UNSOLVED
No Boot Device Available
I'm using a Studio 540 running Windows 7.
It had been a while since the computer was restarted (a couple weeks) so I decided I'd go ahead and do that. It was running just fine before, but now whenever I try to boot it, I get get the Dell Studio screen with the blue loading bar at the bottom, but then after a while I get this:
No boot device available
SATA0: Installed
SATA1: Installed
SATA2: None
SATA3: None
SATA4: None
SATA5: None
When I go into setup, sometimes it doesn't detect SATA0 and sometimes it will read it as the hard drive.
I have no idea what any of this means. I understand that this may mean I can no longer access what's on my hard drive and that I might have to buy a new one (which sucks, especially since there's only one thing I'd like from that hard drive). If there is any possible way to fix this without having to buy a new one or some way I can retrieve the data from this hard drive, the help would be greatly appreciated.
Also, the fan has been pretty noisy, so I decided to have a look inside. It's EXTREMELY dusty inside. How might I go about cleaning it without damaging anything farther?
EDIT
Occasionally, I'll get an "American Megatrends" screen too, if that's important. I can take a picture of it if it might help.
543
0
Posted March 10th, 2014 21:00
Strange enough, I rebooted to try what you said, but before I could even get the disc in, the system completely started... faster than before, in fact. The fan is quiet too. I'm still worried there may be an issue, so should I try rebooting with the CD anyway?
543
0
Posted March 11th, 2014 16:00
Yes, because "no boot device" may still indicate a problem.
543
0
Posted March 11th, 2014 17:00
Or perhaps the motherboard battery is weak because the PC was off for a while so it isn't holding BIOS settings...?
osprey4
6 Operator
•
34230 Posts
543
0
Posted March 10th, 2014 18:00
Hi Sonodroid,
No boot device might be a failed hard drive or it might just be a corrupted boot loader. I would suggest you boot to your Dell drivers and utilities disc and test your hard drive first.
To test your hard drive using your Dell Drivers and Utilities disc:
1. Reboot your system. When you see the Dell logo, hit F12 to enter the boot menu.
2. Insert the Dell Drivers and Utilities disc in your CD/DVD drive.
3. Pick the option to boot from the CD/DVD drive.
4. You will be prompted to hit any key to continue booting from the CD/DVD drive.
5. You will be prompted to hit 1 to run the Dell diagnostics. You may see two such menus.
6. Select Test System.
7. Select Custom Test.
7. Use the arrow keys or mouse to select your hard drive.
9. Click Run Tests.
10. Write down any error messages.