Solved Boot Failure (Finally Solved)

I will start by stating that I am not certain where this belongs, as many forum members are likely already aware.

Trying to keep this brief, last Thursday morning, while waiting for FedEx to deliver a box from Dell for me to sent my XPS 8960 for a warranty-covered problem, I started my Macrium Reflect Disaster Disc; as it booted, I felt that all would be okay later.

Later was when I was going to set up my XPS 8950, the one that I keep waiting for my wife to clear her Inspiron and set up for her, so that I would have my usual setup. That turned out to not be so, as the disc would not boot, giving error 0xc0000225, and another bootable DVD did likewise. That being the case, as as did my on-line search for help with fixing this error which only accomplished making me totally confused (not an unusual status...,) I created and ran a Windows 11 ISO, hoping that would fix the problem. It did not, so I am here hoping that someone or more than one will help me repair the boot error. Winver is 23H2

All I can offer in recompense is my usual gratitude and offers to explain such mundane matters as Middle English and writing specifications for fire engines; those are matters I can deal with, unlike the inner workings of computers.

Sir I'm not sure I even understand what is happening from your description.
If you are saying you have your Macrium recovery media on dvd as well as having another bootable dvd and neither will boot, one of 3 things is the problem.
your dvds are bad
your dvd drive is bad
You did not set the dvd drive as first boot device in bios or from the boot menu (whichever method you are using)

I recommend you create boot menu on usb drives, not DVDs.They, cheap, reusable, and more dependable.

Not Myself said:

I will start by stating that I am not certain where this belongs, as many forum members are likely already aware.

Trying to keep this brief, last Thursday morning, while waiting for FedEx to deliver a box from Dell for me to sent my XPS 8960 for a warranty-covered problem, I started my Macrium Reflect Disaster Disc; as it booted, I felt that all would be okay later.

Later was when I was going to set up my XPS 8950, the one that I keep waiting for my wife to clear her Inspiron and set up for her, so that I would have my usual setup. That turned out to not be so, as the disc would not boot, giving error 0xc0000225, and another bootable DVD did likewise. That being the case, as as did my on-line search for help with fixing this error which only accomplished making me totally confused (not an unusual status...,) I created and ran a Windows 11 ISO, hoping that would fix the problem. It did not, so I am here hoping that someone or more than one will help me repair the boot error. Winver is 23H2

All I can offer in recompense is my usual gratitude and offers to explain such mundane matters as Middle English and writing specifications for fire engines; those are matters I can deal with, unlike the inner workings of computers.

Click to expand...

What was the warranty covered problem?

What was replaced / fixed?

Was the drive supposed to be new or have the prior installation?

glasskuter said:

Sir I'm not sure I even understand what is happening from your description.
If you are saying you have your Macrium recovery media on dvd as well as having another bootable dvd and neither will boot, one of 3 things is the problem.
your dvds are bad
your dvd drive is bad
You did not set the dvd drive as first boot device in bios or from the boot menu (whichever method you are using)

I recommend you create boot menu on usb drives, not DVDs.They, cheap, reusable, and more dependable.

Click to expand...

As I wrote, my Macrium recovery booted last week on my XPS 8960, the computer that will be delivered to the Dell facility next Monday according to the tracking number.

I can access non-bootable DVDs okay on both computers.

I probably have at least a few more bootable DVDs in my collection; I will try one or two, and report what I find when I get to it.

Pressing F8 repeatedly during a restart on both the XPS 8950 ans XPS 8960 brings up a two-item menu, to either return to Windows to boot from the DVD. When I choose the latter, the DVD is accessed, but so far after it starts (judging from the sound of the driver) it then fails with the report that something is amiss, even some device is missing as I recall. What that might be I have no idea.

I doubt that I have needed to boot from a DVD rescue disc more than two or three times in the past; I do know that they never failed. As for cost, I seem to have a plethora of blank DVDs.

zbook said:

What was the warranty covered problem?

What was replaced / fixed?

Was the drive supposed to be new or have the prior installation?

Click to expand...

My report to Dell was that the computer has been crashing rather frequently. I do know that the first time, both sfc /scannow and DISM reported and fixed some errors. After a few more crashes I stopped checking as no further errors were found. A week or so ago, I noticed for the first time that the fan was running slower and quieter, which I reported. It was only a few days ago that I was told that the computer would be sent to the lab (I don't recall its apt name) in Houston for repair.

I am not sure why the FedEx shipment was not delivered to Dell the day after it was picked up at our home, other than the arrival time may have been too late for delivery that day judging from the time on the shipping tacker. It is scheduled for Monday, and normal turnaround is five days business days. Dell sent the box to be used on Overnight priority, and will return it the same way. The only reason I tried to set up the XPS 8950 is that my wife is very busy correcting serious documents for her English AP kids, so it is hard for me to use her computer. Not that is easy on the 8950 as I've not been able to get Macrium Reflect to install the C:\ and D:\ drive full backups I made late Wednesday so that I would have the shipment to Dell ready the next morning. I placed it near the front door at 0600 Hours Local Thursday.

I got fine attention from Dell. If I posted an answer to a reply from one agent, and that agent was not working that day, I got a reply from another agent. The crew tried hard to find the problem, even updating the BIOS, which the recently-released new version of Dell Support Assist failed to notify that the update was available.

The DVD drive on the XPS 8950 was replaced early in my ownership, for a sort of amusing reason: I asked Dell why the door opened only a slight way; the agent created a ticket for an in-home visit to replace it. The replacement operated the same way; I'm not sure who told me that that was simply the way this model drive worked. My four-year warranty was a month short of expiration when Dell had a good sale, which is why I bought the XPS 8960, freeing the XPS 8950 for my wife; given how busy she is teaching, she may not get it until the end of the school year.

A personal note: I am glad this did not happen when I was involved in my last fire service project, a ten-year endeavor. I traveled constantly, but when I was home I was up early, often at 0500 Hours Local, at the computer, writing, answering email, on the phone, etc. The lack of any computer would have been very serious for me.

A reason I was given years ago for the partial opening of the CD/DVD tray was to keep a user from putting their coffee cup there.

You are able to read non-bootable DVDs but can you read the contents of your bootable discs? They don't have to be booted to just to read.

Berton said:

A reason I was given years ago for the partial opening of the CD/DVD tray was to keep a user from putting their coffee cup there.

You are able to read non-bootable DVDs but can you read the contents of your bootable discs? They don't have to be booted to just to read.

Click to expand...

I don't know, and after yesterday, may never know. Why is that? As if were not having enough problems, just as I was posting my last message yesterday, the computer started acting very strangely, and that is understating the issue. It took me some time to finally realize that not only was I not on line, I could not be on line.

I was using my wife's rather old Dell Inspiron,, and apprently the WiFi had died. Doing some research, I Iearned that drivers can age and fail. I found the Service Tag for the Inspiron, logged on to Dell, and did a search using that tag. The only part that Dell still has for this machine is the WiFi driver, which is made by another company.

I downloaded the file, and started to copy it to a USB, only to be warned that not all parts of the file can be copied. I have a vague memory of having used an external WiFi antenna, so I ordered one from Amazon, hoping that will get the Inspiron back on line.

I showed her how to use the XPS 8950, the only computer is on-line at home, so that she can start to enter grades, which are due tomorrrow When she relented and let me touch the computer for a while as she grades some more papers, the first time I even wanted to use the Internet today.

I started by trying to log on to Centurylink Email, but all it does is show a few repeating dots underneath the log on button. Is It Down says that the email is up, but I gave up wondering if it would actually grant me entry, so decided to see if this site was working for me. Apparently it is.

Which model number of Inspiron? The model name of Inspiron is used on both Desktops and Notebooks, I still have a Desktop with Win7 and 2 older Notebooks with Win10.

If it has a USB port it's not expensive to get a Wireless/Wi-Fi Dongle, some can even be had that include Bluetooth.

Not Myself said:

I don't know, and after yesterday, may never know. Why is that?

Click to expand...

We don't know either, why can't you browse your Bootable DVD's while they are in your DVD drive? Can you boot any other computer with this disc?
Rather then wait for FedEx to pick up your package, take it to your nearest FedEx store

You say you are not online, but you are ordering things from Amazon and downloading drivers?
Since WiFi is down on both of your computers, have you been able to connect via an Ethernet cable to the router?

While online, do a Speedtest by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test if your internet speed is anything less then what you are paying for, then
I would contact Century Link and have them test your router and lines for issues.

Spunk said:

We don't know either, why can't you browse your Bootable DVD's while they are in your DVD drive? Can you boot any other computer with this disc?
Rather then wait for FedEx to pick up your package, take it to your nearest FedEx store

You say you are not online, but you are ordering things from Amazon and downloading drivers?
Since WiFi is down on both of your computers, have you been able to connect via an Ethernet cable to the router?

While online, do a Speedtest by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test if your internet speed is anything less then what you are paying for, then
I would contact Century Link and have them test your router and lines for issues.

Click to expand...

Be patient: I will watch a DVD when I have the time.

No need to wait for FedEx to pick up the box: It was delivered to me last Wednesday as scheduled, and picked up the next day as scheduled. It arrived in Houston the next morning, but too late to be delivered to Dell that day so will delivered today.

I did not say that I am not online, as WiFi is on on the Dell XPS 8950. WiFi is off on my wife's computer.

Network speed okay; not up to maximum but within bounds. (I have that test as a link when using the XPS 8950 but so far have not been able to restore the Reflect backups to this machine while waiting for the XPS 8960 to be repaired and returned.

Today started a bir ironically: There was a new Dell email letting me know that the repair process had started; as usual with these notifications there was a link to the repair tracker, so I clicked on it, only to be notified what it was down for maintenance. Tried it later, showed that the system investigation or whatever it is called had been done. To continue the irony, I was going to use the email to get the name, but the email seems to have vanished. It is not in read messages, nor unread messages, nor in trash, at least I could not find it there. I will try again, unless I get a new notification. One minor problem is that if you are reading an earlier one, you can not go to later one. Yes, I do have the first two such items.

Before posting this, I tried to view a non-boot video on this computer, with no luck. I tried with the player in the computer and with the external player for the XPS 8960. For whatever reason, Dell has made no provision for an internal player, so I bought an external one (DVD only, I don't need Blue-ray for this. I did some delving, and found that even the computer, which found the external driver, shows that the DVD has no files, except one way of searching which I have forgotten. I have to believe that the error message I posted has the solution for this, but as my wife never uses the player, it may not be worth my spending any more time on this malady, unless, of course, someone actually knows which of the myriad fixes are on-line is the right one. This does make me feel at least a small bit more certain that the rescue disc, which I tested with the XPS 8960 before getting it ready to be shipped, will work when I get the computer back.

Wanting to be reassured that the DVD was viewable, I used our new AVR and DVD/Blue-ray player and the TV; the new player was bought as the one we owned was so old it could not recognized, or at least the inexpensive aftermarket remote did nothing. I had only used the new player once just to be certain that it worked, and although I got the AVR, the TV, and the player to at least show that the DVD was playing, I could not get it move beyond the opening screen, until I recalled that the player has its own remote. Suffice it to say that the DVD works. I very, very rarely watch a DVD on the computer, much preferring the 32-inch hi-res tv to the hi-res 27-inch tv, and the couch to the desk chair for such viewing.

Berton said:

Which model number of Inspiron? The model name of Inspiron is used on both Desktops and Notebooks, I still have a Desktop with Win7 and 2 older Notebooks with Win10.

If it has a USB port it's not expensive to get a Wireless/Wi-Fi Dongle, some can even be had that include Bluetooth.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't know the model number, I just used the Dell Service Tag to see if the driver is still available. As I reported elsewhere in this thread, it is but cannot be copied to a USB. The replacement external WiFi antenna is due here today.

Not Myself said:

Sorry, I don't know the model number, I just used the Dell Service Tag to see if the driver is still available. As I reported elsewhere in this thread, it is but cannot be copied to a USB. The replacement external WiFi antenna is due here today.

Click to expand...

When on that Dell Support page it should have given the model name and number associated with the Service Tag. It usually is also in the BIOS.

As for "Network speed okay; not up to maximum but within bounds", that could be any number but the one to work with is what is being paid to the ISP for, e.g. I use Wireless DSL and pay for 25Mbps but regularly get 26Mbps. My ISP terminal is 80 miles away. Most ISPs have 2 or more levels/speeds of service.

Berton said:

When on that Dell Support page it should have given the model name and number associated with the Service Tag. It usually is also in the BIOS.

As for "Network speed okay; not up to maximum but within bounds", that could be any number but the one to work with is what is being paid to the ISP for, e.g. I use Wireless DSL and pay for 25Mbps but regularly get 26Mbps. My ISP terminal is 80 miles away. Most ISPs have 2 or more levels/speeds of service.

Click to expand...

I did not go there to find out which model computer we have, I went to find out if the WiFi driver was available for whatever model the Service Tag was for.

As for network speed, I ran the test, it was as I stated, within the legal bounds for a bonded pair DSL line where we live, an area that is very unlkke to ever progress from copper to fiber.

Your worrying about the speed reminds me of an amusing, after the fact, episode during a fire department training session. I had called for 125 gallons per minute on a handline, as I had specified flow gauges for the discharges on the pumper in lieu of the traditional pressure gauges; modern nozzles adjust automatically to the pressure in the hose. There was one new volunteer firefighter there, who asked me perhaps three times what the gallonage was, which I repeated. Noticing that I was getting a bit upset by the delay in starting the drill. one firefighter asked me I knew what the new firefighter had done, to which I replied no, and was thereupon informed that Dick had done classified rocket research for the federal government. Now that I knew that, I told Dick that unless we had any noticable variation of what the gauge showed, the yearly test and adjustment if needed was sufficent.

MY Dell XPS 8960 has been shipped to me, as the repair has been finished. The notification did not state what the problem was nor how it was fixed, but just as my reply above this probably showed, in the case of a computer being fixed my only real care is that it had been taken care of. Depending upon what was done, it is likely that I would not understand that information.

When details are critical, then I deal with details; otherwise the so-called `big picture' is enough for me, leaving me to deal with what I feel are more important matters. My wife's computer having lost WiFi, that was important, and solved a few hours ago by my installing a tp-linl AC1300 Mini Wire Wireless MU-MIMO USB adapter. I don't know nor care that it is as described; I do care that it is installed and working

Not Myself said:

I did not go there to find out which model computer we have, I went to find out if the WiFi driver was available for whatever model the Service Tag was for.

Click to expand...

You may have not noticed it on the page but this is what I get at the Dell Support site when putting in the Service Tag to get to Drivers & Downloads:
[Model name and Model number]

Berton said:

You may have not noticed it on the page but this is what I get at the Dell Support site when putting in the Service Tag to get to Drivers & Downloads:
[Model name and Model number]

View attachment 89976

Drivers & Downloads | Dell US

Click to expand...

Yes, but as I thought I had made clear, I had no interest in anything other than a WiFi driver; I totally and completely ignored everything on the page except "Drivers and Downloads."

Not Myself said:

Sorry, I don't know the model number, I just used the Dell Service Tag to see if the driver is still available. As I reported elsewhere in this thread, it is but cannot be copied to a USB. The replacement external WiFi antenna is due here today.

Click to expand...

I was just trying to help you get information about the computer since you said you didn't know. Having good information about a machine helps in finding solutions for problems. Goodbye

Not Myself said:

Before posting this, I tried to view a non-boot video on this computer, with no luck. I tried with the player in the computer and with the external player for the XPS 8960. For whatever reason, Dell has made no provision for an internal player, so I bought an external one (DVD only, I don't need Blue-ray for this.

Click to expand...

You can use VLC to watch DVDs and it's free. Official download of VLC media player, the best Open Source player - VideoLAN

Winuser said:

You can use VLC to watch DVDs and it's free. Official download of VLC media player, the best Open Source player - VideoLAN

Click to expand...

VLC works quite well with External USB ODDs. I have 2 such drives for use on my Dell and HP Notebooks, a LiteOn and an LG.

As for Dell leaving out the drive, they don't on all of their computers, just on some. I got a new Notebook in '21 without the ODD and 6 months later got a new Desktop with an ODD. It depends upon what a person wants to pay, all OEMs have multiple choices.

Given the many continuing. problems, I somewhat doubt that this report will be complete, saving you from reading too much; I am not sure what I have already posted, and don't want to take time to read all of them.

1. The XPS 8960 was returned yesterday afternoon; the shop report stated that the processor was replaced.

2. That of course meant that a new copy of Windows had been installed. I don't know when ISO installs began to no longer provide basically a populated screen, which can be helpful. In my case, I don't like using CLink email, prefer having it send everything to Thunderbird, but at least for now I can read my mail. One was useful a short while ago: It was from the New Braunfels Smoke House, so I logged on using the printout of my userids and passwords I had printed before turning off the XPS 8960 to get ready to ship it. I placed my order and logged off.

3. First thing I tried was my Reflect Rescue Disc, which could not find the external hard disk. That reminded me to download and use the WD safety software to unlock the disc, but a second try with the rescue disk, it seems, relocked the external disc, so I removed the password, and tried once more. The rescue disc is faulty, sigh.

4. I did some computing, only to have the router stop connecting to the Internet, so of course the WiFi external device I had installed on my wife's machine was again off line.

5. A call to TP-Link was partially helpful in getting the router to again connect to the Internet, and a restart andsome further investigation on my part finally got the router to accept the password, thanks to a Windows internal troubleshooter, which had no problem fixing whataever it was.

6. This is scary: Although I had removed the password for the external disc, it was locked a while ago. I have not yet reinstalled and tried Macrium. If that locks the disc, I have no idea what I can do, and can only hope that WD can fix this.

7. Which brings me to yet another question: Going on the assumption that I can finally access my Reflect backups, should I reinstall everything there, or should I use the new Rescue disc that I would do as soon as I can access the backups?