How to use the no boot recovery feature Forced ePSA

The Dell Latitude Notebook has a boot recovery feature called Forced ePSA that can help resolve booting issues. To use it, completely shut down the Notebook, disconnect the AC power adapter and remove the battery, hold down the power button for 10 seconds, and then initiate Forced ePSA by pressing and holding down the power button while plugging in the AC power adapter. If the ePSA diagnostics page appears, click "Yes", then immediately press the "Escape" key and then click on "Exit". If the system didn't recover, run Forced ePSA again and allow the test to continue to identify any failing components. If the system did recover, update the BIOS to reduce the probability of the issue re-occurring.

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If your Dell Latitude Notebook fails to boot, doesn't boot completely, or stalls in booting up, there is a way that may help recover from these situations. Latitude Notebooks have a boot recovery feature called the Forced ePSA, which may help resolve these issues.

In this video, we will show you how to use the Forced Pre-Boot System Assessment tool so you can get your computer up and running again. Whichever No Boot situation you are experiencing, you will need to completely shut down your Notebook before attempting Forced ePSA. To do this, press and hold the power button until the system powers down.

For a complete shutdown, there should be no signs of any display or LED illumination, and there shouldn't be any audible beeps. Next, disconnect the AC power adapter and then remove the battery. Hold down the power button, again, for 10 seconds in order to discharge any residual power from the system. Once you have done all this, now it's time to initiate Forced ePSA.

Press and hold down the power button, and plug in the AC power adapter. Do not release the power button until some text appears on the screen or the Dell splash screen is displayed. The ePSA diagnostics page should then appear. If it doesn't, then this method will not be effective in getting your system operating again. In this case, please refer to our video on BIOS Recovery.

Once the ePSA page appears, your system will undergo a series of initial tests and colored bars will flash vertically, then horizontally, followed by a prompt to confirm if you have seen the bars.

Your system may also beep to indicate a response is required. Click "Yes", then immediately press the "Escape" key and then click on "Exit". Select "OK" for the prompt asking you if you really want to exit and reboot.

If your system didn't recover, run Forced ePSA once again but this time do not press the "Escape" key to interrupt the tests after confirming the colored bars. Allowing the test to continue will identify any failing components and if there is one, make a detailed note of the tests failed. Upon completion, contact Dell Tech Support for further assistance.

If your system did recover, the next thing to do is to immediately update your BIOS in order to reduce the probability of this issue re-occurring. To do this, go to www.dell.com/support and enter your Service Tag.

Select "Drivers & downloads" and click on the tab Find it myself, and expand category. Check the box for BIOS to reveal the BIOS update necessary for that system. Download this file to your desktop. After the download is complete, double-click on the file to begin the BIOS update process.

Once the process is started, do not press any keys, reboot, or shut down your computer. When finished, a flash update will appear stating that the process is completed and to press any key to reboot, and your system should start up again as normal.

Once the BIOS upgrade is successful, don't forget to reinstall the system battery. If you have any questions or need additional help, please contact our social media support through Facebook or Twitter and a Dell Tech Expert will be happy to assist you.

Thanks for watching. See you next time!