Old Dell Inspiron will only boot UEFI from F12 Menu!

[LordX]

I have a customer computer here that is REALLY bugging me....

They wanted a simple wipe and reload. It is a Dell Inspiron One 2320 (all in one) - with a SSD in it.

It didn't like my Win10 USB, so I put the DVD in, and hit F12 and noticed there was the option for the UEFI boot, so I did that, and windows proceeded to install.

After install, the system restarts - and NO BOOTABLE DEVICES. I upgraded the bios to latest version (A10) - and there is NOWHERE in the bios to switch from UEFI to Legacy boot - in fact, the whole bios just looks like a legacy bios.

So I thought - restart Win10 install and select the NON-Uefi boot option. Now it will NOT install windows 10 - saying it wont boot if I install it.

I even tried my old Windows 7 disk to see if it would install - nope - same error - simply will not let me install.

I can ONLY seem to get Windows 10 to install in the UEFI mode, but then the system does not boot after restart (EDIT: It WILL boot if I hit F12 EVERY time and select the UEFI Hard Disk that is listed).

SO WIERD! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I even tried installing it in UEFI, and using a partition software to convert the GPT to MBR afterwards - the program said it completed, but then the system wouldn't boot....

Any ideas? Any way to FORCE windows to install in Legacy mode and bypass that silly message preventing me from installing?

This is an older customer - and I don't want to try and have to explain to him that he has to use the F12 boot menu EVERY time he turns on his system or it restarts...

 

[backwoodsman]

Did you try Startup Repair?

 

[Metanis]

Try the F9 in the BIOS to reset everything to default values. Make certain there's no reference to UEFI or Secure Boot. Then boot to either USB or DVD and get a command prompt. Then diskpart the HDD and select every single partition and delete partition override.

Then try your Win10 install again.

 

[LordX]

Try the F9 in the BIOS to reset everything to default values. Make certain there's no reference to UEFI or Secure Boot. Then boot to either USB or DVD and get a command prompt. Then diskpart the HDD and select every single partition and delete partition override.

Then try your Win10 install again.

I have just been using the 'clean' command in diskpart - seems to nuke the entire drive

 

[Diggs]

Did you try Startup Repair?

No offense, but I find "Startup Repair" to be one of the most useless pieces of crapware that's part of Windows. I think in all my years it's worked maybe once! Even using an install ISO disk and asking for it to repair a startup (instead of install) is an exercise in futility. Really Microsoft? You can't repair Windows startup using original source code?

 

[backwoodsman]

No offense, but I find "Startup Repair" to be one of the most useless pieces of crapware that's part of Windows. I think in all my years it's worked maybe once! Even using an install ISO disk and asking for it to repair a startup (instead of install) is an exercise in futility. Really Microsoft? You can't repair Windows startup using original source code?

You're right, it doesn't work most of the time, but I get a bit better success out of it than that. I don't mark it on the calendar, but it seems like maybe 1/4-1/5 of the time it does some good, so I find it still worth trying in a pinch. But if they're going to even bother making a tool, one would think they'd be able to get that up to at least 9/10, if they cared.

ETA: So, mentioning it was part of a diagnostic process, which I would've continued, had I received a response from the OP.

 

[LordX]

Ok - so..... odd issue..

I think the SSD is bad - but in a SUPER weird way.

I took it out, put it in a USB enclosure and tested in on my main system - showed fine, smart passed, full sector scan passed.

So then I decided to take it and put it in an old bench computer system which is ONLY legacy and start the win10 install there, then transfer the drive over to the system in question for the 2nd part of the install.

The drive just 'blinked out' of existence on the bench computer half way through Win10 1st stage.... just not even there. That's when I knew it was the damned drive.

Anyone else had a SSD that was THERE and tested good, and then just disappears? Like the controller is just giving out randomly?

 

[cypress]

I was gonna ask if you verified the boot order and that the SSD was the first one booting up after Windows Boot Manager.

 

[NJW]

Anyone else had a SSD that was THERE and tested good, and then just disappears? Like the controller is just giving out randomly?

What make & model SSD? SMART Wear-levelling and LBAs-written figures? Is there a firmware update available for the SSD?

If it's an OEM Dell SSD, are you sure it's not supposed to be a cache drive? (Is there an OEM spinner, too?) It may need a specific installation scheme, or at least a bit of hand-holding, rather than a standard install.

 

[LordX]

I am still miffed.... I thought the drive was bad, but it may not be. I put a Samsung SSD into the system to test if a different (and BETTER ssd) would make a difference.

It booted to windows install, began installing, and on the first restart, it 'lost' the samsung drive too.

Must be the motherboard on the system... I will check cables too later once I tear it open... would be hilarious if all this nonsense was a damned half seated sata cable.....

 

[Markverhyden]

I have just been using the 'clean' command in diskpart - seems to nuke the entire drive

Yep. I use clean all the time if I'm in Windoze dealing with a troublesome storage device.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Its a 10 year old PC. 2nd Gen CPU. Too old to run Windows 10, IMO.

 

[Markverhyden]

I can ONLY seem to get Windows 10 to install in the UEFI mode, but then the system does not boot after restart (EDIT: It WILL boot if I hit F12 EVERY time and select the UEFI Hard Disk that is listed).

Are you sure that the UEFI disk is in the BIOS list of available boot devices and is top of the list. Seem to remember some BIOS's, including Dell, where the list of available bootable devices was actually separate from the actual boot device choices.

 

[LordX]

Are you sure that the UEFI disk is in the BIOS list of available boot devices and is top of the list. Seem to remember some BIOS's, including Dell, where the list of available bootable devices was actually separate from the actual boot device choices.

Yes. And the hard drive is set as the first.

UPDATE: I had the customer order a new all in one. They are an older couple who really do just use the system for super basics and ***shudder*** AOL Gold.

I will tinker around with the old system for 'fun' and see if I can eventually get it to work - but I am not holding my breath.

 

[Sky-Knight]

Do not waste time attempting to EFI boot on anything older than 4th gen...

Every single platform before that was a flighty mess that often required special imaging processes to get to work. Set the platform to legacy boot, and move on. Prepare to replace it before Windows 11 becomes mandatory.

 

[Porthos]

and noticed there was the option for the UEFI boot, so I did that, and windows proceeded to install.

That is the mistake. That is an MBR system due to the age.

 

[SlickMinnow]

That is the mistake. That is an MBR system due to the age.

I tend to agree. I've seen several of the old Dells that 'sort of' support UEFI and SSD. Is there perhaps a BIOS update for this thing? Either way I would try setting up Win10 as MBR.

 

[Sky-Knight]

I tend to agree. I've seen several of the old Dells that 'sort of' support UEFI and SSD. Is there perhaps a BIOS update for this thing? Either way I would try setting up Win10 as MBR.

It's not just Dell... it's everything with an Intel chip in it from that era. I don't care who made it, EFI boot was unstable and nearly unusable until the 4th gens. I consider EFI from that era to be "proprietary", because it hadn't been around long enough to be a universal thing like it is now.

I don't know why, and honestly I don't care. Flip the switch to MBR and that platform will stand up and be accounted for, fail to do that and it'll be nothing but fits for the rest of forever.

 

[Porthos]

If a computer sold with Win 7 plan MBR.

 

[Rigo]

I am still miffed.... I thought the drive was bad, but it may not be. I put a Samsung SSD into the system to test if a different (and BETTER ssd) would make a difference.

It booted to windows install, began installing, and on the first restart, it 'lost' the samsung drive too.

Must be the motherboard on the system... I will check cables too later once I tear it open... would be hilarious if all this nonsense was a damned half seated sata cable.....

Just for the benefit of others.
I had upgraded HP Touchsmart 23 AIO to SSD and the thing worked perfectly for about a month then came back with a repair/reboot loop.
The thing kept not finding the boot drive after failing the repair loop. The drive tested ok on every test and the installation could run on a another computer with no problem. Cloned it to another SSD to try same problem. Put in another drive and started a clean install but at the first reboot it lost the drive again. Could it be the motherboard?
It turned out there was a mini-SATA drive presumably setup as a paging drive that went south since the SSD replacement. That mini-SATA was not mentioned anywhere in specs or hardware repair manual but just hunting for what could be the problem I saw it on the mobo and removed it just as another attempt.
BOOM!!
That was the culprit!
Put back the original SSD, all good!
So I'm keeping an eye open for this kind of crap from now on.