When you start your computer, your operating system loads from your boot device, which is a disk with all the necessary files. If the system can’t find the boot drive or it’s inoperable, you likely won’t be able to access your operating system or files. And the system will show this message “reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media in selected boot device and press a key“.
Sometimes a few simple settings tweaks can make your computer work again, but this error message might also signal hardware failure.
What Does Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device Mean?
This error message is a way for your computer to tell you that it didn’t detect the proper boot device as it tried to start the computer. When it attempted to launch your operating system from the drive marked as the boot drive, it didn’t work. Therefore, the computer cannot launch your system until a proper and working boot device is selected.
What Causes Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device?
How to Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device
If the problem is only that the wrong boot device is selected, you may fix it quickly by simplyentering your BIOS settingsand changing which disk is the boot device.
Since you may’t reach your operating system, you can’t enter BIOS from the Advanced Startup Menu in Windows. Instead, you have to hit the right key at the right time during the startup process to access BIOS.
The right key depends on the company that manufactured your motherboard, as well as the model of your motherboard.Standard keys include F1, F2, F10, F12, and DEL. Tapping the right key at the right time will enable you to open your BIOS menu.
Once you’re in BIOS, you may check to see which boot device is selected. Keep in mind that steps might vary slightly depending on what BIOS you’re using.
Your system should start up correctly, assuming the drive is bootable and working. If it still isn’t working – or if you don’t see your boot drive listed in BIOS – you’ll have to continue troubleshooting.
How to Fix Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device
Once you know that your bootable drive isn’t being detected, there are several things to attempt to make it work again.
Check Your Connections
If the drive isn’t showing up in BIOS – or even if it is – the connection between your drive and other computer hardware might be the issue.
