Laptop was dropped during shipment "no bootable disc"

Cording_to

Estimable
Apr 26, 2015
19
0
4,560
I am the seller of an Acer VN7-591G Black Edition. Worked fine, had it powered off on the Windows 10 set up screen- bubble wrapped it up and shipped it.

Buyer shows me a picture of the damaged box which looks beat up as hell compared to the new box I shipped it out in. Clearly postals dropped it, the buyer decides to return it after showing me the picture of the no bootable disc screen.

I got it today and everything is as I shipped it, including the internal components, but the laptop says "no bootable device" with that pic of a cd. I opened it up, reconnected HDD after doing a visual inspection, didn't work. Then I did the same for the SSD, and cleaned the metal strips on the plug in part too. No good.

I know from previously setting up the laptop that by default it installs Windows 10 onto the SSD. So I assume Windows is one the SSD and not the HDD which is why it's not booting on either.

I checked out the BIOS and there is no SSD located in the boot priority order.








 
Solution


If the laptop was previously a valid activated Win 10, you do NOT need to buy another license.
Go here and create your own install media: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Now...is it a bad SSD, or a bad motherboard port?

USAFRet

Illustrious
Moderator
Refund his money, fix it, then resell it.

But this:
"I know from previously setting up the laptop that by default it installs Windows 10 onto the SSD. So I assume Windows is one the SSD and not the HDD which is why it's not booting on either."

If you installed the OS with both drives connected, the boot partition almost certainly ended up on the HDD. Even though you selected, or assumed Windows by default selected, the SSD.

The boot partition will be on the 'other drive', the HDD.

Now...a properly bubble wrapped and padded laptop, inside a box, should not suffer the HDD fail from being dropped.
Likely it is some other issue.
 

drtweak

Honorable
Sep 17, 2012
217
0
10,910
If it has two drives double check the BIOS settings. Sounds like something got messed up there. Also if you do reinstall windows 10 install ONLY the SSD otherwise it may toss the Boot Record on the HDD.
 

Cording_to

Estimable
Apr 26, 2015
19
0
4,560


Well Windows 10 takes up storage capacity and the SSD was the only one that had used up storage when I set it up. Plus it started up super quick. I bought it pre-owned by the way, but when I set it up it was on the SSD.
 

Cording_to

Estimable
Apr 26, 2015
19
0
4,560


I can't choose the SSD in boot priority, it's not there, only the HDD which is first in line. Also how can I reinstall Windows onto the SSD?
 

Cording_to

Estimable
Apr 26, 2015
19
0
4,560


I bought the laptop pre-owned so I don't know. It's an M.2 128 GB SSD, and it's installed like it should be OEM.
 

USAFRet

Illustrious
Moderator


If, and is likely, the boot partition ended up on the HDD, you would not even notice that used space.
100MB, and its own tiny partition.

If it did, and that drive is disconnected or otherwise dead...no boot for you.

Take the HDD out, reinstall the OS with just the SSD connected.
See what happens.
 

Cording_to

Estimable
Apr 26, 2015
19
0
4,560


Ok, but the SSD doesn't show in the BIOS boot order. Just the HDD and a couple USB drives and stuff. Should I still try this?
 

USAFRet

Illustrious
Moderator


Yes.
Remove ALL other drives, and do the OS install on the SSD only.
 

captaincharisma

Distinguished


does it show up in the BIOS anywhere? if the BIOS can't detect it then its a bad SSD drive

 

Cording_to

Estimable
Apr 26, 2015
19
0
4,560


You're right. I tried it and I got through the setup screen to the part where you can change your drives. The SSD did not show up there and since I physically removed the HDD it said no drives available. Windows was most definitely installed on the SSD. Now I need to know if I have to buy a new copy of Windows 10 and if I can fix the SSD.
 

USAFRet

Illustrious
Moderator


If the laptop was previously a valid activated Win 10, you do NOT need to buy another license.
Go here and create your own install media: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Now...is it a bad SSD, or a bad motherboard port?
 
Solution

Cording_to

Estimable
Apr 26, 2015
19
0
4,560


Yeah I discovered that. Good question, I think it would be best to put the SSD on another computer to test it.