If you just want to use a single brand new 2.5' Sata SSD then it's pretty simple, relatively speaking. Setting up RAID is a little more complicated. If you've had Windows 10 loaded on the laptop before then you should be able to do the following and get an activated version of Windows 10. UEFI is the better way to go because it will allow you to upgrade your GPU to a 900 series. To reinstall Windows from scratch you will first need an 8gb Flash drive. Use the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to download a Windows ISO image onto the flash drive and keep aside for later. It's best to remove all the old drives before continuing so there aren't any weird issues. 1. Make sure the BIOS is set to AHCI 2. Change the boot mode to UEFI, Set Load Legacy ROM to Disabled, Set Windows Secure Boot to Disabled. 3. Save and Exit and shutdown the laptop 4. Install the 2.5' SSD and insert the flash drive 5. Boot the laptop and press F12 to get into the boot menu. Select the USB 6. The Windows installer will start and you will get to a screen where you select the disk to install Windows on. Select your new SSD. 7. Windows will now complete its installation and this new SSD should be set as the primary boot drive. You should now be able to put one of your old HDD's back in and then you can use Disk Management in Windows to format it and use it for storage. Answer from mattyb3 on dell.com
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
How To Fix an Alienware With A No Boot Device Found Problem - YouTube
A boot problem that prevents you from accessing your desktop can be very infuriating but most of the time is relatively easy to fix.Our Dell Certified Repair...
Published April 27, 2021
Tom's Guide
forums.tomsguide.com › home › laptops › laptop tech support
Solved! - Alienware 15 R4: "No bootable devices found." & "Boot failure on device" | Tom's Guide Forum
January 7, 2019 - It'll either have a red cross next to some text that says "Boot failure on device." or it will complete the scan and say "No bootable devices were found!" I'm really useless beyond the point of installing the hard drive. Any help would be appreciated. Here are the specs if that helps with anything: Alienware 15 R4 Intel i7 8750H @ 2.2GHz Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 6GB Toshiba HDWK105 500GB
M17x R4, No boot device found, Do I need to replace the hard drive?
Hi, I have this old laptop that was working ok a few years ago but it stopped working because of this error, I need to use it now and I was wondering if I need to replace the hard drive? I already ... More on dell.com
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May 4, 2021(Alienware m15 r3) Are "no boot device" errors normal?
Doesn't sound too good. If it happens again might be worth popping the bottom off and reseating both drives to make sure they are seated ok. If it happens after than its a call to Dell I'm afraid More on reddit.com
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September 12, 2020So my 17r4 (6700hq + 1070) shows this no boot device found everyday when i start it up. It boots till the desktop screen then freezes. After that when i boot it up again i get this screen. So i have to wait for 30 mins or an hour then it boots up properly.
It's likely a failing HDD/SSD. What happens when you run the EPSA diagnostics on boot? Power off your system, hold FN and turn it back on, it should boot to diagnostics. Run the test and see what it tells you, but I suspect the HDD is failing. If the HDD/SSD are failing then you can pretty easily replace either of those and be back up and running with a fresh Windows install. More on reddit.com
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April 26, 2021Alienware x13 R2 - No bootable devices were found. Possible causes could be a corrupt OS image or boot device is not enabled in BIOS setup.
Possible causes could be a corrupt OS image or a boot device is not enabled in BIOS setup. And the only thing I can click on is shut down. What should I do? Are my hard drives toasted? Or is there something I can do? Share ... Laptop fails to boot. Is my bootloader the cause or something else? ... Keyboard wont work despite driver updates, system clean reset, new keyboard installation. Firmware update might solve it? ... Dell's tech support team tried to fool me to get out of replacing my Alienware ... More on reddit.com
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April 8, 2025Videos
04:18
Troubleshoot No Boot Issues - Alienware - YouTube
03:48
How to fix "No boot device found. Press any key to reboot the ...
How To Fix An Alienware Computer With A No Bootable Device Problem
09:26
How To Fix Dell No Boot Device / No Bootable Device / Boot Device ...
Dell
dell.com › dell community › laptops › alienware
No boot device found. | DELL Technologies
May 20, 2018 - If your boot mode is on Legacy, try switching it UEFI, then save the changes and restart the system to confirm if it boots properly. ... Thank you for the reply! Unfortunately, doing what you said didn’t seem to change anything.
Dell
dell.com › support › kbdoc › en-us › 000128655 › no-boot-device-found-when-you-change-the-boot-sequence-to-legacy-mode-or-install-os-under-legacy-mode
Resolve No Bootable Device Found Error in Legacy Mode on Dell Computers | Dell US
How to Enable Boot from CD or DVD Option with UEFI Boot Mode Enabled · Alienware, Dell Pro All-in-One, Dell Pro Max Micro, Dell Pro Max Slim, Dell Pro Max Tower, Dell Pro Micro, Dell Pro Slim, Dell Pro Tower, Dell Tower, Inspiron, OptiPlex, Vostro, XPS, G Series, G Series, Alienware, Dell Pro, Dell Pro Max , Dell Pro Plus, Dell Pro Premium, Inspiron, Latitude, Dell Pro Rugged, Vostro, XPS, Fixed Workstations, Mobile Workstations, Dell Pro Max Micro XE FCM2250 ...
Top answer 1 of 15
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If you just want to use a single brand new 2.5' Sata SSD then it's pretty simple, relatively speaking. Setting up RAID is a little more complicated. If you've had Windows 10 loaded on the laptop before then you should be able to do the following and get an activated version of Windows 10. UEFI is the better way to go because it will allow you to upgrade your GPU to a 900 series. To reinstall Windows from scratch you will first need an 8gb Flash drive. Use the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to download a Windows ISO image onto the flash drive and keep aside for later. It's best to remove all the old drives before continuing so there aren't any weird issues. 1. Make sure the BIOS is set to AHCI 2. Change the boot mode to UEFI, Set Load Legacy ROM to Disabled, Set Windows Secure Boot to Disabled. 3. Save and Exit and shutdown the laptop 4. Install the 2.5' SSD and insert the flash drive 5. Boot the laptop and press F12 to get into the boot menu. Select the USB 6. The Windows installer will start and you will get to a screen where you select the disk to install Windows on. Select your new SSD. 7. Windows will now complete its installation and this new SSD should be set as the primary boot drive. You should now be able to put one of your old HDD's back in and then you can use Disk Management in Windows to format it and use it for storage.
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And please ignore the failed battery, I'm planning on keeping it plugged in and not moving it around.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/alienware › (alienware m15 r3) are "no boot device" errors normal?
r/Alienware on Reddit: (Alienware m15 r3) Are "no boot device" errors normal?
September 12, 2020 - Because it was running hot, I put a heatsink on it. Then I started getting random lockups and sometimes the boot error that you describe. Maybe I didn't tighten the screw enough, but somehow it was a bit lose. So I tightened it as hard as I could and have had no issues.
iFixit
ifixit.com › Answers › View › 843243 › Why+my+laptop+can’t+find+boot+device
Why my laptop can’t find boot device - Alienware 17 R4 - iFixit
April 2, 2024 - The Alienware 17 R4 (17.3 inches) is a gaming laptop, released by Dell in 2016. (AW17R4-7000SLV-PUS) ... When I turn on my laptop it checks for media and says media not found goes to support assist screen and it says no boot device found
Dell
dell.com › dell community › laptops › alienware
No boot device found, Press any key to reboot the machine | DELL Technologies
May 18, 2018 - In the Bios, go to Advanced, Integrated Devices, SATA operation/mode and try switching it from Raid to AHCI or vice versa. Also, check that your HDD/SSD is being properly recognized in the Bios main menu.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/alienware › so my 17r4 (6700hq + 1070) shows this no boot device found everyday when i start it up. it boots till the desktop screen then freezes. after that when i boot it up again i get this screen. so i have to wait for 30 mins or an hour then it boots up properly.
r/Alienware on Reddit: So my 17r4 (6700hq + 1070) shows this no boot device found everyday when i start it up. It boots till the desktop screen then freezes. After that when i boot it up again i get this screen. So i have to wait for 30 mins or an hour then it boots up properly.
April 26, 2021 - Just to be on the safer side go and find the manual to your specific model and find out how to do a hard boot. Try to update the bios again after you get the system to work. ... PC starts up but nothing on the screen, after a few seconds and ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/dell › alienware x13 r2 - no bootable devices were found. possible causes could be a corrupt os image or boot device is not enabled in bios setup.
r/Dell on Reddit: Alienware x13 R2 - No bootable devices were found. Possible causes could be a corrupt OS image or boot device is not enabled in BIOS setup.
April 8, 2025 - Possible causes could be a corrupt OS image or a boot device is not enabled in BIOS setup. And the only thing I can click on is shut down. What should I do? Are my hard drives toasted?
Alienware Arena
alienwarearena.com › ucf › show › 1853952 › boards › technical-support-1 › ForumPost › alienware-17-r4-boots-to-checking-media-presence-then-proceeds-to-no-boot-device-found
Alienware 17 R4 boots to "Checking Media Presence" then ...
March 22, 2018 - Join and gain access to exclusive in-game items, game keys, and some of the most sought after closed betas. Join a friendly and knowledgeable forum community for all PC gamers.
Top answer 1 of 8
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Hi @truedavid the easy option is to swap-in a new M.2 NVMe OS(C:) boot drive to get the 15 R3 working again. Then the 15 R3 can be used to diagnose why your hidden drives are not being recognised. The Crucial System Advisor Tool says Alienware-15-R3 will accept an ultrafast read/write 1TB or 2TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe card. Your existing OS(C:) boot drive cannot be cloned because it is damaged. Ask a colleague if you can clone their OS(C:) boot drive using Macrium Reflect Free, or get a M.2 NVMe card with the Windows 10 x64 operating system preinstalled (eBay, Amazon, etc.). Please click on Kudos to say thank you for response from user that is not employed by Dell. Please share an update on progress, so that other users derive benefit from your experience. Thank you.
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Thank you very much for the guidance. I followed your instruction to reseat the HDD, and then BIOS can detect all HDD now. I also run ePSA Diagnostic and everything is perfect, all HDD are detected with thermals as well. But the drive partition is still showing MBR while the system is set to UEFI , I also restore the BIOS to default (UEFI / Secure Boot on / Legacy Option ROMs off), but still 'Boot failure on device'. I also press F12 to boot the system with 'Windows Boot Manager' option, but the screen shows 'Selected boot device failed'. I guess the only option I didn't try is to use ' USB drive with recovery media'.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/dell › laptop saying no bootable devices found?
r/Dell on Reddit: Laptop saying no bootable devices found?
January 24, 2023 - Not necessarily. There are a few other reasons why the boot device can’t be detected, and OP should probably troubleshoot those before just swapping out their system drive. ... you have bios in legacy mode, and hdd operating system in UEFI? press f12 on boot, and last option is something like "change boot mode", you can change fast between legacy and uefi mode boot ... Was having this error after running an update on my Alienware ...
PC Help Forum
pchelpforum.net › home › forums › 💻 operating systems › 💠 windows 10
Resolved - 'Inaccessible Boot Device' - Alienware | PC Help Forum
April 22, 2026 - Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. ... Was it a windows or a bios update? Try this step first. To restore the Alienware Area-51 R5 BIOS to default settings, press F2 during startup to enter the BIOS menu, then select "Load Defaults" or press F9 Op getting help here
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › answers › questions › ca24bd9d-2f9c-4e25-b402-4dd077b70670 › alienware-17-r4-displays-no-boot-device
Alienware 17 R4 displays No Boot Device - Microsoft Q&A
September 2, 2018 - Select Startup repair, let it finish the job and see if the computer can boot afterward. Disclaimer: Tenforums is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products).
Dell
dell.com › support › kbdoc › en-us › 000179529 › alienware-computer-does-not-turn-on-or-go-into-windows
Troubleshoot Alienware Not Turning on or Booting into Windows | Dell US
At the Alienware logo during restart, tap the F2 key repeatedly until it enters setup. Ensure that the Hard Drive/RAID settings are correct and the UEFI/Legacy mode on the BIOS. In case this issue persists, run the preboot Diagnostics by tapping the F12 while at the Alienware logo screen and ...
Alienware Arena
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Alienwarearena
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Tom's Hardware Forum
forums.tomshardware.com › home › components
Alienware R3 laptop "No bootable devices" error | Tom's Hardware Forum
December 2, 2017 - If you have a SATA to usb connector, plug it into another device and see if it pops up (kinda like usbs do) if not, the SSD is dead. If you don’t have one, you can always try a different set of cables you connect with in the system. ... I have done nothing to the computer/drive since I happened unto the problem. ... Looks like an important boot file is missing.
Dell
dell.com › dell community › desktops › alienware desktops
PC says, No boot device detected, stuck in Alienware BIOS | DELL Technologies
December 1, 2018 - The pc is two months old and a few days ago it said secure boot violation but then it loaded up normally after that so I went to turn it off in bios and now I can’t get out of bios and i can’t get to windows. ... At this point, disconnect your pc, open it up and check to see if the storage device is properly seated/ connected.