemuts, May 13, 2016
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  3. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    actually, just access the bios to see if the hard drive is seen or not because if not then the drive is dead.
     
    ddp, May 13, 2016
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  4. attar

    attar Senior member

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    I had a case of the bad power connectors recently which resulted in a no boot/no detect; try another just in case.
     
    attar, May 13, 2016
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  5. Tecci

    Tecci Newbie

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    When the error information "no boot device available" shows up, there are several reasons：
    1. the system file is damaged
    2. MBR file is corrupted
    3. the hard disk cable is loose
    4. the hard disk is broken

    And there are corresponding solutions to each problem：
    1. reinstall operating system
    2. fix MBR (and more information you can refer to http://www.disk-partition.com/windows-10/fix-mbr-windows-10-0708.html)
    3. check the cable, and make it tight. Or change a new one if it's bad
    4. if BIOS can recognize the disk, you can try to reinstall OS; if reinstall job fails, you can try to re-partition disk; if re-partition still cannot work, try low level formatting. But if BIOS cannot recognize the disk, you can only replace a new disk.
    Good luck for you!
     
    Tecci, May 17, 2016
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  6. ilikefree

    ilikefree Member

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    Change the bios to boot from a dvd
    use an install disc of the same type as your operating system and start with the following options.
    1. Startup Repair

    2. If the above doesn't cure the problem, go back to the Repair Option and this time choose Command prompt, then type these 4 commands (in all instances the capitals are for clarity only):

    BOOTREC /FIXMBR and press Enter
    BOOTREC /FIXBOOT and press Enter.
    BOOTREC /SCANOS and press Enter.
    BOOTREC /REBUILDBCD and press Enter.

    3. If it’s not successful or you receive ‘No operating system found’ or ‘Element not found’ messages, go back to the command Prompt and make the partition active by typing these commands:

    DISKPART and press Enter.
    LIST DISK and press Enter.
    SELECT DISK C and press Enter (C represents the disk you want).
    LIST PARTITION and press Enter.
    SELECT PARTITION C and press Enter (C represents the partition you want).
    ACTIVE and press Enter.
    EXIT and press Enter.
     
    ilikefree, May 18, 2016
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