When you turn on your Windows laptop or computer, do you see a black screen saying “No Boot Device Found Press Any Key to Reboot the Machine”? This issue primarily affects Dell PCs and laptops but can also occur on devices from other manufacturers. What causes the problem, and how can you fix it? We will discuss that in this article.
1. Make sure the hard drive can be detected and inserted properly
Since your device cannot access the storage drive containing the operating system, check that the Windows installation drive is properly plugged in and available for access. Follow these steps to find out:
- Hold the power button for a few seconds to turn off the device.
- Restart the computer by pressing the power button and continuing to press it F2 until your BIOS settings appear. (See instructions on entering the BIOS for the keys you need to press to access the BIOS on devices from manufacturers other than Dell)
- Go to System Information on the left.
- Find the part Device Information on the right and check if your main hard drive is listed there.

If your computer has multiple drives installed, check to see if your system can access the drive containing the operating system, meaning the drive details will appear in the device information section.
If your device can access the storage drive where Windows is installed, you can proceed with the third fix. However, if the drive does not appear in the device information section, it is not detectable. In that case, run the diagnostic process.
2. Run the diagnostic process
Diagnostics help us identify problematic hardware on our device. Because the storage drive may have problems in this situation, you should run diagnostics to confirm your suspicions. Follow these steps to run the diagnostic process:
1. Hold the power button for a few seconds to turn off the device.
2. Restart the computer by pressing the power button and continuing to press it F12.
3. Select Diagnostics and press Enter.

4. Click Yes in the next window.
5. Once the diagnostic test is finished, it will let you know if there is a problem with your hard drive or any other component.

If diagnostic testing indicates that your storage drive is not plugged in properly, check that its wires are connected properly. If the drive is plugged in properly, disconnect and reconnect as this may fix the problem.
If you can't find the problem, or if the problem occurs on a laptop where you can't quickly check for hard drive connection problems, have a technician check your device.
3. Change the boot sequence
Boot sequence refers to the order in which the computer looking for data can boot. If your computer has multiple storage devices installed, placing the drive where the operating system is installed on top will help your computer access boot data faster. Doing so can fix the “No boot device found” error.
Follow these steps to change the boot sequence:
1. Hold the power button for a few seconds to turn off the device.
2. Restart the computer by pressing the power button and continuing to press it F2 until your BIOS settings appear.
3. Go to Boot Sequence from the menu on the left.
4. Select Legacy in Boot List Options if it is not selected. Changing boot options will bring up the settings Boot Sequence.

5. In Boot Sequencemake sure that the box next to the storage device you are using to boot the operating system, most likely an HDD or SSD, is selected.
6. Then, determine the location of the storage device containing the operating system in the chain. If it's not at the top, select it and click the up arrow to move it to the top.

7. To save changes, click Apply.
8. Then click Exit and your computer will restart.
Hopefully changing the boot sequence will resolve the problem. But what should you do if your BIOS is missing Legacy Boot or the boot option is grayed out? You can easily fix the grayed out Legacy Boot option on Windows. However, if it's not available, try the next fix.
4. Reset settings to default
If the Legacy Boot option is not available in your BIOS, you can restore the default settings by following these steps:
1. Hold the power button for a few seconds to turn off the device.
2. Restart the computer by pressing the power button and continuing to press it F2 until your BIOS settings appear.
3. Select General on the left.
4. Then click Load Defaults.

5. Click OK in the warning pop-up window.
6. Click Exit.
Warning: Performing this step will restore BIOS settings to default, so you may lose customizations you've made.