When a Dell system fails to pass the black screen/Dell logo and repeatedly restarts, the issue is typically caused by corrupted boot files, residual power/flea power issues, misconfigured BIOS settings, or a failing storage drive.
Follow these troubleshooting steps in order to diagnose and resolve the loop.
Perform a Hard Reset. Residual electrical charge or connected external devices can cause the POST routine to fail . Disconnect all external devices like flash drives, external HDDs, printers, SD cards . Keep only the power cable, monitor, keyboard, and mouse attached . Power off the system completely . Disconnect the AC power adapter (and remove the battery if your laptop has an external/removable battery) . Press and hold the power button for 20 seconds to drain residual flea power . Reconnect the power cable and attempt to turn the machine on .
Run Built-in Dell Hardware Diagnostics (ePSA) Before modifying software settings, check whether the storage drive or RAM has failed. Turn on the computer and immediately tap the F12 key repeatedly when the Dell logo appears until the One-Time Boot Menu opens .
Use the arrow keys to select Diagnostics or ePSA / SupportAssist OS Recovery and press Enter . Let the diagnostic test run . If an error code appears (such as 2000-0142 or 2000-0146 for storage drive failure), note the error and validation codes.
Verify and Reset BIOS / UEFI Settings. Corrupted NVRAM or incorrect boot configurations such as an incorrect storage controller mode or boot order will trigger an infinite restart loop .
Power on the system and tap F2 repeatedly at the Dell logo to enter BIOS Setup . Look for Load Defaults, Restore Settings, or press F9 (depending on your BIOS version) to reset the BIOS configuration . Navigate to the Boot Sequence or Boot Configuration menu: Ensure Boot List Option is set to UEFI . Confirm that Windows Boot Manager is at the top of the boot priority list. Navigate to System Configuration > SATA Operation (or Storage Controller Mode): If it is set to AHCI/NVMe, switch it to RAID On (or vice versa), save changes, and try booting. A mismatch between what Windows was installed with and what BIOS defaults to will cause an immediate reboot. Press F10 (or click Apply / Exit) to save settings and restart .
Trigger Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) If the hardware passes diagnostics, the Windows boot partition (BCD) or a recent driver update is likely corrupted
Turn on the machine. The moment the Dell logo appears with spinning dots, press and hold the power button for 5–7 seconds to force a shutdown . Repeat this process three times in succession . On the fourth boot, Windows should display Preparing Automatic Repair followed by the blue Recovery / Choose an option screen . Navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options: Startup Repair: Select this first to let Windows automatically detect and repair corrupt boot records . System Restore: Roll back the system to a point before the loop started. Uninstall Updates: Remove recent quality or feature updates that may have caused the crash. Startup Settings: Click Restart, then press 4 or F4 to boot into Safe Mode . If it enters Safe Mode, run sfc /scannow in Command Prompt to fix corrupt system files .
Repair via Bootable Media or SupportAssist OS Recovery If WinRE does not appear: SupportAssist OS Recovery: On newer Dell systems, tap F12 on startup and select SupportAssist OS Recovery . Use the built-in Repair tool or Backup & Reset option to restore boot files without losing user files . Windows USB Installation Media: If SupportAssist is unavailable, create a bootable Windows USB installer on another PC, tap F12 at startup, boot from the USB , choose Repair your computer (bottom left), open Command Prompt, and run: text bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bootrec /rebuildbcd
If still under warranty, contact Dell Support by clicking the blue "Get Help Now" on rightside of page.
Hope the best!
I hope this helps! If this was useful, please hit 'Yes' or 'Like'! Thanks! 😊
Sharan G
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Posted August 28th, 2026 09:13
@Dorva
When a Dell system fails to pass the black screen/Dell logo and repeatedly restarts, the issue is typically caused by corrupted boot files, residual power/flea power issues, misconfigured BIOS settings, or a failing storage drive.
Follow these troubleshooting steps in order to diagnose and resolve the loop.
Perform a Hard Reset. Residual electrical charge or connected external devices can cause the POST routine to fail .
Disconnect all external devices like flash drives, external HDDs, printers, SD cards . Keep only the power cable, monitor, keyboard, and mouse attached .
Power off the system completely .
Disconnect the AC power adapter (and remove the battery if your laptop has an external/removable battery) .
Press and hold the power button for 20 seconds to drain residual flea power .
Reconnect the power cable and attempt to turn the machine on .
Run Built-in Dell Hardware Diagnostics (ePSA)
Before modifying software settings, check whether the storage drive or RAM has failed. Turn on the computer and immediately tap the F12 key repeatedly when the Dell logo appears until the One-Time Boot Menu opens .
Use the arrow keys to select Diagnostics or ePSA / SupportAssist OS Recovery and press Enter .
Let the diagnostic test run . If an error code appears (such as 2000-0142 or 2000-0146 for storage drive failure), note the error and validation codes.
Verify and Reset BIOS / UEFI Settings.
Corrupted NVRAM or incorrect boot configurations such as an incorrect storage controller mode or boot order will trigger an infinite restart loop .
Power on the system and tap F2 repeatedly at the Dell logo to enter BIOS Setup .
Look for Load Defaults, Restore Settings, or press F9 (depending on your BIOS version) to reset the BIOS configuration .
Navigate to the Boot Sequence or Boot Configuration menu:
Ensure Boot List Option is set to UEFI .
Confirm that Windows Boot Manager is at the top of the boot priority list.
Navigate to System Configuration > SATA Operation (or Storage Controller Mode):
If it is set to AHCI/NVMe, switch it to RAID On (or vice versa), save changes, and try booting. A mismatch between what Windows was installed with and what BIOS defaults to will cause an immediate reboot.
Press F10 (or click Apply / Exit) to save settings and restart .
Trigger Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)
If the hardware passes diagnostics, the Windows boot partition (BCD) or a recent driver update is likely corrupted
Turn on the machine. The moment the Dell logo appears with spinning dots, press and hold the power button for 5–7 seconds to force a shutdown .
Repeat this process three times in succession .
On the fourth boot, Windows should display Preparing Automatic Repair followed by the blue Recovery / Choose an option screen .
Navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options:
Startup Repair: Select this first to let Windows automatically detect and repair corrupt boot records .
System Restore: Roll back the system to a point before the loop started.
Uninstall Updates: Remove recent quality or feature updates that may have caused the crash.
Startup Settings: Click Restart, then press 4 or F4 to boot into Safe Mode . If it enters Safe Mode, run sfc /scannow in Command Prompt to fix corrupt system files .
Repair via Bootable Media or SupportAssist OS Recovery
If WinRE does not appear:
SupportAssist OS Recovery: On newer Dell systems, tap F12 on startup and select SupportAssist OS Recovery . Use the built-in Repair tool or Backup & Reset option to restore boot files without losing user files .
Windows USB Installation Media: If SupportAssist is unavailable, create a bootable Windows USB installer on another PC, tap F12 at startup, boot from the USB , choose Repair your computer (bottom left), open Command Prompt, and run:
text
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd
If still under warranty, contact Dell Support by clicking the blue "Get Help Now" on rightside of page.
Hope the best!
I hope this helps! If this was useful, please hit 'Yes' or 'Like'! Thanks! 😊