It’s common to see a PXE-E61 error message on a computer that’s inadvertently trying to boot to a network device when one doesn’t actually exist. This is often caused by a misconfigured setting in the BIOS but could be caused by a failing hard drive.
PXE-E61 & Related Errors
Here are some ways you might see these errors show up:
PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cablePXE-M0F: Exiting Intel PXE ROM.PXE-M0F: Exiting Intel Boot Agent.No Boot Device Found. Press any key to reboot the machine.
It’s seen before the computer starts, often in white text on a black background, and usually with additional text displayed above the error.
How to Fix the PXE-E61 Error
Find the Boot menu and make sure the Boot Drive Order screen (or something similarly named) shows a hard drive and doesn’t read “No Boot Drive.” If BIOS doesn’t detect a hard drive, shut down the computer, open the computer case (if you’re on a desktop), and make sure the HDD cables are properly attached. You can use a program like Rufus to make a bootable USB device. See How to Burn an ISO File to a USB Drive if you need help doing that. Also double-check that the boot order is configured to boot from USB, that the device is fully connected, and that the USB port isn’t to blame—try moving the device to a different port if you’re not sure. Replace the cable with a known good one if you suspect that it’s gone bad.
