[Rileys Dad]

I'm not sure exactly where this topic belongs, so I'll try here.

I have a Dell XPS desktop. After previously being unable to boot, and a BIOS reset seemingly fixing the issue, about 2 days later by hard drive crashed completely. I tried to use the recovery disk I had created and it couldn't even recognize a bootable partition. Thankfully, I have all of my data backed up.

I was running Vista 32 bit on a 250GB western digital hard drive.

I yanked the HD and purchased a new 1TB western digital HD. I can't find my Vista disk, so I bought Windows 7. After checking the bios and verifying my machine is 64 bit capable, I decided to go with the Windows 7 64 bit.

The new HD is installed, I put the OS DVD in and try to boot, I get a prompt to hit F1 to continue. I have read that from here it can take up to 30 minutes before your machine does anything, but after a few minutes I get:

"No boot device available."

The DVD drive is set first in the boot order. I have also tried copying the DVD to an external HD and booting from that as a USB device with the same result.

I have virtualization enabled in my BIOS, and have tried both RAID On and the Autodetect settings. No matter what I do, I keep getting that same message.

Any ideas?

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1. If you are installing Windows 7 on ONE hard drive and there is only ONE hard drive in the computer you do not want RAID configured.
RAID is for a RAID setup of drives and uses two drives minimum

2/ Virtualization is for if you were installing Windows 7 and then running Virtual PC to run for instance XP or another operating system. You do NOT need it set to install Windows.
http://www.microsoft...ows/virtual-pc/

3. The BIOS may report 64 bit capable have you explored if the computer hardware is 64 bit capable - are drivers for 7 64bit avilable for the hardware - chipset etc.
That is not a great problem at this stage as you can install 32 bit from a 64bit install dvd

4. Where did you buy Windows 7 from please from Microsoft, an acredited retailer etc, or a web purchase from example EBAY - that is not to suggest that all purchases from ebay are not geuine Microsoft software - but there is as always a risk involved.

5. I notice that you had a problem, with this computer I think, when Troy was helping you on this thread
http://www.geekstogo...__fromsearch__1

the last post on which was only just a week ago.
You could have continued on that thread, but my main reason for mentioning it is :-

DO you know beyond doubt that it was the HDD. It could have been other hardware.

Please provide the full model of XPS service tag if available

The full model of the WD HDD - SATA - presume

Is the drive seen in the BIOS.
Sometimes there are multiple SATA controllers on the motherboard and it's also possible that you've connected it to a controller that isn't enabled in the BIOS. Check your motherboard manual to see which ports you should use and check the BIOS configuration to make sure all of the ports are enabled. This is also a good time to make sure the ports are in AHCI mode, the best way to run SATA drives under Windows 7.

[Macboatmaster]

1. If you are installing Windows 7 on ONE hard drive and there is only ONE hard drive in the computer you do not want RAID configured.
RAID is for a RAID setup of drives and uses two drives minimum

2/ Virtualization is for if you were installing Windows 7 and then running Virtual PC to run for instance XP or another operating system. You do NOT need it set to install Windows.
http://www.microsoft...ows/virtual-pc/

3. The BIOS may report 64 bit capable have you explored if the computer hardware is 64 bit capable - are drivers for 7 64bit avilable for the hardware - chipset etc.
That is not a great problem at this stage as you can install 32 bit from a 64bit install dvd

4. Where did you buy Windows 7 from please from Microsoft, an acredited retailer etc, or a web purchase from example EBAY - that is not to suggest that all purchases from ebay are not geuine Microsoft software - but there is as always a risk involved.

5. I notice that you had a problem, with this computer I think, when Troy was helping you on this thread
http://www.geekstogo...__fromsearch__1

the last post on which was only just a week ago.
You could have continued on that thread, but my main reason for mentioning it is :-

DO you know beyond doubt that it was the HDD. It could have been other hardware.

Please provide the full model of XPS service tag if available

The full model of the WD HDD - SATA - presume

Is the drive seen in the BIOS.
Sometimes there are multiple SATA controllers on the motherboard and it's also possible that you've connected it to a controller that isn't enabled in the BIOS. Check your motherboard manual to see which ports you should use and check the BIOS configuration to make sure all of the ports are enabled. This is also a good time to make sure the ports are in AHCI mode, the best way to run SATA drives under Windows 7.

[Rileys Dad]

Okay, I have RAID set to Autodetect and virtualization set to Off.

The HD is a Western Digital Caviar Green 1 TB SATA III Intellipower 64 MB Cache Bulk/OEM 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive Desktop Hard Drive - WD10EARX. It is recognized in the BIOS in the SATA-0 Position.

I'm not sure how to find out what is or isn't 64 bit capable, my understanding was all that mattered was the processor. I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for everything else, but I don't think that has anything to do with it at this point. I found an old XP disc and tried to do a clean install of THAT and had the exact same problem happen.

Windows 7 was purchased from Amazon. I purchased a new, sealed copy direct from them of the 64 Bit Win 7 system builders pack.

No, I do not for certain that it was only the hard drive that failed, and wouldn't know where to begin with testing anything else.

The Dell XPS service tag is 9YTWTC1.

As for the motherboard, I'm not sure what you're looking for there. When I swapped the drives, I didn't touch anything on the motherboard, I simply pulled the old drive out, pulled the cable off, put it on the new drive and slipped it in. And as for making sure the ports are in AHCI mode...I have no IDEA how to do that...

And now after having changed those settings......it won't boot at all. Won't even recognize that there is a DVD drive and goes straight to No boot device available, rather than at least regonizing it and giving me the F1 to continue and running for a few minutes before giving me that.

[Rileys Dad]

Well here's an interesting twist....now the CD drive is not being recognized.

[phillpower2]

Hi, if I may pitch in while colleague Macboatmaster is offline!

Couple of observations,

I have a Dell XPS desktop. After previously being unable to boot, and a BIOS reset seemingly fixing the issue,

What particular model of XPS is it please, Dell did not verify the service tag that you have since provided, how did you reset the BIOS?

Regarding your boot sequence and from your OP;

The DVD drive is set first in the boot order.

But in post #3 you have said;

WD10EARX. It is recognized in the BIOS in the SATA-0 Position.

Change this to your optical drive and move the HDD to another SATA port.
Can I ask did you do a full format and partition the new HDD before you installed the OS on it?
This is required to ensure a good clean install and can cause problems if you don`t.

I note from your last post that your CD drive is now not recognised, this may be resolved when doing the above.

[Rileys Dad]

It is an XPS Dimension 9200.

I was able to update the BIOS using a bootable USB drive. I am now running the most current version Dell has available, 2.5.3.

I have the boot sequence set with the optical drive first, it says:

"Onboard or USB CD-ROM Drive (not present)"

If I hit F12 for the boot menu at startup, I get:

WDC WD10EARX-00N0YB0

System Setup
Hard Drive Diagnostics
Boot to Utility Partition

And no, I have not formatted the hard drive, I assumed that the system does that as part of the Windows 7 install.

I have read elsewhere that folks have had a difficult time with the DVD drives for installing windows 7, something to do with it being SATA instead of IDE, and the older IDE drives work fine, but with the SATA it's not recognized for whatever reason and the only option is to use a USB? Unfortunatley, I don't have a large enough USB stick laying around to try that.

I'm wondering if updating the driver for the DVD would help, but Dell lists about 10 different ones and I don't see the one that would actually belong to my machine listed.

The service tag is 9YTWTC1, I may have typo'd it earlier.

[Rileys Dad]

Sorry, my case label says the system is an XPS 410, but that service tag comes back to a Dimension 9200. Weird...

[phillpower2]

I was able to update the BIOS using a bootable USB drive. I am now running the most current version Dell has available, 2.5.3.

Got you now - you have updated the BIOS, when I read that you had reset the BIOS I wrongly assumed you meant you had cleared the BIOS, I suggest that you do this now by removing the CR2032 battery on the MB for a few moments and then replace it, this will restore the MB back to the factory default settings and hopefully allow you to start afresh, upon first boot you will need to enter the BIOS and reset the time and date, save (F10) and then Y to accept the new changes.

Not all Dell BIOS settings are the same, see http://www.hiren.inf...bios-boot-cdrom for further info.


Thanks to rshaffer61 for the battery .jpeg

Sorry, my case label says the system is an XPS 410, but that service tag comes back to a Dimension 9200. Weird...

Yes very strange

[Rileys Dad]

One last oddity. If I go into the BIOS, and turn all of the SATA drives ON, then when I boot, at the boot screen I get

Serial ATA AHCI BIOS

Controller Bus#00, Device #1F, Fucntion #02: 06 Ports, 02 Devices



Port-00 Hard Disc WDC WD10EARX-00N0YB0
Port-01 CDROM, HL-DT-STDVD+-RW GSA-H31N

Strike F1 to continue, F2 to enter set-up utility.

After striking F1, I get the no boot device available, and then when I hit F2 to go into set up....it tells me the DVD drive is not present.....

[Rileys Dad]

And yes, I had previously reset the bios to factory settings as well. I did not do it by removing the battery, though. How do I do that safely?

(Seems we were replying at the same time, oops!)

[phillpower2]

Just to add you must also install the Dell drivers asap and in the correct order http://support.dell....4&isLegacy=true or again you will get issues.

[Rileys Dad]

And nevermind....I just did my 10,000th random reboot after playing with BIOS settings....and....

"Windows is loading files" complete with a grey status bar that is progressing.....

What demon doth possess my machine?

[phillpower2]

Some progress then, please keep in mind though what I previously suggested regarding the Dell drivers, good luck and let us know when you are all sorted.

Just to add you must also install the Dell drivers asap and in the correct order http://support.dell....4&isLegacy=true or again you will get issues.

Drivers available @ http://search.dell.c...t=sup&k=XPS 410

[Rileys Dad]

Windows successfully rebooted from the HD, and is completing installation.

As soon as that is completed, my first priority will be updating ALL of my drivers.

Thank you all for the help and suggestions!

[phillpower2]

Good news