Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device – Top 8 Ways to Fix

When you are trying to boot your PC system but meet with an error screen, that will prevent the PC from booting into the operating system. For that matter, at this time, you cannot do anything at all. However, there are various ways to solve the reboot and select proper boot device problems.

When the errors show, you will be confused and panic as you cannot do anything on PC no matter how many times you try to reboot the computer.

Moreover, this happens to many Windows users, mainly Windows 7, 8, and 10. You will often see reboot and select proper boot device issue message on a black screen.

Furthermore, there are various reasons for this error, such as failed hard disk drive, there might be corrupted system files, or it can even happen if you have installed a lot of unnecessary and mucked around with PC’s boot order.

Now, let’s see the various causes of reboot and select proper boot device error and different ways to fix this problem.

What are the causes of reboot and select proper boot device issues?

Reboot and select proper boot device issue means that the PC’s basic output and input system or the BIOS can’t find the device with the operating system. The computer will warn you to restart the device and enter the PC’s BIOS system or UEFI.

Then it will choose the right boot device with the operating system, and then the PC will boot it.

Moreover, there can be various reasons for this error message to show up on the device. However, the main two causes are software issues and physical problems.

Software problem

There are few reasons which can cause software issues, such as:

• Corrupted or damaged Master Boot Record (MBR)
• Somehow the PC has lost or corrupted the boot files
• Inactive boot panel or partition
• One of the operating systems has been damaged
• There is an incorrect boot arrangement in the BIOS

Physical problem

There are few reasons which can cause physical issues, such as:

• The boot disk might not be connected correctly to the computer’s hardware
• There is a corrupted SATA slot
• One of the boot disks is either damaged, or it has failed
• There might be some faulty cable
• The hard drive is not working

If you want to boot the PC’s BIOS, you must restart and press some keys continuously. By doing this, it will allow you to enter the PC’s BIOS system.

However, these keys can be anything and differ from device to device. Some of the specific keys are F12, F8, F2, F10, DEL, and ESC. They will be displayed on the post screen or on the manual that comes with the PC’s motherboard.

Furthermore, press the specific key until the PC boots in the BIOS system. After this, they will show you ways to fix the problem.

How do I fix my computer when it says reboot and select proper boot device?

Here is the ultimate solution that will work for ASUS, Lenovo, Dell, and other laptops:

• Restart the computer
• Press the required key that will open the BIOS menu; the key depends on the laptop model and laptop manufacturer
• Select the Boot lab
• First, you need to change all the boot orders; after that, change the laptop’s HDD
• Save it after you are done
• Restart the laptop

Ways to solve the reboot and select proper boot device issue

Here are the different methods you can use to fix this problem:

#1 See whether the Boot Drive is recognized in BIOS

The boot drive may not be identified in the computer’s BIOS. Hence to check it do as follow:

1. Firstly, Boot or reboot the PC and then press the post-screen key. Once you do it, you will get into the PC’s BIOS.
2. On the main page of the BIOS, you can see all the devices which the BIOS detects. You will see that your device is connected to a hard drive, fans, and other hardware like CD or DVD drive.
3. If you do not see the hard drive on the list, shut down the computer.
4. Open the computer again. You have to connect the hard drive to a different SATA slot. Also, use a different SATA cable that will connect the SATA slot with the hard disk.
5. Lastly, Reboot the BIOS and see if the hard disk is detected. If connected, either the SATA slot on the motherboard or the cable was causing the error.

However, if the hard drive is still not showing in your BIOS, the boot disk is either failed, damaged, dead, or corrupted.

#2 Active or Deactivate the Legacy Boot

There are few cases where the basic BIOS system might come with an additional feature known as legacy boot. This might be the cause of the error. However, it is easy to activate or deactivate it, which will solve this problem.

1. Firstly, restart the computer and go to the BIOS.
2. Search for the legacy boot tab. Please go through all the settings and tabs in the BIOS to see it.
3. When you find it, either activate or deactivate it. If it is active, then deactivate it or vice versa.
4. Save the settings and exit from them. Restart the computer again.

#3 Clean the RAM

If you haven’t removed or cleaned your RAM since you bought the computer, it might be why the error is happening. If you want to clean your RAM, then shut down the computer.

Then pull off the PC’s sideboard. Remove the screws from the bottom or tower of the computer and locate the RAM.

You need to unlock all the clamps that keep the RAM secure and slowly remove it from its position. Now clean the dust off your RAM with a cotton ball or soft cloth.

After that, put it back in its slot. Lock it in its place and close the computer. Reboot to check if there is an error.

#4 Check if the power cable is connected to the Hard Drive Disk

The hard disk drive stores all the operating systems connected with the motherboard and a power cable. However, if the power cable is frayed, not connected properly, or broken, the hard drive is most likely not sensed by the PC.

1. Firstly, shut the PC down and then open it again.
2. Find the cable that is running from the motherboard to the hard drive. Check if anywhere it is damaged or if connected properly.
3. If you see it is connected properly and has no physical damage but still getting errors, remove it from the PC. Check if the cable works on other devices or not.
4. Lastly, if it is still not working, you need to change the power cable and buy a new one.

But if there is no error when you test the cable, try it on your PC again and connect it properly.

#5 Fix all the Boot Files in Windows

If you see the error does not originate from the BIOS and is not a physical issue with the hard drive, you can try to repair the “Windows Boot Files.” You can see if it is causing any issue or if it is damaged.

However, it would help if you had either “Repair Disc” or “Windows Media Installation Disc” to solve this issue.

1. Firstly, insert any of the discs in the DVD or CD drive, then let it run. However, you might need to command the system to boot from the disc.
2. You will see the setup screen will come up after few minutes. Here tap on the “Repair your computer” instead of tapping the install now button.
3. Once you click it, you will enter the “Windows Recovery Environment.” Now you have to choose the command prompt.
4. Those who use the legacy BIOS must type the following commands and hit enter after each command. The command lines are: “fixmbr or bootrec (enter),” “fixboot or bootrec (enter),” and “rebuild BCD or bootrec (enter).”
5. Lastly, if you are a UEFI user, then type “bcdboot C:\windows.”

Once you complete all the steps, exit from the command prompt then reboot. If you still see the same error, then Windows files are not the issue.

#6 Check the order of Boot in BIOS

A few times boot sequence can muck up, which causes the reboot and select proper boot device problem to show up. Hence, you need to check the BIOS order, boot your PC, and select the BIOS with the “post-screen” key.

1. Firstly, when you open BIOS, go to the “boot” to “start-up” screen. In some new BIOS systems, the order might be shown on the main page.
2. If you can’t find the boot sequence, then look at the advance BIOS menu and see if you find it there.
3. The boot disk has to be on the top of the list in the sequence list.
4. If you do not see it in the first place but on the list, move the boot sequence to the top. In the old BIOS system, you need to use the arrow keys. But, in the new BIOS system, there is a drag and drop option to change the order.
5. When the boot drive is at the top, save the settings and reboot the PC.

#7 Using a Command Prompt which will Enable a Disable Panel

When the main hard drive panel on the boot is not active, you will get the reboot and select the proper boot device problem. When you set the main hard drive pane as active, then you can negate this error. However, you need either a “Recovery Disk” or a “Windows Installation Media Disk” to do this process. Then you have to set everything as “propriety boot media” in the BIOS.

1. Firstly, follow all the instructions till you see the option restore, recover or repair the computer.
2. Click one of these then you will see the “System Recovery Options” on Windows Vista or “Troubleshoot Screen” on Windows 8 or 10.
3. From the list, select the “command prompt.” Now you need to enter this command line which is “disk part (enter).”
4. After that, enter another command line which is “list disk (enter).” Now you can see all the disks that are downloaded to your PC.
5. Thirdly, now enter the command line, which is “select disk 0”. “0” might not be the inactive disk; hence whichever is inactive, put that number in the place of “0”. After that, tap on “enter.”
6. Again add the command “list partition 1” or any other number which is inactive. Put that number after “list partition.” Tap on “enter.”
7. Enter the command “active (enter)” to enable it. “Disk part” will let you know that the penal is now active.
8. Exit the command page and restart the computer. After this, the error will not show up.

#8 Keep the Default Settings

When the BIOS does not have the default settings, then it might cause instability. Hence it might be the cause behind the error.

So, to access it, reboot the computer and go to the BIOS. There will be an option called “load optimal defaults.” Tap on this and then restart your PC.

If none of these solutions solve your issues, you can use Safe Mode to update the SATA drivers. Moreover, if it does not work either, then replace the motherboard’s CMOS battery. It is the memory system of the motherboard which might have errors.

Furthermore, if nothing works to fix this issue, then you need to reinstall the Windows completely. Only do it if the operating system is damaged or the hard disk is damaged or dead.

Final thoughts

The issue happens when either there is a physical problem or software malfunction. Also, most of the time, it is due to a minor issue such as an inactive panel, damaged MBR, corrupted SATA slot, or hard drive is not working properly.

There are 8 solutions to fix it, and they are effortless to do. If nothing helps, then either reinstall the Windows, or you might need professional help.