My laptop won't boot Vista?

Question

So the laptop that i have is a Toshiba Satellite L305. This is what happens now when i turn it on. The "Toshiba leading innovation" Logo shows up and stays for about a minute or so. Then it just goes to a black screen that says random words and then after a minute or so more words show up saying "Exiting PXE ROM" and then under that it says "No bootable Device-- Insert boot disk and press any key." Now, It wasn't always like this. Before it would show the Windows Logo and then it would just go to a blue screen then restart and do the same thing, but i went into the Repair your Computer option and after that, It's been like how i explain at the beginning. So I'm probably thinking I f'd it up even more but maybe i was hoping there was a small chance i could still fix it myself without having to put money into it to get it fixed. If you have any idea what could possibly help this situation please post a comment. Oh I should add that I have tried Installing different Operating systems but they don't work. If you can help i will appreciate your input. Thanks! :)

Answer 1

OK. To start with you should know this:



When your computer boots it goes through a few stages. The first stage is the POST. This is where you see the Toshiba logo. This is also where the PC detects and understands the hardware attached to it; such as the CPU, Memory, and boot devices.



Then it will run through the Boot Sequence. Now you can specify the devices you want it to boot from. Usually you want it to boot from your primary hard drive (which is where you would store Windows).



The message you're reading after this; "Exiting PXE ROM" is from the last item on your boot sequence; that's your network. The PC is checking to see if there's a PXE Server out there on your home network from which it can boot. Of course this fails because it's very rarely used if ever by most people.



Now back to the actual issue. There are 2 possible causes for this. Firstly you may have accidentally removed your hard drive from the list of boot devices; therefore it's not even being checked for Windows- hence it cannot find anything to boot from.



As you mentioned previous blue screens however I think the more likely scenario is that the copy of Windows on your hard drive; and the partition is resides in, have become unbootable. This means your computer is still checking the hard drive, but the copy of Windows on it is in such a state that it cannot be booted. Logically it actually means that the MFT or Bootloader on the hard drive is missing or corrupt.



This may be recoverable; HOWEVER as you were previously experiencing blue screens and restarts; I'd strongly suggest you use whatever recovery disc came with your computer to perform a CLEAN DESTRUCTIVE REPAIR / REINSTALL. Doing so will destroy any data on the hard drive, however I honestly think it is the best bet to restore full function to your machine.



If you do this and still experience issues then you may have a faulty hard drive. This is uncommon however does happen; as the hard drive is the most likely part of a pc setup to fail.



If you have data you are adamant about backing up; I'd recommend you download and burn a Linux Live CD; from which you can access your Windows partition (if present) and back up your data to disc, or to USB Storage Device. If you're new to Linux I suggest using a Kubuntu Live CD as it has a UI similar to Windows.



I hope that all makes sense. I know I have a tendency to mention things at times without full explaining them, but as long as you follow the gist you should understand what the possible issues with your PC are.

Answer 2

When your Laptop Says "No Bootable Device" it means it doesn't dectect a operating system or a Device to Install the OS.Here is what you can do. If you have a USB or DVD of Vista Insert it in to the Laptop , Restart it then when you see "Toshiba Leading Innovation", Press F2

to enter the BIOS look for the section that has to do with Bootable Devices boot with USB or DVD when you did it Install the OS All over again your done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 3

Sounds like your harddrive is out. When you say it says No bootable Device, your computer doesn't recognize a hard drive there. They're cheaper than a new computer and can easily google or youtube a way to get to the hard drive. Good luck!