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No Media Present - Booting Issue

3022 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Couriant, Apr 26, 2021

KiTuketu

Discussion Starter · Apr 25, 2021

So, I don't know anything about computers for starters... So, I don't know what I'm doing... So, sorry if I get confused... Anyways...

I have an Alienware m17 laptop and I went to turn it on and it looked like it was starting normally, until right after the alienware icon it was a black screen that said:

>>Checking media presence
>>No media present

Then it throws me into the aptio setup utility thing ( I don't actually know what it's called, but hopefully you know what I mean )
Of course, I immediately googled the issue to see if I could find some solution to try and fix it.
There was a dell thread that had been solved that seemingly had the same problem. Under the Boot tab, the boot priorities are out of order. They are:

[Onboard NIC (IPV4)]
[Onboard NIC (IPV6)]
[Windows Boot Manager]

Their solution was to reorganize these into the following order:

[Windows Boot Manager]
[Onboard NIC (IPV4)]
[Onboard NIC (IPV6)]

Then save and exit.

They did that, and it fixed their problem. I tried the same thing, and I just got the same black screen with the same problem throwing me back into the aptio setup utility menu, where I went to check and see if the priorities where in order, and of course, they were back in the wrong order. I tried a few more times, making sure that I saved the settings before exiting, but still ran into the same problem. It wasn't keeping the new saved order for some reason. So I did a little more digging on the internet and found another dell thread with the same issue I was having, where it wouldn't keep the new saved order. Their suggestion was to update BIOS. The person on the thread did, and it resolved their issue...

Now, my problem is, I don't know how to update the BIOS if windows won't start. I can't get the computer to boot to update it, or I wouldn't be having this problem... How do I update my BIOS without being able to boot or to get into windows?

Also, is there another solution I can try if I can't manage to do this?

If not, and I can't update my BIOS, is there a way I can factory reset the whole computer and have it working again? Or would this issue still be a problem even after factory reset and possibly make it even worse?

Thank you for reading into my issue, and hopefully can answer some of my questions. I appreciate all the help I can get!

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DRPC

· #2 · Apr 26, 2021

Try pressing F12 at boot (may need to tap it a few times during boot to time it correctly). That should bring up the boot menu. Select Windows Boot Manager and see if it boots to Windows.

If that does work, it's a one time fix. Still need to go into the BIOS and change the boot order permanently.
If it doesn't work, then there is a problem with Windows Boot Manager that will need to be fixed.

I know in some Dell BIOSes (Aptio Setup Utility = BIOS) when changing the boot order, you have to press a function key (F7?) for it to accept your changes. The key to press should be denoted on the screen while changing the order. If you don't press that key, it will revert your changes. This seems like what is happening to you. You can tell by re-opening the boot order window after making your changes. If you did it right, they will be changed, if not they will be what they were before.

After changing the order, you then have to Save and Exit the BIOS for those changes to take affect.

There is some help for the BIOS in the Service Manual available here:
https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/alienware-m17-laptop/docs

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plodr

· #3 · Apr 26, 2021

Don't upgrade the BIOS. You said you don't know anything about computers and you don't know what you are doing.
Upgrading the BIOS can be tricky and if you do something wrong, you will never get the computer to work again. It is not worth it.

Check to see that the date and time on the computer is correct. If it is not, that is one reason why your changes are not saved after you turn off the computer.
This means that the coin cell battery (CMOS battery) needs to be replaced. This saves the settings when the computer is turned off.

When you look in the BIOS, do you see a hard drive listed? If not, that could be the reason you see - no media present. The hard drive is NOT being seen. Several reasons for that: a) the hard drive has died b) the connection between the hard drive and the motherboard has come loose or the cable is bad.

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Couriant

· #4 · Apr 26, 2021

Hello! In the BIOS Main page, you should see a listing of drives, Fixed, second drive, etc. Please check to see any entries. Here is an example:

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