It’s natural to feel all the emotions: fear, desperation, maybe a little rage. More so when you read the second line of the message: “Please install an operating system on your hard disk.” You can follow a few simple steps to determine whether the cause of the boot device issue is something obvious and easy to resolve or something more serious.
How to Fix No Boot Device Found Error
It’s always good to start with the basics when determining how to fix No Boot Device Found error. Make sure your SATA/IDE cable is properly connected and that no other drives are attached to your computer’s USB ports. It’s rare, but sometimes cables come loose or your computer will look at the wrong hard drive to boot up.
Next, make sure your system settings are all in order. Sometimes software updates or settings changes can interfere with your computer’s ability to recognize a drive. This can happen for other reasons including damage to the Master Boot Record or incorrect BIOS boot sequence.
Next, you can troubleshoot the problem with the methods below:
- Perform a hard reset. On Windows laptops, this will restore factory settings with the option of preserving all user data. Make sure you select the right option during this process to prevent permanent data loss.
- Confirm the boot device can be detected.
- If it’s still not detected, confirm the BIOS booting setup and attempt a manual boot from the selected boot device.
- Use your manufacturer’s diagnostic tool to verify the drive is recognized and test it.
- If these troubleshooting efforts fail, contact a professional data recovery company.
It’s also important to know what not to do if you have trouble with identifying a boot device. Using the Startup Repair function in Windows can be risky if you don’t read all the options carefully when presented to you in Windows. Make sure you take your time and read instructions closely when using any system tools.
If Startup Repair does not resolve the No Boot Device Found error, some users opt to do a Factory Reset. This process returns the drive to its original factory condition. All previous data stored there will be permanently deleted. Make sure you understand the consequences before choosing a Factory Reset.
What Does No Boot Device Found Mean?
No Boot Device Found sounds pretty bad, but it’s not necessarily the end of the world. It essentially means that your computer can’t identify a hard drive connected to it. It might also mean that your computer can’t identify your operating system (OS) located on that hard drive.
Several issues can cause your computer to deliver a No Boot Device Found message. Your hard drive’s firmware might be corrupted, or your internal hard drive has a mechanical failure. You might also have a disconnected or malfunctioning SATA/IDE cable or a configuration problem.
If you’ve ruled out all other options, then your hard drive might have a physical or logical problem. This could mean anything from bad sectors or firmware corruption to broken read/write heads or platter damage.
You’ll need the services of a reputable data recovery company. That non-bootable drive still holds all your data. Until whatever issues caused it to fail have been resolved, you won’t be able to access it. All your data is effectively lost.
What Does No Boot Device Found Mean?
You’ve received a Boot Device Not Found error. You’ve ruled out connection and configuration issues as the cause. You fear that your data might well be lost forever, since you can’t find any way to access your computer’s hard drive.
Regardless of the failure scenario, Secure Data Recovery Services can help. Our certified technicians in laptop data recovery can resolve severe logical and physical problems to retrieve your priceless files. Our certified Class 10 ISO 4 cleanrooms provide maximum protection against airborne particulates during invasive recovery procedures. We’ll conduct a thorough diagnostic analysis free of charge and give you a no-obligation price quote.
If you authorize us to proceed, we’ll successfully extract all your data from the failed drive and return it to you on a new transfer drive of your choosing. It’s really that simple.
No bootable device found? No problem. Our data recovery technicians maintain a documented 96% success rate, and we guarantee our results. If for any reason we can’t recover your lost data, you pay nothing.
Call us at 800-388-1266 for a free consultation or to open a new data recovery case.
