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September 19th, 2017 22:00

"No bootable drive" message during startup on XPS27 Desktop

I have a DELL XPS-27 All-in-One desktop purchased in Aug 2015. System info is shown below. Starting a few weeks ago an error message appears when device is powered on: "No bootable drive. Press F1 to retry or F2 to enter setup."

I then press F1 and startup continues and device operates fine, however I am concerned that something needs repair.

I ran the diagnostics app on the www.dell.com site and the report (14 pages) is attached. The CMOS, CPU and hard drive passed all tests.

Any suggestions?

Thomas C.

System Info
1) Operating system: Originally Win 8.1, upgraded to Win 10 immediately after purchase.
2) BIOS: Dell Inc A10, 1/7/2015
3) BIOS mode: UEFI
4) Boot device: \Device\Harddisk\Volume1

1 Attachment

10 Elder

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45.2K Posts

September 20th, 2017 12:00

Does this happen if you disconnect all peripherals, eg, printer, external USB hard drive, etc?

Check the Boot Sequence in BIOS setup (press F2 at that prompt) and make sure your boot hard drive is first on the list. Be sure to save the change when exiting setup, but don't change anything else.

Might be a failing motherboard battery... Check the Service Manual for your exact model for instructions to replace it.

10 Elder

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45.2K Posts

September 21st, 2017 15:00

Has Secure Boot Control always been enabled in BIOS setup? You could try disabling it.

Did you install any new software or updates recently?

Since the PC works after you press F1, when you get to the desktop, back up your personal files on external media ASAP, to be safe. :emotion-5:

Then do a thorough scan for malware. You can download the free versions of Malwarebytes and/or SuperAntiSpyware,  for example, in addition to running a scan with whatever active scanner you use (eg, Norton or McAfee or Windows Defender).

If the system comes up clean, you may need to Refresh Win 10.  Refresh will reinstall Win 10 but will keep your personal files (backup anyway!). It also removes apps and drivers you installed and the changes you made to settings. So be prepared to reinstall your apps, meaning you need their installation disks and the product keys in advance...

9 Legend

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47K Posts

September 22nd, 2017 05:00

memory  test failed  WME22-0QJ code for the Advanced Pattern test is very specific.

:emotion-3:

There are no soft fixes for physically bad Ram and Hard drive.

10 Elder

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45.2K Posts

September 22nd, 2017 11:00

It's possible some RAM isn't being addressed during your normal use but fails when the Advanced Pattern Test tests it, though I have seen reports that this error may be a software bug. But you might want to reseat the RAM modules in their slots.

I'm leaning toward an error in one of the boot manager files on the hard drive. Put a bootable CD or DVD in the drive and then restart the PC. Press F12 and choose the optical drive as the boot option. Alternatively, put the optical drive first in the boot sequence in setup, insert the disk in the drive and reboot. Does it boot ok now?

10 Elder

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45.2K Posts

September 22nd, 2017 17:00

Sure that DVD is bootable?  You can also create a bootable USB using Rufus (free) if you don't have a DVD that's bootable. https://rufus.akeo.ie/

Even if the hard drive checks out ok, if one of the files in the boot manager is corrupted, the tests you ran wouldn't detect it and you'd would get that "no bootable" error.  So in the end, you may need to Refresh or reinstall Win 10.

Only you can decide when you can no longer stand pressing F1 at every boot and decide to Refresh or reinstall Win 10.

10 Elder

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45.2K Posts

September 23rd, 2017 16:00

BTW: The Fall Update for Win 10 will be coming out soon -probably in October- and if you're lucky, the update will fix your boot error, without having to refresh or reinstall, as long as you run the update with your fingers crossed! :emotion-5:

But make certain all your files are backed up on external media before you allow the update to run, in case it goes wonky and you end up having to do a clean install....

32 Posts

September 20th, 2017 15:00

Ron,

Thanks for the suggestions. The only peripheral was a scanner. I disconnected it but the problem persists.

The Setup Utility shows the Following:

***Boot Settings Configuration***

Boot Mode....................[UEFI]

Secure Boot Control......[enabled]

Secure Boot Mode.........[standard]

Load Legacy OPROM......[never]

1st boot device...........[windows boot manager]

2nd boot device...........[USB storage device]

3rd boot device............[internal ODD devices]

4th boot device............[USB floppy device]

5th boot device...........[onboard NIC device]

***Hard Disk Drives***

1st boot device...........[windows boot manager]

 

Do you have any other suggestions?

 

Thomas C

32 Posts

September 21st, 2017 22:00

Ron,

I do not know if Secure Boot Control has always been enabled. I will disable it and do another power down/power up cycle. In the meantime a couple of other things are worth mentioning. 

After posting my previous response to you I updated the BIOS to DELL A13 from  11/13/2015, however this did not cure the problem. I just ran the System Stress Test using the DELL Support Assistant and it detected the error described below. Could this explain the startup problem?

Hardware Scans\Advanced Pattern Test

Error Message: The pattern written (0202020202020202) did not match pattern read (0202020222020202) at the physical address (000000023F5E0458).

The pattern difference was: 0000000020000000.

Failed, Error code: WME22-OLM

Thomas C

 

32 Posts

September 22nd, 2017 09:00

SpeedStep,

 

Thanks for the response. After I press F1 the device does start up and functions OK. Is it likely that the defect detected by the Advanced Pattern Test is the reason for the "No bootable device..." message?

Thomas C

 

32 Posts

September 22nd, 2017 10:00

Ron,

 

I disabled "Secure Boot Control" but the problem persists.

 

Thomas C

32 Posts

September 22nd, 2017 13:00

Ron,


I will try booting from a DVD. I have a DVD that came with a textbook. Will that be appropriate?


I am currently running a diagnostic that is available from the F12 menu during startup, i.e. the ePSA Pre-boot System Assessment. It is 98% complete. It did not find defects in any of the following:

CD-ROM drive

OS boot path

Processor

System Management

Memory

I'm still waiting for the report on the Hard Drive.

 

Thomas C 

32 Posts

September 22nd, 2017 15:00

Ron,

 

The Pre-boot System Assessment says there is no defect in the Hard Drive.

I changed the boot sequence to

1st Boot Device: optical drive

2nd Boot Device: Windows Boot Manager

I placed a DVD from a textbook publisher in the optical drive. During power-up I saw the same error message as before. After pressing F1, Win10 started. I could not tell if it tried to boot off of the optical drive.

 

Thanks for your suggestions. I won't spend any more time on this issue. If the problem does not get worse, I can still use the device.

 

Thomas C

32 Posts

September 22nd, 2017 20:00

At this point it is only a minor inconvenience so I won't reinstall Win10 right now. I'll have to do this eventually but it will be OK for the near future. Thanks for the tip about the Rufus site.

32 Posts

September 23rd, 2017 19:00

Thanks! I'll be looking for the Fall update.

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