Hey everyone! I'm not very tech-savvy, so I could really use your help. I have a Medion Erazer P10 Defender running Windows 11. About a year ago, I accidentally dropped it, but it worked just fine after that. However, it sat unused for around 8 months, and now when I try to boot it, I keep getting a "default boot device missing or boot failed" error. I tried reinstalling Windows 11 via a USB stick, and it booted up again, but after installing games like Epic Games and Steam, it crashed with a BSOD and the same boot error.
I opened it up to check the RAM and found one stick wasn't properly seated, so I fixed that, and it worked for a while—I even enjoyed some gaming. But now, after turning it off and back on, I'm back to square one with the boot error. I went into the BIOS and reset it to default settings, which let me use it again, but after shutting down, it just won't boot.
Can anyone help me figure this out? Thanks in advance!
3 Answers
Here's what you can do: check if you can boot into Windows normally or via Safe Mode. If you have access, look for crash logs (dump files) in C:WindowsMinidump. If you find any, zip the folder and upload it to a file sharing site. Having these dump files will help in analyzing the BSODs. If you're not seeing any files, make sure your dump settings are configured correctly to capture the necessary information during crashes.
First off, it's important to mention that messing with BIOS settings or disk configurations could potentially lead to data loss, so always ensure you have backups. Regarding your issue, since the laptop is not consistently booting, the drop might have caused some connections to loosen. If your system drive is an m.2 SSD, try reseating it in its slot, just like you did with the RAM. It's worth checking all connections to make sure everything is secure!
It definitely sounds like the fall caused some issues. You mentioned already reseating the RAM and SSD, which is good. If it was working after that, a power issue or a failing component might now be to blame. See if the system drive is being detected properly in BIOS. Sometimes a failing drive can lead to repeated boot issues. If it's not detected, it could need replacing. Good luck!
Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll check the BIOS settings to see if the SSD is detected. I appreciate the help!