Will Be Inactive for awhile

[dusty]

This has been one of my frustrations. When I need Windows I can not.

[reible]

You can also buy linux on a bootable usb stick for not much money:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KMPPM71/?c ... _lig_dp_it

When you say it doesn't boot do you mean windows tries and fails or it doesn't even get that far?

Ed

[dusty]

You can also buy linux on a bootable usb stick for not much money:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KMPPM71/?c ... _lig_dp_it

When you say it doesn't boot do you mean windows tries and fails or it doesn't even get that far?

Ed

I POSTS and then goes directly to auto repair. I can not use any of the built in repair tools. Same result
Fails and then goes to auto repair. A new OS seems to be the only recourse.

[reible]

You have used the built in test/repair on start up, is that correct? Power button and tapping F12 or what ever your model uses?? Then if that all passes you can try the software tests.

Power button, hit shift, until it shuts off. Then hold shift down and power button to recovery screen or what ever your model uses. If you can't get here then windows is messed up too badly. It will have to be reinstalled. If the screen does come up then there are several options to try......

I don't have your model dell so I'm only guessing that some of it is the same??

Ed

[dusty]

Yes Ed, I have a late model Dell XPS 8930 that has the Dell SupportAssist ePSA built in. It is an amazing tool but either it has some weak spots or I don't yet know how to use it.

When I use these tools to go into troubleshooting or repair modes, I get a message that says "Checking for Media presence".. I have come to believe that means it is attempting to boot. After a period of time it takes me to "Automatic Repair" where I have a number of different options. A couple of those are to Reset or Troubleshoot or Restart.

Nearly all paths lead me back to "Checking for Media presence".

I know that the SSD is alive and well but now have doubts about the file structure. I suspect the OS is badly corrupted. I come to this conclusion first because it doesn't work in the system but when I query it with my laptop via USB I can browse the contents of the SSD (it works but the OS doesn't).

That said I pulled out a legacy HD that had been my dual boot when I was using Windows 7 and XP. With that installed, the system begins to come up and then barfs giving me a Secure Boot warning. With this discovery, I believe I could reconfigure the hardware and the BIOS to come up.

With all of this I have come to the point of reformatting the SSD and loading a new OS (probably Windows 11 (on CD).

I have had the "Checking for Media presence" from the very beginning of this ordeal. I now believe that it should read"Looking for an Operation System".

[garys]

I tend to agree with your assessment. The "checking for Media presence" to me suggests that it isn't finding a bootable drive. If the boot sector of your SSD inadvertently got corrupted, that is likely what it would find.
I don't work with Windows, but from what little I know, you don't need a CD or DVD of Windows 10 or 11 to do a reinstall if you already were running one of them. You should be able to follow these instructions and get the software via the internet directly from Microsoft.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... c3b507420d

[JPG]

Let's see, the OS will not boot up. How can it access a web site?

[garys]

Microsoft's instructions say you need a working computer with internet access. Can you get to a family member, friend, or even enemy with a working computer to download the necessary software? If you can take a thumb drive of adequate size to someone with that working computer, you should be able to get what you need to do the install. Then, take the thumb drive home and work from there.

[JPG]

Let's see, the OS will not boot up. How can it access a web site?

Or a thumb drive?

[garys]

You don't need an operating system to boot from a thumb drive if the thumb drive is bootable on its own. The Linux "live" thumb drives will boot up a computer all by themselves, and this Windows link takes you to a downloadable bootable file for that purpose.