Troubleshoot a Dell computer that does not boot to Windows 11 or Windows 10

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:

• The computer turns on, has video and proceeds past the Dell screen (Screen comes on and goes away) but Windows does not finish booting.
• The Caps Lock key is illuminated when pressed.
• The hard drive activity light may flicker, stay on or be off.
• An on-screen error message may be present such as 'No Boot Device', 'No Bootable Device' or 'Boot Device Not Found'.
• No diagnostic codes are present, and the power button lights up solid under its normal operating color.
• Operating computer sounds are not heard.

Table of contents:

1. Verify the Computer Finishes Initial Power-Up (POST)
2. Unplug all devices, and perform a hard reset
3. Run a Computer Diagnostic
4. Check for Specific Error Messages
5. Reset the BIOS to Default Values
6. Safe Mode Troubleshooting
7. Virus and Malware Troubleshooting
8. Reset your Windows 11 or Windows 10 Operating System
9. Restore the Operating System to Factory Settings

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.

Verify that the computer finishes initial power-up (POST)

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.

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Unplug all devices, and perform a hard reset

A piece of hardware may be interfering with the normal boot process of Windows. Try unplugging all devices from your computer, including:

• Printers
• Scanners
• Media Card Readers
• Small Media cradles (iPod, PDA, MP3 player, so forth)
• Digital Cameras and Video Recorders
• USB storage devices
• CDs or DVDs from all optical drives

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.

Run a Computer Diagnostic

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.

Check for specific error messages

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. 

Reset the BIOS to default values

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:

1. Restart the computer.
2. At the Dell logo during restart, tap the F2 key repeatedly until you see Entering Setup in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Depending on the BIOS, must press a key that is listed at the bottom of the screen to load default settings.
4. Press ESC to exit the BIOS, and be sure to select Save and Exit to save your changes.
   Note: For Windows based tablets, perform the following steps instead.

   1. With the tablet off, press the Power Button. 
   2. Immediately press and hold down the Volume Down until the System Setup page (BIOS) appears (if the tablet boots to Windows, try again).
   3. Touch or click Load Defaults.
   4. Touch or click OK.
   5. Touch or click Exit, if the tablet does not automatically reboot.

Safe Mode Troubleshooting

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:

• How to Boot into Safe Mode in Windows 11 or Windows 10

Clean boot troubleshooting

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.

• How to perform a clean boot in Windows

Virus and malware troubleshooting

Virus 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.

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Reset your Windows 11 or Windows 10 operating system

1. At the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot.
2. At the Troubleshoot screen, select Reset this personal computer.
3. At the Reset this PC screen, select Keep my files.
4. Select your user account, and enter the password if prompted.
5. Select Reset.
6. Windows performs the reset process.

Restore the operating system to factory settings

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.

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Recommended Articles

Here are some recommended articles related to this topic that might be of interest to you.

• How to Resolve the Windows 10 Infinite Boot Loop Problem
• How to Reinstall Windows 10 on your Dell computer
• How to Boot into Safe Mode in Windows 11 or Windows 10
• How to Run Windows Startup Repair on a Dell computer
• Dell Computer Does Not Turn On or Boot Into Windows With Errors Such as No Bootable Device
• No POST, No Power, No Video on a Dell Desktop Computer
• Understanding and Troubleshooting the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid-State Drive (HDD or SSD) on a Dell Computer
• How to Resolve Hard Drive (HDD) or Solid-State Drive (SSD) Issues on your Dell Computer
• How to Troubleshoot a RAID Hard Drive Issue on a Dell Computer
• How to Use Forced ePSA to Recover from POST or Boot Failure on Dell Latitude PCs
• How to Reset Real Time Clock (RTC) to Recover Your Dell Laptop

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