What causes boot failing

It looks like you're troubleshooting a Lenovo IdeaPad 110-17ISK that’s refusing to boot. Boot failures can be frustrating, but they usually boil down to a few specific "usual suspects."

Here is a breakdown of what typically causes a computer to fail during the boot process:

This is the most common hardware cause. If your Hard Drive (HDD) or Solid State Drive (SSD) is damaged or disconnected, the BIOS cannot find the Operating System (Windows) to load it.

• Symptoms: "No Bootable Device" error or a clicking sound from the laptop.

Sometimes the hardware is fine, but the software is "broken." This happens if:

• An update was interrupted (e.g., the laptop died while updating).
• The Master Boot Record (MBR) or Boot Configuration Data (BCD) becomes corrupted.
• Symptoms: Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) or a loop where it says "Preparing Automatic Repair."

The BIOS (the motherboard's brain) might be trying to boot from the wrong place. If a USB drive or a disc is plugged in, the laptop might be trying to "start" from those instead of your hard drive.

• Solution: Enter the BIOS (usually by pressing F2 or using the small Novo button on the side of Lenovo laptops) and ensure the internal drive is the #1 priority.

If your RAM stick is faulty or has come loose, the system won't be able to handle the initial data needed to start Windows.

• Symptoms: The laptop powers on (lights/fans) but the screen stays black.

For Lenovo laptops, switching between "Legacy" and "UEFI" modes in the BIOS can cause boot failure. If Windows was installed in UEFI mode but the BIOS is set to Legacy (or vice versa), it won't boot.

1. Drain the Power: Unplug the charger, hold the power button down for 30 seconds, then plug it back in and try to start.
2. Unplug Peripherals: Remove any USB drives, SD cards, or printers.
3. Check the BIOS: Use the Novo Button (a small circular button with a curved arrow icon, usually on the side of this model) to enter BIOS Setup and check if your Hard Drive is even detected under the "Information" or "Boot" tab.