Dell Optiplex 9030 AIO computer powers off when trying to boot from USB - FHC Windows 10 install fail: Solution

I thought I'd document this weird bug in case anyone else comes across it.

I help look after a small FHC with 4 Dell Optiplex 9030 AIO (all in one) computers. They were scheduled to be remotely upgraded to Windows 10, but that process failed. I then moved on to manually installing the FHC Windows 10 image via flash drives. That worked fine for 3 of the 4 computers. However, one computer kept powering off about 30 seconds into the Windows splash screen. This was a sudden loss of power, not a controlled shutdown. You'd hear a pop from the speakers and the computer would be off. I tried multiple ports, multiple flash drives, updating the BIOS, trying all kinds of BIOS settings...all failed. I also tried a third-party Windows PE live boot disc, and while it failed in the same way when loaded from a flash drive, it booted just fine when loaded from a CD. (The 9030 still has a CD/DVD player.) Thus, the problem is specific to loading from the USB ports.

The solution turned out to be to remove the speaker cable from its connector on the motherboard. Towards the bottom of the motherboard is a connector marked "SPKR." Disconnecting the cable from that connector solved the problem. Crazy, huh? The speakers seemed to be working, but leaving them connected sabotaged the USB boot process. Maybe there is a short somewhere in the speaker system. Anyway, we can live without sound from the speakers. If we really want sound, we can always plug a set of powered speakers into the external speaker jack in the back.

I thought I'd post this to try to save other people the many, many hours I spent troubleshooting this thing.

Merry Christmas!

I've got a Optiplex 9030 AIO that started failing like that - dying during the boot. But now it's completely dead. The monitor works, but I don't even get a Dell logo.

I suspect it's not a bug as much as that machine is on the way out.

I may try swapping the power supply from a companion to see what that does.

I have the same issue with one of my 9030 ; after starting the manual update from a flash drive, it loads the files and goes to a reboot mode. Then I get the "no boot device found" error, and stays dead. Luckily I had another 9030 which died from the power switch not doing anything, and took the drive from it to get it running back in Windows 7. Wondering if making a clone image of a working Windows 10 pc and copying it to the bad one would work.
Also am having the same thing with a Dell 7440; so the problem isn't just with the 9030s

I had 2 out of 3 fail the upgrade, all were the Dell 9030 AIO. All are working, two still on Windows 7 Enterprise and the one on Windows
10. I verified FHC access on all and it seems to work fine. Question, where did you get a flash drive update to do manually? We are not
in a hurry, since the FHC at the Elizabethtown Stake building has been shut down since February for a building remodel and sprinkler installation. I had to jury rig the computer back on the network to get the update done, but it looks like March-April before the building will be open again. Is there someone I need to contact about the flash drive or cd image of Windows 10?

Steve Park
Stake Clerk
Stake ATS

sulu600 wrote:Question, where did you get a flash drive update to do manually?

The instructions were in the email sent to Stake Technology Specialists and likely to FHC directors. You'd have to download the image and follow the instructions to burn it to a flash drive.

It is under the FHC application finder tab. I copied the link to take it home for a much faster internet access; worked fine until it came to merging all the hundreds of files into an ISO file. Come to find out that one needs to be on an official FHC computer connected to the appropriate FHC router in the building. Only caveat is to be prepared to wait a long time for it to compete (worked with an excellent upstream tech person for 3+ hours, many thanks to Bill) . I installed it on a Kingston 8gb drive and also a Sandisk 32gb drive. Tried both of them on my wayward 9030 machine, but came up the "no boot drive found" error. Looking at other options . . . . .

A bit late in the day coming to this thread. Not in front of a computer at the moment, but it might be an idea to check the UEFI/ Legacy boot options in the bios. I have been caught out by this in the past.

Amen to that ! Was watching this topic on the Family Search community site where Randy Butts made the same suggestion: to boot into the bios settings, general, boot sequence change from Legacy to UEFI. Worked wonderfully on a 9030 here in the stake center FHC. Even took the USB drive to Woodruff to run it on two 7440 computers, which are in the very process of completing the upgrade. Thanks to all for helping me get this done. Shall have to redo some of my new year's resolutions regarding bad thoughts about computers . . . . .

Things are almost finished with the rollout and manual windows 10 image upgrades for me. Just one last item of concern: A few don't seem to have the "FHC-Application Finder" on the start listing. Tried running the BigFix Installer which worked on a couple of them, but still have two more that don't seem to have that option. Also ran the "FHC_Application_Finder_Deploy_NonSilent" app which said that Version 1.0.0.3 was installed. Any ideas on how to find or install this app? There are a number of optional programs listed that our FHC director wants on all of the PCs.