BSoD has Incapacitated Computer - Cannot Reboot

See what happens with this hardware method:

Power on the computer > as soon as you see the Microsoft icon > power off
Power on the computer again > as soon as you see the Microsoft icon > power off
Power on the computer again > allow it to load and see if you can open the Windows advanced troubleshooting menu.

If the above does not work try it again and this time Power on and off 1 additional time before letting it advanced to the windows advanced troubleshooting menu.


If the above does not work then open the computer and remove the CMOS battery.

What is POST?
POST troubleshooting steps
Computer POST and beep codes


How to Clear Your Computers CMOS to Reset BIOS Settings:
How to Clear Your Computers CMOS to Reset BIOS Settings


3 Ways to Reset Your BIOS - wikiHow:
3 Ways to Reset Your BIOS - wikiHow


If the above does not fix or allow the boot rescue to work then the options are:
a) local computer store
b) best buy
c) Microsoft store
d) Dell support

For zbook:

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try them all either later this evening or tomorrow.

In the meantime I have found out a couple of things:

I got a message from doing a Diagnostics Check after tapping the F-12 key. The message read:
No bootable partition in table.
I don't know what this means.

I found out what Legacy is and where to find the option to activate it:
In Setup, go to "Drives" and then SATA Operation. You are offered the option between Normal and Legacy.

I'll quote the text:

This field configures the operating mode of the integrated hard drive controller.

Normal = The hard drive controller is configured for Native Mode. This mode provides the highest drive performance and most flexibility.

Legacy = The hard drive controller is configured for Legacy Mode. This mode provides for compatibility with some older operating systems that do not support native resources assigned to the drive controller.

The factory default setting is Normal.

I tried booting in Legacy Mode with the Windows ISO, and it didn't boot.

What peripherals are attached to the computer besides mouse, keyboard, and monitor?
Printer, xbox, headset, speakers?
Remove all peripherals except mouse, keyboard and monitor.
Do you have recovery CD/DVD?


Any chance you can post images of the BIOS menus?


See if you can modify the bios to boot from the optical drive.
And see if you can modify the bios to boot from the USB2 port.


If none of the above allow you to boot see if you can reset the BIOS.


If you boot now do you see the error code:
0xc0000017
or error message:
No bootable partition in table.


What do you see when you power on now?
Do you see the computer manufacturer icon, Windows icon, rotating dots, diagnosing your PC?

For zbook:
I'll answer what I can now and fill in the rest tomorrow.



What peripherals are attached to the computer besides mouse, keyboard, and monitor?
Printer, xbox, headset, speakers?
I have removed the printer. I have also tried it without the Internet connection.

Remove all peripherals except mouse, keyboard and monitor.
That's what I have been doing.


Do you have recovery CD/DVD?
I don't have a recovery CD/DVD.


Any chance you can post images of the BIOS menus?
I don't get any BIOS menus. All I get is the Dell "Splash Page" with the Dell Logo.


See if you can modify the bios to boot from the optical drive.
And see if you can modify the bios to boot from the USB2 port.
I don't know how to modify the BIOS, but I'll look into this.


If none of the above allow you to boot see if you can reset the BIOS.
I'll try to find out how to reset the BIOS.


If you boot now do you see the error code:
0xc0000017
or error message:
No bootable partition in table.
I only got Error Cod and Message one time.


What do you see when you power on now?
Do you see the computer manufacturer icon, Windows icon, rotating dots, diagnosing your PC?
When I power on now, I get the Dell "Splash Page." I haven't seen the Windows icon in about two days. I don't get the Windows Icon anymore with the rotating dots. The only thing I get is a "dash" in the top left corner of the screen. Sometimes it blinks. Sometimes, I don't get anything -- just a blank screen.

Thanks for the suggestions; I'll work on them tomorrow.

For Ztruker:

According to your instructions in the above post, the Flash Drive for the Reboot has to be prepared in an alternate computer. That means that the Windows 10 ISO has to be downloaded to the alternate computer file system and not directly to the Flash Drive. When I downloaded it, I downloaded it directly to the Flash Drive.

When I tried rebooting, I was either using just the Windows 10 ISO download, just the Rufus download, or just the winpese-x86-....iso -- all separately. According to your instructions, the Windows 10 ISO has to be combined with Rufus in order to function properly.

If I have understood your instructions correctly, this means that I have to download the Windows 10 ISO to the File System of my alternate computer. (I have anticipated that I need to do this, so I have started the download already.)

Judging from previous experience, it could take up to eight hours for the download of Windows 10 ISO.

Your current instructions sound good, and I'll put other suggestions on hold until I have a chance to try what you have suggested later on this evening.

Thank you for presenting this new possibility.

It appears that Dell uses the Serial Number also as the Service Tag. On the specification sticker on my Dell, it is printed twice that my Serial Number is 4T97CD1; there is no Service Tag Number on the sticker or anywhere else on the computer. There is also a model number, which is: DCNE (all letters).

I have been to the Dell Support website, and it automatically entered my Serial Number into the Service Tag space. Unfortunately, I can't run any of the checks online because I can't boot my computer. (I'm now using an alternate computer.)

Thank you for mentioning the Configuration link and the Components Drop-Down at the site; I'll be able to use those in the future if I can ever get this thing booted.

Thank you for your interest in this matter. This BSoD thing is as bad as a disabling virus. I am wondering why the anti-virus software wasn't able to pick up on the threat of the BSoD software. I have both Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Antimalware. Both of them did regular scans, but neither of them said a word about any BSoD software and, evidently, my other computer is just loaded with it.

I created a Flash Drive according to the instructions you gave. It still did not boot. However, I got a message several times that I had not gotten previously:

Press any key to boot from USB....
I pressed enter, but it did not boot.

For zbook:
I'll try some of the suggestions you made tomorrow, Friday, January 5.