Acer Swift 3 SF315-52 - No Bootable Device - Optane Memory Issue?

Hello,

I am currently having an issue with the Swift 3 Laptop where it doesn't find any bootable devices. This laptop comes with optane memory of 16GB and when no bootable devices are found I have noticed the Optane Memory which normally shows under HDD0 is not there. The HDD1 listed is the hard drive, not SSD, I have not opened up the laptop or anything.

The weird part is if I shut down the computer, after a while the computer starts back up without issue and the Optane Memory is showing again.

Is it possible the Optane Memory is loose? What could be causing this absurd issue? Anyone else have this issue or know how I could fix it?

Thanks in advance.

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Jack22

@HelpJake
Just try the below step and check:

power drain: Just check the back of the unit, you can find a pin hole , unplug the charger and turn off the unit. now put a paper clip in the small pin hole and press and hold it for 30 sec.

BIOS default: After power drain is done, power on the unit, but as soon as you power on the unit keep pressing the F2 key so that it take you to BIOS page. Press F9 and press Enter than press F10 and press Enter. the unit will restart

Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

HelpJake

Thank you Jack22, attempted per the above but still getting the same issue. Again, this only happens once in a while and not all the time.

When this issue does occur I can usually fix it by turning off the laptop, picking it up, and moving it around.

Is it possible for the optane whatever it is to be loose? First time I've dealt with one.

Again thanks in advance.

Xennial

Hi HelpJake,

I am having the exactly same issue on the same laptop.
Glad I am not the only one and I initially thought is another dying hdd. But given that the laptop is still so new, it is unlikely harddisk issue.

1) I have yet to try Jack22's method, but hoping that someone or Acer could tell us how to fix this issue.

2) https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/596586/a-solution-for-acer-swift-3-no-bootable-drive Another Acer claimed it is Windows update issue. I have checked that and my Windows 10 said there is no new updates.

Thus, I am not sure what it is.
Meanwhile, will try Jack22's method and see if it works.

billsey

It's always possible the Optane memory is loose, but very unlikely. It's in the M.2 slot and there's a screws that holds it in place. The Optane is used to cache some accesses to the HDD to make those faster, giving you performance like the hybrid SSD/HDDs out there. Jack22's suggestion works great when the problem is the OS getting confused about the storage because there is data that's kept in memory between boots and the power drain clears that out. You do want to add one step though, after holding the reset button for 30 seconds you really want to also then leave the machine powered off for 15-30 minutes before reconnecting the power cable. That allows all power to fully drain off. If you short yourself there you will often not completely clear things.

Xennial

The problem is getting more frequent and I notice it usually happen after using the laptop without the power adaptor.

Yes, the Jack22's suggestion is like the interim solution but I really hope Acer has a solution. Otherwise, all of us who face this problem will have to leave with it until the laptop's end of life.

If the day I can't ever revive it from the "No Bootable Device", I will have to send the laptop to the 'hospital' (Acer Service Centre) I guess.

Xennial

Just an Update.

I did 3 things and hope it stays resolved.
1) Updated Bios to v1.08 (this didn't prevent the 'no bootable device')
2) In Bios, disable fast boot (not sure if this is of any help)
3) Change from RST with Optane to AHCI. (Requires booting in safe mode apart from changing BIOS setting) https://support.thinkcritical.com/kb/articles/switch-windows-10-from-raid-ide-to-ahci

Keeping my fingers crossed now that the issue will not resurface again.

Xennial

Hi Everyone,

I think I have solved mine.

What I have tried and didn't work
0) Did a checkdisk /chkdsk and system file check /sfc to ensure the SSD hard disk is really sound and working.
1) Updated Bios to v1.08 (this didn't prevent the 'no bootable device')
2) In Bios, disable fast boot (not sure if this is of any help)
3) Change from RST with Optane to AHCI. (Requires booting in safe mode apart from changing BIOS setting) https://support.thinkcritical.com/kb/articles/switch-windows-10-from-raid-ide-to-ahci
4) BootFix (Requires a bootable Windows 10 installation on USB thumbdrive https://appuals.com/how-to-fix-no-boot-device-found-error-on-acer-dell-or-toshiba-systems/) This didn't work as it reach a point when the command says "access denied". Suggest not to try this method unless you know what you are doing and make sure you backup all your files and be prepared to reinstall your Windows 10
5) Alt + F10 on bootup (Acer Logo): I tried resetting and reinstalling everything (with all files removed, after backing up). Still the "No Bootable Device" comes back after a while (likely when all the Windows 10 Update are completed to date)

What finally worked
1) Reinstall Windows 10 using USB Thumbdrive (https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/software-download/windows10). Make sure to change in Bios (Press F2 on Acer logo) to boot from the USB Thumbdrive instead of your SSD hard disk. (Note: At times, your laptop may not seed the SSD hard disk so you aren't able to do the reinstallation. You need to be able to see your SSD hard disk in order to reinstall Windows 10 and replace the faulty one)
2) Do NOT erase/format/delete the "Recovery" or "ESP/EFI". They are likely necessary to ensure Acer Recovery (alt + 10 function on bootup) is still there. Install/format over the C drive (likely the largest partition) listed there. Some claim that deleting the "Recovery" may void your Acer Warranty.
3) Perform all the Windows 10 Update

Been 3 days, no more issue, pray hard that it will not surface anymore.
Hope it helps others as well.

Xennial

I thought Acer has blocked me for some reason! Was unable to logon for weeks.

Just an Update.

The issue did come back once a while..
In the end, it was the ssd that was the issue (despite it passed chkdsk and sfc)
Replaced at Acer Centre since laptop is still within warrany period. So far so good.

billsey

Yeah, there were some wort of technical issues with the forum host and we weren't able to log in for something like a week there. All fix now though. Good news, glad it got sorted!

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