Reboot and Select proper Boot device: what is the computer trying to tell me? Reboot and Select proper Boot device error when turning on the computer - what to do? This means reboot and select proper boot.
The appearance of a message on the monitor screen containing the words Reboot and select proper boot device completely confuses many users. Starting the operating system turns out to be impossible. But why? Next, it is proposed to consider the essence of this computer failure and apply several simple solutions to fix it. But to use them, you initially need to know, at least approximately, what actually caused such an unpleasant failure.
Reboot and select proper boot error?
Actually, the very nature of the error must be considered from the point of view of a purely technical translation of the message that appears.
In this case, it suggests restarting the computer and selecting the correct boot device. In general, the appearance of such a message indicates that starting the OS from the hard drive is impossible. By the way, the second line in the message suggests inserting bootable media and starting from it. Here you should understand that there are many interesting tools on recovery disks that allow you to fix such problems (for example, the command line). But first things first.
Possible reasons for the error
But why does a situation arise when a notification appears with the text Reboot and select proper boot device? In the simplest and most banal case, this can only be due to the fact that the user installed it for a removable device, and during the restart he simply forgot to remove it from the drive or port. But the problems don't stop there.
Among the most common reasons for the appearance of the Reboot and select proper boot device message are the following:
- lost settings of the primary system (BIOS/UEFI);
- errors or damage to the hard drive;
- malfunction of the system boot loader;
- penetration of viruses into the system;
- power supply malfunction, etc.
BIOS settings and system boot options
The first step is to check the BIOS settings. In this case, the question of restoring the system boot after checking the installed components is to specify the hard drive as the first device.
This is done in the Boot section, where a line is selected that contains in the description something like Boot device priority or Boot sequence. Here you just need to put the hard drive in first place or use the PageUp/PageDown selection keys on the first line. It goes without saying that after this the set parameters must be saved (F10 + Y).
However, even after this, the new parameters may, as they say, “fly off”. On desktop computers, when booting, the line Reboot and select proper boot device appears again. Why?
The problem may be that the CMOS battery, which is located on the motherboard and is responsible for storing the set BIOS parameters when the terminal is turned off, has expired. Conclusion: the battery just needs to be replaced. Indirectly, the reason may be damage to the power supply or power surges. Here you will have to either try to replace the unit or install an additional voltage stabilizer.
The laptop may display Reboot and select proper boot device for a completely different reason. Very often this is due to the presence of a primary UEFI system rather than a BIOS, when the user simply does not have time to use the key combination to enter the settings interface. You will have to try to press the desired combination in time, but sometimes the inscription disappears, after which you can log in, use the power settings and uncheck the fast boot option.
The system writes “Reboot and select proper boot device”: issues with the performance of the hard drive
In some cases, when starting the boot, you can use the F9 or F10 keys, which help bring up the boot menu and select the desired disk or device. But this method is suitable for a one-time start. But if the problem is specifically in the hard drive, and the Reboot and select proper boot device line appears constantly, you will have to take drastic measures.
Errors on the disk are not the worst thing. You can check the hard drive and correct its condition from the command line when starting from the recovery disk (chkdsk /r/f/x/). But what to do if the failures are not software, but physical in nature?
You will have to check it taking into account surface testing. For this, one of the good tools is the disk utility Hiren’s Boot CD. A console program can also be used for checking, but its use can only be justified if the hard drive begins to “crumble.” But the first utility instantly fixes failed clusters and sectors.
Bootloader corruption
Finally, another problem may be that the hard drive has damage to the boot area and the boot tool itself.
Here you need to use the command line again when starting from removable media (usually it is called through the combination Shift + F10).
The three commands shown in the image above are used to restore. The first two are mandatory, the third - if they did not give the desired result when the computer system was restarted.
The situation with the boot loader malfunctioning may also be associated with the influence of certain types of virus threats (in this case, the Reboot and select proper boot device start line may also appear).
But you need to deal with such things exclusively with the help of programs with the general name Rescue Disk, which are written to removable media (optical disks or USB drives), and booting is carried out from them (naturally, setting such devices as priority ones for starting in the BIOS ).
Instead of a total
In general, only the main possible reasons why starting the operating system is impossible were mentioned here. Unfortunately, it is impossible to immediately say what was the primary source of the failure and what solution to apply to correct the situation. You'll have to act, as they say, at random. But, if we approach the issue purely from practical reasons, you should first check the parameters of the primary BIOS system, the state of the hard drive and restore (or even overwrite) the boot record. Perhaps such actions will help.
If none of the above methods work, then you will have to change the hard drive, since critical errors can be associated solely with the fact that it has begun to fail. There is nothing you can do about it, and, of course, it is completely naive to hope for the use of the HDD Regenerator program. No matter how good it is, it is simply not able to eliminate absolutely all problems with the hard drive.
After turning on the computer, the BIOS or UEFI system node is the first to fire, depending on the year of manufacture of the computer and its operating system.
This node starts the operating system, and if there are no failures during the startup process, the computer boots and operates normally.
But sometimes failures can still occur in this process, and then a typical error notification appears, one of which may be reboot and select proper boot device.
Contents:
What happened?
You can understand this only by knowing the essence of the processes that occur when the computer is activated.
Alternative
If the problem arose due to a violation of the sequence of execution of BIOSOM boot programs, then it can be eliminated one-time in another way.
To do this, while the computer is booting, continuously press F9 (you do not need to press and hold the button, but rather make many quick successive clicks).
As a result, a window will open with options for selecting a boot device.
Advice. Depending on your computer build, you may need to use a different key for this purpose. Most often, this is F10.
The window that opens lists all the devices from which the BIOS can boot the system (some of them do not have any data, but these devices are also displayed in the list).
You need to indicate from which device you want to boot the system (and for this you need to know in advance the name of your hard drive with the system) by clicking on it with the arrows.
After that, press Enter and the system will boot from the specified disk without any problems.
In some cases, the problem is then eliminated and the system starts to boot normally, but more often than not, this measure is only good as a one-time measure, since it does not eliminate the problem and you have to repeat the same procedure during subsequent boots.
However, it also helps in cases where there is a risk of an operating system failure that requires reinstallation, as it allows you to save all the necessary information.
UEFI setup
All computers before had a BIOS menu, but starting with Windows 7, all operating system build options (8, 8.1, 10) are equipped with a different boot system - UEFI, which interacts differently.
Troubleshooting loading problems with it can be more difficult, mainly because it loads quite quickly and the user simply does not have time to do it.
Exemplary The algorithm for dealing with this bootloader option is as follows:
- Immediately after starting the computer, start pressing F9 or F10 frequently to bring up the startup device selection menu (do this in the same way as when using the BIOS);
- After you specify the drive, from which you need to boot in the same menu as when using BIOS, wait until the operating system loads and enter it;
- Click on the Start button and go to Control Panel from the menu or by typing the name after clicking the Start button;
- Go to the Power Options section;
- In the window that opens, find the line Change settings, which are currently unavailable;
- Below you will see a list of parameters and capabilities that were not previously displayed (in the same window);
- At the very bottom of the window, find the shutdown options command block;
- It contains the item Enable fast startup (recommended);
- Uncheck the checkbox to the left of this line;
- Click Save changes.
After this, the computer can be turned off - now it will boot more slowly, and the user can have time to go to the operating system boot loader menu.
When the operating system boots, the recommended hotkey combination will appear on the screen in order to enter the menu.
Follow the system instructions.
The menu of this bootloader is much more reminiscent of the interface of modern programs that are understandable to the user, therefore it is usually easier to use it without special skills.
Go to the Boot Priority section by selecting it in the tab at the top of the window.
At the bottom of the window that opens there are icons with symbolic designations of boot devices.
Just place them in the desired order by dragging the icons with the mouse - put yours in first place, the removable disk in second place, if available, etc.
Please note that the design and appearance of this menu may vary depending on the manufacturer of your device.
For this reason, the actions within the program may differ slightly.
Sometimes you have to first select BIOS Features and then proceed by analogy with the algorithm described above.
Hard drive setup
In some cases, the problem actually lies in the device itself from which the download is made.
In this case, the problem will not be resolved by the previous two methods.
If you apply them, then the system still won't boot, even from the specified disk.
This problem can occur both when using hard and .
There are many reasons for this failure– this includes physical wear and tear, mechanical damage, and software failure.
Sometimes problems occur due to malware and when certain system files are accidentally deleted.
To diagnose this component of your computer you will need a set of Hiren's Boot CD utilities, which do not require a running (booted) operating system to run.
To diagnose a device this way, do the following:
1 Install media with Hiren`s Boot CD utilities into the drive or port, which you can download from the link http://www.softportal.com/get-22023-hirens-bootcd.html from another computer;
2 Now turn on the computer and call up the boot device selection menu in the same way as described above;
3 A window for managing utilities will open, designed in DOS style;
4 Use the arrows to navigate to the section DOS programs;
5 From there, also using the arrows - to the Hard Drives section;
7 Use the arrows to navigate to the drive you want to check (bootable);
8 Pass Drive level test menu à Check and Repair bad sectors;
10 After the check is completed, the strip at the bottom of the program window may turn out to be completely blue or have red sectors, if it is completely blue, then the disk is fully functional;
11 The presence of red sectors indicates that booting the system requires its recovery;
12 During the check, this system, if possible, restores and those in which there are failures, but if this is impossible to do with the resources of the utility, then the sector is indicated in red on the graphical display.
If there are red sectors, the system will not be able to boot - The hard drive is faulty and needs to be replaced. You can check this in a simpler way using an emergency boot disk. If the system started from it, then the problem is not with the hard drive.
Action of malware
Quite often, the cause of such failures is the malicious activity of a virus program.
In order to try to fix this problem, when you boot your computer, call up the boot device selection menu in the manner described above.
Select yours and launch the operating system.
Important! If the problem is truly malware, then the system should start easily using this method.
After this, open and run a scan of the operating system for malware as usual.
In this case, select Full or Deep Scan(depending on the antivirus).
Fast or Express scanning often cannot detect a virus operating at the level of system files on the hard drive, and these are the ones that often cause problems when loading the operating system.
Once malicious software is detected, it should be removed.
It is impossible to quarantine such a program, as this will not make sense.
After removal, the computer should restart without problems.
PC power supply malfunction. Typically, such problems are resolved by the service by replacing components.
There are situations when a personal computer does not turn on in the usual way: after booting, the Windows desktop familiar to an advanced user does not appear on its screen. Instead, on a black background there is only one message in a dull light gray color “Reboot and select proper boot device...” (aka Reboot and select proper boot device). It becomes clear: a problem has arisen that can and even needs to be solved urgently. However, before you start fixing the error, it is advisable to make sure that you understand exactly what you will be doing and why.
What is BIOS and boot devices
It is known that a computer operates under the control of a central processor, which executes program code located in volatile memory. Regenerated memory stores programs and data only when power is applied to it, namely when the computer is turned on. Part of the volatile memory address space is occupied by the persistent B.I.O.S. (Basic Input/Output System), which stores the data and firmware it contains even when the computer is turned off.
The computer runs an operating system (for example, Windows), which is a kind of intermediary between user applications and the BIOS (if Windows does not work with certain devices directly, bypassing the BIOS). Since the amount of permanent memory in the BIOS is very limited, only the small program contained there is launched when the computer is turned on. It is responsible for loading the operating system from a permanent storage device, the volume of which is capable of supporting its storage and operation.
The BIOS specifies the priority of boot devices from which the operating system is loaded into RAM. Such devices may include:
- hard drives (HDD, SSD);
- storage media connected via USB interface;
- network cards (for running the operating system via a computer network);
- devices for reading (writing) optical discs (CD, DVD).
The latter are used as devices from which the PC is booted. Most often - for the purpose of installing an operating system, less often - to access any data on a hard drive in cases where it has become impossible to load the operating system from a familiar medium.
What does the Reboot and select proper boot device message mean?
The BIOS diagnostic message is translated as “Reboot and select the correct boot device” and prompts the user to restart the personal computer. After that, it recommends selecting the correct boot device or inserting storage media into the already selected device from which you can boot. When everything is done, press a key.
The hard drive itself is faulty.
How to solve a problem
When trying to solve a problem, move from the easiest method to the most time-consuming.
Reboot with disconnection of devices connected via USB
This is the easiest way to solve an error that occurred during the computer boot process. It can work in cases where, for some reason, USB storage devices or an optical drive are specified as the first and second boot devices in the BIOS, as a result of which the BIOS does not reach the third boot device, which is specified as hard drive with the operating system installed.
To restore normal booting of Windows from the hard drive in this case, it is enough to remove all devices connected to USB and CD (DVD) drives from optical drives. At the same time, however, it is still advisable to adjust the order of boot devices in the BIOS.
Via BIOS
If the simplest method indicated above did not help (and there was little hope for it), it is advisable to run a program that allows you to change BIOS settings and make sure that the internal hard drive with the Operating System installed is present in the list of visible drives. To implement this bold plan, you need to run the BIOS Setup program immediately after turning on the machine.
To start the BIOS setup utilities, you need to press the hot key to launch the BIOS Setup Utilities (in this particular case, the Delete key) during the computer startup at the time of initial initialization, when a message similar to what can be seen in the picture below appears on the screen.
However, there are also PC models where other buttons are used as a hotkey to launch the program for changing BIOS settings. These buttons are F1, F2, F10, Esc. Sometimes these can even be key combinations - Ctrl+Alt, Ctrl+Alt+Esc, Ctrl+Alt+Ins, etc.
You can find out the key (or combination of keys) used for the required program on your computer by determining the BIOS version, information about which is displayed on the screen in the very first line that appears when the PC starts.
To almost certainly run the program that allows you to change BIOS settings, you should do the following:
- Decide which key (key combination) calls up the BIOS setup menu on your computer.
- Press the computer power button.
- At intervals of approximately half a second, briefly press the required button or combination of buttons until the BIOS Setup starts. This operation can take up to ten seconds. If we shorten this interval and press more often, the keyboard buffer may overflow, which is absolutely not what we want. And if you press less often, the fact of pressing the desired key may mysteriously elude your computer's initialization program.
Even if you were unable to determine exactly which key (key combination) launches BIOS Setup on your computer, you can simply repeat the proposed algorithm sequentially for all the above buttons and their combinations and thus select the desired option.
Entering BIOS on different devices: video instructions
Exactly where you can make sure that the bootable hard drive with the operating system installed is visible to the BIOS depends on the developer and version of your computer's BIOS Setup program.
If the BIOS Setup does not enable the function of displaying a logo instead of standard diagnostic messages when the computer boots, information about the hard drives found in the system should be shown on the monitor. Thus, sometimes you can verify that the hard drive is visible to programs even without running the BIOS Setup program.
In order to check the visibility of a disk from the BIOS, you need to run the BIOS Setup program and find in it a list of all hard drives installed in the system (the system means your computer). The list of hard drives found in the system is displayed on the first page, immediately after launching BIOS Setup.
Examples of hard drives found in the system: gallery
No hard drives were found in the system. Here the disks are four consecutive lines marked with blue triangles. One disk is visible in the system - SAMSUNG SP2004C (Third Channel Device 0) Here the disks are also marked with blue triangles. One hard drive was found in the system - SAMSUNG HD160J (Third Channel Device 0). One IDE Primary Master drive was found, model WDC WD2000JB. IDE Secondary Master (CDU5211) is an optical drive
A list of all hard drives found in the system cannot always be found in the Main tab of the BIOS Setup program. To see it, sometimes you need to go to the Advanced tab.
In this tab, press the Enter key when the IDE Configuration (or SATA Configuration) link is highlighted, and you will be able to see a list of hard drives.
If the hard drive is not visible from BIOS Setup
If the hard drive is not visible from the BIOS Setup, this may indicate either a lack of good contacts in the interface and (or) cables powering the hard drive (good, if this is the case), or a faulty computer power supply (which is worse), or failure of the hard drive (and this is already very bad).
The simplest thing to do in this situation is:
- Turn off the computer from the power supply.
- Turn off and turn on the old interface and hard drive power cables several times.
- Turn on the computer and again try to see the hard drive with the installed operating system from the BIOS menu.
If this doesn't help, you can do the following:
- Purchase new, known-to-be-good interface and power SATA cables (if the HDD/SSD has a SATA interface), or an IDE cable (if the HDD is connected via an IDE interface).
- Connect the hard drive with the installed OS using known-good cables.
- Turn on the computer and try again to find the disk through the BIOS.
If nothing helps now, this indicates a malfunction of either the power supply or the hard drive itself.
In this case, you can take a known-good hard drive somewhere, at least temporarily, and try to see it from the BIOS. If it is not visible either, this most likely indicates the need to replace (repair) the computer power supply.
But if a known good hard drive is visible from the BIOS, this is the most difficult case. This means that your disk has failed, and this is fraught with irretrievable loss of all information stored on it.
If the disk from the BIOS is visible
The hard drive with the operating system installed from the BIOS is visible. In this case, it is advisable to specify it as the first or only boot device, and then try to restart the computer. If the error persists, the Windows bootloader (MBR) is probably corrupted. The case of a damaged bootloader is discussed in more detail below.
You can usually specify the hard drive with the operating system installed as the first or only boot device through the BOOT tab of the BIOS Setup Utilities program. The pictures below show examples of menu items for various programs that set the order of boot devices.
In the figure below we see the AMI BIOS Setup program tab, intended for boot configuration. Select the menu item of interest using the up and down arrows, and move to it by pressing the Enter key. Going to the Hard Disk Drives item, we see a list of disks found by the program on the computer.
We are interested in the Boot Device Priority item.
In the screenshot below we see the BIOS Setup page developed by AMI, designed to indicate boot priority and select boot devices. 1st Boot Device is translated as “First Boot Device”, 2nd Boot Device is translated as “Second Boot Device”, etc.
As can be seen from the hint on the right side of the picture, to select the boot device number, use the up and down arrow keys; to select a particular device from among those found in the system, you must enter “+” or “-”. To save the changes made and reboot, press the F10 key. If the changes made for one reason or another are not worth saving, you should press the Esc key.
In the above list of devices, the first boot device is already highlighted, so in this particular case, you should press the “-” key until SCSI:#0300 ID00 LU is written in square brackets opposite the 1st Boot Device (and this is the only hard drive). Next, press the down arrow to configure the second boot device, and press the “-” key until the word “None” is displayed in square brackets next to 2nd Boot Device. Then repeat selecting None for the remaining boot devices - the third, fourth, fifth and sixth.
In the screenshot below we see a tab in the BIOS Setup Utility program, developed by Phoenix, designed to select boot devices and assign a boot order.
As can be seen from the tooltip specific to this menu item, located on the right side of the program window, the developer has provided several keys that will be convenient to use for viewing or crashing devices. Here are these keys with their purpose:
- Enter – adds the selected device group to the boot process or removes it from it;
- Ctrl+Enter - adds everything;
- “+” or “-” - moves devices down or up;
- n - can change removable devices between Hard Disk or Removable Disk;
- d - removes a device that does not exist.
The following photo shows how to set the order of devices from which a personal computer should try to boot in Award Software's CMOS Setup Utility program.
First Boot Device should be understood as “First boot device”, Second - second, Third - third.
You can select a particular device using the arrow keys, and then press Enter to specify exactly the device that is required. In our case, you should select Hard Disk.
If, by manipulating the BIOS settings, you managed to restore normal booting of the operating system, it would be worth taking measures to ensure that it remains this way.
If the BIOS settings became incorrect (before you corrected them), there must be some objective reason for the failure. It could also be a person (for example, a child) who completely accidentally reconfigured the BIOS. It could also be a battery that powers the memory for BIOS settings - CMOS. And as stated in the film “The Matrix”, people are, in essence, batteries... But that’s not what we’re talking about here now.
If, after turning off the computer's power (or unplugging the battery in the laptop), the system startup error resumes, you should check the battery powering the motherboard for functionality (in most cases there is only one there, and it cannot be confused with anything else). It looks something like the one shown in the photo below.
In order to check the battery for functionality, it must be carefully removed from the corresponding compartment, and then measure the voltage that it is still capable of using a device called a multimeter, as shown in the following photo.
The new battery should produce a little more than three volts, if that’s what it says on it, so from the readings of the device in the photo you can see that this particular battery is clearly not capable of anything. Such a battery certainly needs to be replaced with a new one.
Alternative download options
If you need to use your computer “at any cost” and urgently, despite the fact that the operating system does not boot from the hard drive installed in the computer, you can quickly boot from an external storage device without even changing the order of boot devices in the BIOS Setup menu or CD (DVD).
Accordingly, for this you need to have a bootable USB flash drive or a bootable live CD (DVD). Turning on the computer in this way can allow you to quickly access some important data stored on the hard drive, for example.
You can organize such a download by calling up the boot menu during the download process by pressing a hotkey. The boot menu allows you to “on the fly” select the device from which to boot the computer, and the hotkey highly depends on the motherboard manufacturer, as well as on the BIOS developer.
Below is a list of hotkey options for calling the Boot Menu.
Laptops:
- Lenovo, Acer, Dell, Toshiba, Fujitsu - F12;
- Asus, Asus AMI, Samsung - Esc;
- HP - Esc, then F9;
- MSI, Sony - F11;
- Asus Phoenix-Award - F8.
Desktops:
- FoxConn, Intel Phoenix-Award - Esc;
- GigaByte, GigaByte Award - F12;
- MSI AMI, AsRock AMI, ECS AMI - F11;
- BioStar Phoenix-Award - F9.
other methods
There is another good way to restore the functionality of a personal computer that gives the error Reboot and Select proper Boot device or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key instead of loading the operating system normally.
You can purchase a new hard drive (preferably an SSD), install a new operating system on it and make it the only (first) boot one. However, if this does not help, you will still have to change the power supply after this.
If the Windows bootloader is damaged
The Windows bootloader is called in other words MBR (Main Boot Record). This record most often gets corrupted due to incorrect shutdown of a computer running Windows.
To prevent accidental incorrect disconnections of the computer from the power supply, it is advisable to connect the computer to the network via a UPS (uninterruptible power supply). The photo below shows several such sources.
The moment you turn on the computer, the self-diagnosis test (POST - Power On Self Test) performed by the BIOS begins. After passing POST, information about the BIOS version or computer model and the devices found in it is displayed on the screen, after which the screen is cleared and an attempt is made to load the operating system.
If the master boot record is damaged, the operating system will not boot, and instead you will see one of the following messages on the screen: Invalid Partition Table, Error Loading Operating System, or Missing Operating System. system).
In addition to incorrect shutdown of the computer, the MBR can be damaged due to hard drive errors, driver errors during Windows operation, or due to virus activity. To restore a damaged MBR, use the Windows Recovery Console, in which you run the fixmbr command.
First, to restore the MBR, you will need a distribution kit of any edition of Windows of the same version whose bootloader was damaged. Let's look at the recovery process using Windows 7 as an example, step by step.
If you refresh your memory of the reasons for the error, you can easily and with a good chance of being correct guess how you should try to eliminate these reasons.
The first reason was incorrect settings of the order of boot devices in the BIOS. As mentioned in this article, the reason for such settings can be either an expired CMOS battery or someone else's incorrect actions.
Regarding the latter, as a preventive measure, we can recommend correct and effective organization of access control to the computer (for example, setting a password to enter the BIOS Setup). An even more serious measure is to install a lock on the computer case so that the BIOS settings cannot be reset manually.
The CMOS battery life on modern motherboards ranges from 2 to 6 years, so it is advisable to check its condition once every 2 years. However, you should remember that by removing the battery from the motherboard, you are actually simulating its discharge, so when checking it with the device, the BIOS settings will in any case be reset to their original settings, so it is likely that many of them will have to be restored, which sometimes very troublesome.
However, you can determine whether a battery is inoperable by symptoms, and not just by measuring voltage. If, after disconnecting the computer from the network (removing the battery from the laptop), correct information about the current date and time is lost, this most likely indicates a low CMOS battery.
To prevent damage to the Windows boot loader, it is first of all advisable to correctly shut down Windows, as well as the computer. To prevent accidental shutdowns due to unexpectedly lost power, it is worth powering your desktop computer from an uninterruptible power supply.
In order to avoid situations with loss of contact in the cables, it is necessary to eliminate the transmission of vibration to these cables by correctly attaching them to the load-bearing parts of the case, and also regularly carry out preventive cleaning of the computer from dust.
To increase the service life of the computer power supply, it is advisable to select a power supply with a significant excess of power during the computer assembly process and, of course, from among recognized and proven brands.
The error “Reboot and Select proper Boot device” when turning on the computer indicates an inability to find the boot record on the connected media. There may be several reasons for this, as well as remedies for the problem.
Translation of the phrase “Reboot and select proper boot device”
The error text literally translates as: “Reboot and select a working boot device.” You will not be able to ignore the message; the operating system will not start. What caused the error? There may be several reasons for this:
How to resolve the error
First of all, you need to make sure that the PC has a hard drive and the operating system is installed on it. It is quite possible that the BIOS is set to a mode in which connected media (USB, CD\DVD) are loaded first, but the computer simply does not find the OS loader on these devices. This can be corrected by temporarily removing all third-party media. Then you need to restart the computer using the Ctrl+Alt+Del key combination.
If this does not work, then you must manually select the device on which the operating system was installed. This can be done through the boot media selection menu. You can easily access it by pressing the F9 key at the time of diagnosing the motherboard (a second after pressing the power button on the system unit).
On some motherboards, you can enter the boot device selection menu via F11 or F12. This information is indicated at the time the manufacturer's logo is displayed.
In the menu that appears, you must select the “Hard Drive” item, which indicates the hard drive, and then press the Enter key. If you need to boot from a CD or flash drive, then these items are selected accordingly.
To avoid having to perform this procedure every time you start your computer, you need to set the priority for selecting devices from which Windows will boot. This is done in the BIOS settings. You can enter it by pressing the Del key while diagnosing the motherboard. There you will need to find the “Boot Device” item and assign the hard drive as priority.
Hardware problem
An error when starting a PC can also be caused by physical damage to the hard drive. In rare cases, signal transmission through the loop is simply disrupted. If you cannot fix these faults yourself or you do not have the experience to do so, you should seek help from specialists. However, the ability to boot from CD\DVD and USB devices remains.
Windows bootloader corruption
Boot record corruption in Windows environment occurs for the following reasons:
All this can be resolved by the only method - restoring the boot record using the Windows installation disk. To solve the problem, you need to boot from the required media (via the F9 menu) and select “System Restore”.
Here you need to select “System Restore”
In the window that appears, select “Startup Repair” and follow the OS prompts.
Select “Startup Repair” If, after selecting Startup Repair, an error occurs or the system indicates that it cannot find a copy of Windows on your hard drive, you will not be able to fix the problem. Reinstallation of Windows will be required.
How to deal with the problem: video hint
How to prevent it from happening again
You can prevent the “Reboot and Select proper Boot device” error by not using the “emergency shutdown” unnecessarily. You will also need to promptly replace the BIOS battery. If its voltage drops to a critical level, the BIOS settings will be reset to the factory state.
A common problem is, and it says “Reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media.” For those who are not fluent in English, the message may seem intimidating. In fact, everything is not so bad and with the right tactics, in most cases the error can be easily eliminated on your own.
How are “Select proper Boot device” and similar errors translated?
Seeing this message on the monitor screen for the first time, I want to find out what the computer means by this inscription. It's simple: the translation of “Reboot and device or Insert Boot Media” is: “Reboot and select the correct boot device or insert the boot media.” Despite the long formulation, problems of this nature can be solved quite simply. But the text may change.
No need to be scared if you see: “reboot and select boot device proper”. In Russian, everything is simple: you need to restart your computer and select the correct device to boot. It may be written like this: “no bootable device hit any key”, this indicates that no bootable device was detected and you need to press a key (meaning any button on the keyboard). The “reboot and select proper boot” error is of the same category, asking you to restart the computer and select the correct device to boot it.
A slightly different meaning is contained in the inscription “start booting from usb device”, which indicates the need to start booting from a USB device.
Common Problems Causing Errors
There are a number of reasons why an error occurred when starting your computer. If it gives something like “no bootable”, or “no bootable...” Then here are the most likely reasons for this:
- The hard drive is not working. By going into the BIOS, this is easy to determine. Then the hard drive (aka HDD) will not be detected in the “StandardCMOS Features” menu.
- Due to some failure, the DVD drive or flash card became the primary boot device and is now in the computer.
- The operating system boot loader is damaged. This is usually due to infection with viruses, or a sudden power outage while the computer is running, if the computer was turned off incorrectly, as well as due to the installation of a new OS or inept actions of an inexperienced user related to the hard drive.
These problems can be easily solved on your own. There are also more serious problems, including mechanical damage to the HDD. A symptom that indicates this problem may be a strange sound that comes from
