"No bootable device. Hit any key." Error on my laptop upon start up.

ac578
ac578 Member Posts: 4 New User

So to start off i am not very great with computers so i dont know much about this issue but throught many attempts i have not been able to fix this. i have an Acer M5-581T laptop with windows 8 and has been running fine since i recieved it. Last night I accidentaly dropped the the right hand side of my computer about 2 or 3 inches but no more. i didnt think anything of it unitl this morning when i tried to start up my computer and was successful until when i tried to open an application on my desktop and my computer froze. Also when i started up my computer i heard a scratching or cracking sound if the right hand side and this continued for the nect couple times i tried to restart my computer. So, after it froze I restarted my computer just by holding the power button and upon turning it on again after the Acer start up screen i got the message "No bootale device. Hit any key." in a blue box. Hitting any key did nothing obviously. After some research i was able to press F2 and open up BIOS but with messing around with the settings and even changing in secure mode from UEFI and Legacy doesnt seem to work. Pressing control+alt+delete doesnt help, it only restarts my laptop. Ive read other forums about this but none of the soltuions there seem to help. i havent really done anything like try to change my laptop from windows 8 to windows 7 so it is still windows 8.1. Please if anyone has anything they think i missed or that could help please! any advice on this is greatly appreciated!!!

Answers

  • wbknudsen
    wbknudsen Member Posts: 9 New User

    I have started receiving the following:

     

    Your PC needs to be repaired
    The boot configuration data file is missing some required information
    file :\BCD 
    error code: 0xc0000000f

    you'll need to use the recovery tools on your installation media. if you don't have any installation media (like a disc or usb device), contact your system administrator or pc manufacturer.

    press esc for uefi firmware settings
    when i bought my laptop, windows 8 was already installed and i did not get any installation disc.

     

    I can't however get F2 to do anything.  I can't get anything to do anything, it just repeats this message over and over.

     

     

  • finlux
    finlux ACE Posts: 1,834 Pathfinder

    Hi ac578

     

    It sounds as if your hard drive has an issue. In the first instance, remove the cover on the base of your PC just to check that the little "drop" didn't knock the connection out of place, and that the hard drive is securely connected. If it all appears to be OK, then you may need to buy a new hard drive, and reinstall Windows on it.

     

    As you say you're not very good with computers, I'd suggest to take it to your local reputable PC store, who can do this for you!

     

    Good luck, and let us know how you get on!

     

     

  • finlux
    finlux ACE Posts: 1,834 Pathfinder

    Hi wbknudsen

     

    When you buy a new PC, it is up to you to make any recovery disks/recovery drives. They've not been supplied as standard for many years now!

     

    You have 3 options:

     

    1. Restart your PC. Hold down ALT & press F10 continually. This should boot into the Acer eRecovery program. Just be wary - this may overwrite all data.

     

    2. Go to Acer support for your region, where you can buy recovery media for your model. Note - this will overwrite everything on the hard drive, but will reinstall Windows to "factory condition"

     

    3. See if you can borrow a Windows 8 disk - not an OEM, but a retail version - and use it to boot to the recovery tools

     

     

  • wbknudsen
    wbknudsen Member Posts: 9 New User

    Thanks for the response.  I started a thread separate from this with my dilema.  I have created the recovery media and I have the means to just wipe the hard drive and start fresh if need be.  That's not the problem, the problem is that no other option is available.  That is the only screen that will show up repeatedly, F2 does nothing, ALT F10 does nothing, no matter what key combination or key is pressed, I have no options to change the boot order, so recovery media is useless to me. Heck, anything is useless to me at this point other than purchasing a new hard drive.  That probably won't work since the bios on this thing is not accessible.  Acer timed the warranty on this one just right.

  • ac578
    ac578 Member Posts: 4 New User

    Hi and thank you for your answer! i did remove the cover of my laptop and checked on the hard drive and everything seemed to be totally fine with it on the outside including the connection. I think ill have my dad take my laptop with him to the shop next week or maybe check out hard drives myself. Thanks again!

  • finlux
    finlux ACE Posts: 1,834 Pathfinder

    @ac578-

     

    OK, let us know how you get on!

     

    @wbknudsen

     

    Keep persevering with the F2 key. As soon as you hit the power button try pressing & holding F2. If that doesn't do the trick, try pressing and rapidly tapping F2. Microsoft has (bizarrely) made it difficult for people to boot into BIOS with Windows 8.

  • wbknudsen
    wbknudsen Member Posts: 9 New User

    Thanks again finlux.  I have spent the better part of an hour trying to get the timing right.  I have held F2 down, I have repeatedly pressed the F2 key.  It simply will not go to any option other than the error screen. The hard drive is fine, I have since removed the hard drive and attached it to my desktop to get some critical files. I will give it one more shot and if not, I will put in another hard drive and go from there.

  • finlux
    finlux ACE Posts: 1,834 Pathfinder

    OK, wbknudsen. Let us know how you get on!

  • ac578
    ac578 Member Posts: 4 New User
    So I have opened up my laptop for the second time and disconnected and reconnected the hard drive, still no success. However I did find an old windows Xp disc that I ran when I changed some settings in BIOS and it started to reboot but stopped with a blue screen saying that it would **bleep** down the PC to prevent damage to the hard drive. I wasn't expecting the disc to work since its the wrong windows but I wanted to try it to see if it would do something and it did for a little while. Since my computer came Preloaded with windows 8 I don't believe I have a disc to go with it. The only disc that came with my laptop appears to be just a storage disc. Is there another way I could possibly reboot my computer with windows 8 without a disc? I have another laptop but it's a bit old and has windows Vista not windows 8 but is there a way I could reboot it from another computer?
  • wbknudsen
    wbknudsen Member Posts: 9 New User

    OK, got it to give me the option to boot into the bios.  I have fixed the error message with my repair media (USB restore drive made when purchasing device) and can boot into Windows just fine.  Now I am receiving the "No battery is detected" icon in the taskbar.  The laptop will only work when plugged in and is not charging the battery since it can't find one.

  • finlux
    finlux ACE Posts: 1,834 Pathfinder

    Hi ac578

     

    You could try the built in recovery partition - press ALT & F10 as soon as you switch on, but if as I suspect, the hard disk is damaged, this will have little effect. You cannot reboot it from another computer, but you could attach the hard drive to see if it is accessible or to try to retrieve data from it.

     

    If, it turns out to be the hard drive at fault, you will need to replace it, and contact Acer support for your region to obtain recovery media. Then use it to reinstall Windows.

     

     

     

  • finlux
    finlux ACE Posts: 1,834 Pathfinder

    Hi wbknudsen

     

    Well, you're getting there!

     

    Try the following to see if Windows will recognise your battery again:


    1.Press Windows key & R - then type in the Run box, devmgmt.msc Expand the Batteries category.
    2. Under the Batteries category, right-click the "Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery" listing, and select Uninstall. Do not remove the Microsoft AC Adapter driver or any other ACPI compliant driver.
    4. Restart your laptop - Windows will now re-install the driver, and hopefully, your battery should be recognised and will now charge!

     

    If this fails, then you may have an issue with your battery!

  • wbknudsen
    wbknudsen Member Posts: 9 New User

    Thanks for the response.  I have actually got it back up and running, including the battery being recongized.  FYI make sure to put the screws on the back to attach the keyboard.  I had left the screws out just in case I needed to get back at the hard drive.  As soon as I put the screws back in the battery started charging and was recognized as normal.

  • finlux
    finlux ACE Posts: 1,834 Pathfinder
    Ah! Great. Glad you're now fixed...
  • Reload_x
    Reload_x Member Posts: 1 New User

    how did you get into the bios, i have the same problem

  • wbknudsen
    wbknudsen Member Posts: 9 New User

    Persistence is the key with this one.  Just keep trying until it finally does what it's supposed to.  I have never had that much trouble accessing the bios on any computer.

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