Dell Technologies 14th Generation PowerEdge Server Troubleshooting Guide

Troubleshooting no boot issues for Windows operating systems

1. Check the hard drive status in the PERC BIOS. For more information, see PERC BIOS configuration utility.
2. Boot the server in the safe mode.
   NOTE:If the server is a domain controller, boot the server in Directory Services Repair Mode (DSRM).
   If the server boots successfully, the issue is with an installed driver, application, or service. Proceed to Step 4.
3. For Windows Server, you can perform the following recovery options:
   • Use the bootrec command to troubleshoot startup issues. For more information, see Troubleshoot startup issues .
   • Use the chkdsk tool to determine whether there is a disk problem. For more information, see Chkdsk
   • Use DiskPart to verify the status of disk partitions. For more information. see Diskpart.
   • Use the bcdedit utility to view or modify the boot configuration database (BCD). For more information, see Bcdedit.

   NOTE:For additional recovery console commands, see How to use the Recovery Console.

   NOTE:For more troubleshooting steps, see How to troubleshoot startup problems in Windows server 2003.
4. From within the safe mode or DSRM, use the msconfig utility to disable startup applications and non-Microsoft services on the server.
5. Reboot the server in the normal mode.
6. If the server boots, use the msconfig utility to identify the disrupting service or application by enabling services and startup applications one at a time and rebooting the server until the server fails to boot.
7. If the issue persists, use Dell's Linux-based OMSA LiveCD to boot the system and run diagnostic tests to determine whether any hardware is malfunctioning.
   OMSA LiveCD can also be used to recover data from a server whose operating system does not start.