Yoodley is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Acer may not be among the most popular laptop brands, there is still a significant market for them. Unfortunately, like other brands, Acer laptops can encounter technical issues. One of the most prevalent issues Acer users face is an inability to get past the boot screen, resulting in the error message “No bootable device.”
This article delves into the issue at hand, outlining its core causes and providing prompt solutions to effectively resolve the error and enable a successful boot for your laptop.
What is “No Bootable Device” Error?
Typically, the “No Bootable Device” error message on an Acer laptop suggests that the system is unable to locate a bootable operating system on any of the attached storage devices, such as HDD, SSD, or external drive storage devices. This issue may stem from various underlying factors, which we are going to discuss below:
1. Corrupt Boot Sector
A damaged boot sector can prevent an Acer laptop from booting by corrupting essential information about the operating system’s location and booting process stored in a small section of the hard drive. A damaged boot sector can result from virus or malware attack, power fluctuations, firmware issues, or hardware failures.
2. Hard drive Malfunctioning
It is another common reason for the “No Bootable Device” error message on an Acer laptop. A hard drive has many moving parts, which can malfunction due to mechanical failure and wear and tear.
Sometimes, the issue comes from a firmware update or malware attack as well. If the hard drive fails to function properly, the system won’t be able to detect the OS located in the drive, thus, won’t boot the laptop.
3. Incorrect Boot Order
The boot order is the predetermined sequence in which a computer searches for bootable operating systems on its connected devices. If the boot order is incorrect, the computer may be unable to locate the operating system and will fail to boot.
The system BIOS is responsible for determining the boot order by scanning all the devices connected to the laptop during the boot process. This process is essential in ensuring the computer can find the correct bootable device containing the operating system.
How to Fix the Issue
Herre are a few solutions you can try to boot your Acer laptop successfully:
1. Change the Boot Order
The first thing you must do after seeing No bootable device error is to change the boot sequence so that the system can locate the correct drive with the operating system. This is how you do it:
- Turn on your laptop and instantly hit the designated key to access BIOS settings.. This key can vary depending on your laptop model, but is typically F2, Delete, or Esc.
- Navigate to the Boot Options menu using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
- The current boot order should be displayed, showing the sequence in which the computer searches for bootable devices.
- To change the boot order, highlight the desired device using the arrow keys and use the + or – keys to change its place on the list. Make sure to choose the one which has the OS installed on it.
- Save the changes and exit the BIOS settings.
Your Acer laptop will now restart with the updated boot order.
2. Hard Drive Diagnostic
You can use the hard drive diagnostic tool in the BIOS to perform a deep hard drive analysis. A It is a process to check the health and performance of a computer’s hard drive.This will prompt any available hardware or software issues with your drive that may be causing the boot error on your Acer laptop.
To perform a hard drive health scan, follow the instructions provided in step 1 to access the BIOS. Look for an option that says ‘hard drive health scan’ or something similar, and initiate the scan. The scanning process may take some time to complete. Once it’s done, exit the BIOS and restart your laptop.
3. Repair the Boot Sector
Before attempting to repair the hard drive’s boot sector, it is important to note that this step requires technical knowledge and should only be attempted by those who are comfortable making changes to their disk drive. If you decide to proceed, here are the steps to follow:
- Connect the external device containing the Windows installation media using a USB or disc drive.
- Turn on your laptop and use the same method to access the BIOS Menu.
- Change the Boot sequence. Prefer the one containing the recovery media.
- Choose the installation media from the boot menu, and press Enter to boot from it.
- Follow the on-screen instruction until you see the option Repair your computer.
- Click on Troubleshoot ➡ Advanced options ➡ Command Prompt.
- Type bootrec /fixboot on the command prompt and hit the Enter key.
- Next, type bootrec /scanos to start scanning for Windows installation media.
- Type bootrec /rebuildbcd and press Enter to repair the boot configuration data.
You can exit the command prompt, try to reboot your laptop, and check whether the issue has been fixed.
4. Disconnect External Devices
Sometimes, a malfunctioning external device may impede the boot process. To address this issue, you can attempt disconnecting the devices and assess if the system can boot up.
Try these steps:
- Switch off your laptop and disconnect all the external devices such as external storage drive, USB sticks, mice, keyboard, speakers, printers, etc.
- If your Acer laptop has a disc drive, remove any CDs or DVDs from it.
- After powering your laptop, verify if the “No Bootable Device” error message persists. If the error message is not displayed anymore, it is probable that one of the external devices was responsible for the issue.
- Reconnect the external devices one by one, and turn off and on the laptop after each. This will highlight which device is causing the issue.
- Once you have identified the problematic device, try updating its drivers or replacing it if necessary.
Here is a video guide explaining all the above mentioned steps in detail.
5. Reinstall Windows
If the above methods do not resolve the issue, the last resort is to perform a clean installation of the Windows on your laptop. However, it is important to note that this will result in losing all your data and personal files on the laptop. If you are uncomfortable with this process, seeking assistance from an Acer service centre is recommended.
Here is what you need to do:
- Connect the USB or DVD containing Windows setup and restart it.
- Use the same method to access the boot menu and change the boot sequence to boot your laptop from the external device. .
- Choose the USB or DVD from the list of devices.
- Follow the instructions on the screen to begin installing the new operating system.
- Choose to delete the current partition and create a new one when prompted.
- Select the partition to install the operating system on and continue the installation.
When the installation is finished, your laptop will boot as new, and you can continue setting it up, installing softwares, and restoring your data
