Having computer problems....help needed

[MaxxVolume]

It`s my wife`s computer (Dell Inspirion 560, Windows 10, circa 2010)

There was an automatic update done 2 days ago, and the problems started. Sluggish and then, frozen screen. Now it won`t even boot up, the only thing that appears is the following:
"No boot device available, press ENTER key to retry" (tried that, it does nothing). No on-screen mouse response either. Tried a forced manual shutdown, then powered on again, with the same results.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks !

 

[Chris Brown]

Would be a good idea to get into the BIOS / UEFI, basically where you adjust the configuration options that are built directly into the motherboard. It should list a keyboard key that you need to press when the computer first boots up, usually F1 or F10 or something similar. From there, there should be a screen that shows you all of the detected hard drives (so you can see if your hard drive is even being detected anymore at a basic level), as well as a screen that shows you which drive the computer is configured to be booted up from.

 

[charles 1973]

If windows 10 for that machine has a set of back up CD's try loading the first. Just a thought.

 

[Ronald1973]

It`s my wife`s computer (Dell Inspirion 560, Windows 10, circa 2010)

There was an automatic update done 2 days ago, and the problems started. Sluggish and then, frozen screen. Now it won`t even boot up, the only thing that appears is the following:
"No boot device available, press ENTER key to retry" (tried that, it does nothing). No on-screen mouse response either. Tried a forced manual shutdown, then powered on again, with the same results.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks !

How long have you had Windows 10 on it? You said circa 2010, so I'm assuming you've upgraded to 10. My computer is circa 2012, and I'm running 7.

 

[MaxxVolume]

If windows 10 for that machine has a set of back up CD's try loading the first. Just a thought.

No CDs....the switch from Windows 7 (original OS) to Windows 10 was done online....

 

[Hipocrates]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2960...windows-10-and-go-back-to-windows-7-or-8.html

Maybe this works for you.

 

[Chris Brown]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2960...windows-10-and-go-back-to-windows-7-or-8.html

Maybe this works for you.

If his computer is giving him an error upon boot that says "No boot device available", then the problem is much more basic than a windows 10 issue. That is the kind of error you would get if it is not even detecting that your hard drive exists (regardless of what operating system is installed on it).

 

[Hipocrates]

If his computer is giving him an error upon boot that says "No boot device available", then the problem is much more basic than a windows 10 issue. That is the kind of error you would get if it is not even detecting that your hard drive exists (regardless of what operating system is installed on it).

My bad...

@MaxxVolume , are you able to enter to the bios pressing "F2"?
Can you select the bootable device pressing F12 when the computer is booting?

 

[greymatter]

How long has Windows 10 been running on this device ? was it a D/Load from the Dell or Microsoft web site? Have you had any other problems before this issue started ? What type of sucurity are you running on this computer ? Freeware or ?

 

[MaxxVolume]

Thanks for your responses !
Sorry, but I am not at all computer-savvy, and will need to be guided through every step here. These are the two screens I am able to access....where can I go from here ?

 

[petehall347]

use down arrow and select next one down

 

[highvoltage_]

Top picture, arrow down to "Boot Device Configuration" and hit Enter. Then tell us what it says.

 

[highvoltage_]

You could look at the CMOS, but first I think it's better to determine if there's a boot device present.

 

[MaxxVolume]

OK, here`s what I got :

 

[petehall347]

go to the sata ones and click them and see if you force it to look for the hard drive . if not found turn off pc and pull the lead on and off that goes to the hard drive . if still no boot plug the end that goes into the board into a free hole .
if still no joy you need a boot disc so you can see if hard drive can be located that way.
i use a few different ones .. ubcd503 springs to mind ...

 

[MaxxVolume]

go to the sata ones and click them and see if you force it to look for the hard drive . if not found turn off pc and pull the lead on and off that goes to the hard drive . if still no boot plug the end that goes into the board into a free hole .
if still no joy you need a boot disc so you can see if hard drive can be located that way.
i use a few different ones .. ubcd503 springs to mind ...

Sorry, maybe you didn`t read my #10 post above.... I need it a little more basic than that (I DO appreciate the effort, I just wish I had a better understanding of this)

 

[petehall347]

at least try the first part that is clicking only ..
p.s i think the hard drive has failed . hope i am wrong .
making a boot disc is actually surprisingly easy .even i can do it .

 

[meggy]

Sorry, maybe you didn`t read my #10 post above.... I need it a little more basic than that (I DO appreciate the effort, I just wish I had a better understanding of this)

Maybe try this:

Trace the data cable from the hard drive to the mother board. Then unplug it from the Board and plug it back in while turned off, then reboot. Basically make sure it's secure.

Then try swapping the hard drive cable over to SATA 2 on the motherboard (where the CDROM is currently plugged into), and leave the CDROM unplugged for testing. Reboot. It should auto-detect your hard drive on 2.

Helps determine if you have a hard drive problem or a motherboard problem.

Might even swap the physical SATA data cables and power cords with the CDROM just to make sure it's not a cable problem.

 

[MaxxVolume]

How long has Windows 10 been running on this device ? was it a D/Load from the Dell or Microsoft web site? Have you had any other problems before this issue started ? What type of sucurity are you running on this computer ? Freeware or ?

Windows 10 has been running for probably 2 or 2 1/2 years now, no problems with the prior OS (Windows 7) or Windows 10 until this most recent update 2 days ago. Installation was done by Microsoft, sort of a hostile-takeover type of deal, they basically said "You`re getting this whether you want it or not".
Security is Norton 360, we`ve had it for a long time, no problems there as well.

 

[MaxxVolume]

at least try the first part that is clicking only ..
p.s i think the hard drive has failed . hope i am wrong .
making a boot disc is actually surprisingly easy .even i can do it .

OK, I clicked on all the SATA choices, here`s the results:

SATA 0; Not detected

SATA 1:
Device: ATAPI CD ROM
Drive ID: TSST Corp DVD+/-RW TS-H653G

SATA 2: Not detected

I shut down the PC, and one by one, removed each cable, and plugged it in, then removed it, did each one 7 or 8 times like that, hoping to clean the contacts. Powered up again, still no boot-up, everything was the same as before.