Article Number: 000124359
Duration: 00:39
Closed captions: (English-only video, with subtitles available for several languages.)
This article describes general troubleshooting steps for computers that are powering up correctly. Computers that are passing the Dell BIOS screen at boot, but do not successfully boot to Microsoft Windows 11 or Windows 10. Some symptoms of a computer being in a no boot state:
Boot-related issues may occur due to corrupt operating system files, bad sectors on the hard drive, incorrect BIOS or UEFI settings, and so on.
Duration: 00:39
Closed captions: (English-only video, with subtitles available for several languages.)
Often a computer does not attempt to hand off control to the operating system. If you power the computer on and you see a Dell logo screen with a bar at the bottom? If that bar fills up completely and disappears, then your computer has successfully completed POST.
If your computer does not complete POST, see article, Dell Computer Does Not Turn On or Boot Into Windows With Errors Such as No Bootable Device.
If your hard drive is not recognized, see article, How to Resolve Hard Drive (HDD) or Solid-State Drive (SSD) Issues on your Dell Computer.
A piece of hardware may be interfering with the normal boot process of Windows. Try unplugging all devices from your computer, including:
The only devices that you should leave attached to your computer are your monitor, mouse, and keyboard, if the computer is a desktop.
Once this is completed, unplug the computer from the wall, remove the laptop battery (if applicable) and hold the power button down for approximately 15 seconds. Then plug wall power back into the computer and attempt to restart.
To run a hardware diagnostic on your Dell computer, see How to Run a Diagnostic Test Using SupportAssist or How to Run a Preboot Diagnostic Test on a Dell Computer.
Try searching for additional solutions on the Web.
Click your preferred search engine below, then describe your problem, including any specific error messages.
Search Dell Search Microsoft Search Google Search Bing
If you are experiencing a blue screen error on your computer, see: Windows 10 crashes to a blue screen The article lists common blue screen errors and how to troubleshoot them.
If you are experiencing a black screen that does not go into Windows, see Microsoft article: Troubleshoot black screen or blank screen errors.
If your computer is set to first attempt to boot to another device, this may cause issues with successfully booting to Windows. To reset your computer's BIOS to factory defaults, perform the following steps:
The software may be causing your computer to not boot properly. For more information about booting to Safe Mode, and to troubleshoot using clean boot troubleshooting, see the following links:
A clean boot is performed to start Windows by using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. This helps eliminate software conflicts that occur. Conflicts that are seen when you install a program or an update or when you run a program in Windows 11 or Windows 10. You may also troubleshoot or determine what conflict is causing the problem by performing a clean boot.
Back to TopVirus or other malicious software can infect and affect your computer. Dell Technologies recommends strengthening your personal computer against malicious attacks by keeping your anti-virus software up to date.
Protect your computer or remove virus, spyware, or other malware in Microsoft Windows.
If the previous troubleshooting could not resolve your issue, it may be necessary to restore your computer to factory settings. To restore your computer's operating system and software to the original factory settings, see Dell Knowledge Base article: How to Reinstall Windows 10 on your Dell computer.
Back to Top
Here are some recommended articles related to this topic that might be of interest to you.
Out of warranty? No problem. Browse to the Dell.com/support website and enter your Dell Service Tag and view our offers.
17 Jul 2024
27
Solution