PB NetBook "no bootable device" troubleshooting (Bios + Hard Drive access)

HarrisonL

Honorable
Sep 18, 2013
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10,510
Hi guys. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. I'm a smart guy, but a computer novice, so bear with me. My fiancee owns a Packard Bell NetBook DOT_SE/P-428UK. A few days ago, the screen randomly went blank (it was sitting on her bed, but she wasn't using it at the time). Upon restarting, it now jumps to an error message: "no bootable device." So we've been trying to troubleshoot this in hopes that there might be a solution that doesn't involve losing all the content on her hard drive. During my research (including a few past posts on this site), I've learned that the computer isn't recognizing the hard drive. There have been suggestions that involve going into the BIOS and changing the boot priority order (including removing the network from the boot order? But how that is actually done wasn't explained or clearly articulated). Some have also said that hard drives can simply loosen, and that it may be helpful to try opening the computer up and making sure the hard drive is fastened into place. Here's the dilemma: my fiancee lives in the UK and I'm in the states. So I'm trying to walk her through this over Skype/FaceTime, which isn't easy, because I can't actually get my hands on the NetBook! What's more, her UK model has been hard for me to YouTube and google from the states, so it's proven difficult to find manuals, etc., for how to disassemble her computer and gain access to the hard drive.

In short: is there ANYONE who can offer clear instructions (or even just refer me to the right website) on troubleshooting the "no bootable device" error via BIOS, or how to disassemble the NetBook and get to the hard drive?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Here is a previous answer given in a related thread on this website:

"Go into the BIOS of the netbook when you first power it up (usually press F2 or DEL key to access BIOS). Look for the network adapter settings. Turn off (disable the network adapter PXE settings if enabled). Also look at the boot order and make sure that boot from network is disabled. Save and restart. You'll be good to go."

How can I disable "boot from network"? I can see how to change the order, but not how to enable or disable it.


 
Have Her download to a pc hirem boot cd and follow how to make a bootable USB stick with a third party USB to Iso program .have her then plug the USB stick in and boot from it. Have her try rebuilding the boot info on the hard drive. If the hard drive won't boot use the mini xp boot on the hirem USB stick to boot into a mini xp and see if her hard drive is found. If her drive is spinning and somewhat working she may be able to pull her data off. If the unit over heated the drive or system board may have failed. If the drive failed she may need to send it into a data recovery lab.