PC starts up with 'No boot device' screen… what's going on?

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1

So like the title says. My PC will briefly show the motherboard loading screen, then tell me I need to select a boot device. If I press any button, it just repeats the message. But when I hit the restart button, it boots up normally. Is this an SSD issue? Or could it be a problem with cables?

2

You might want to try resetting your BIOS to default settings. It could be that the UEFI option isn’t set up right. Sometimes people disable UEFI to boot from a USB, so if that’s the case, you should double-check the disk priority in the BIOS as someone else here suggested.

3

@Junita
Just wanted to mention it doesn’t do this every time. It only happens once in a while, maybe once every couple of months.

4

Do you have a USB drive plugged in when this happens? If so, unplug it.

When it asks you to select a boot device, it should show a list of detected devices. Make sure your main boot drive is selected and not a USB drive.

If there’s no USB drive connected, and you only have one main drive, it could be a sign that the drive might be having issues, so I’d recommend backing up your data and possibly replacing the drive.

If you have more than one drive, go into BIOS and confirm that your main boot drive is set as the first in boot priority. Or, if you need to boot from a USB drive sometimes, make it second.

5

You could try reformatting the drive in Disk Management, and that might help it recognize the boot device. Also, make sure your Windows ISO or Windows is on the right drive you’re booting from.

6

Sam said:
You could try reformatting the drive in Disk Management, and that might help it recognize the boot device. Also, make sure your Windows ISO or Windows is on the right drive you’re booting from.

I press any button and it just says it again. I press the restart button and it turns on just fine.

So you’re suggesting he wipes his whole boot drive? That doesn’t make sense when a simple restart fixes it…

7

@Maryjane
Yeah, I realized I misread the post after I wrote that, my bad! Maybe just check the BIOS and make sure the boot drive is set as the main one.

8

Sam said:
@Maryjane
Yeah, I realized I misread the post after I wrote that, my bad! Maybe just check the BIOS and make sure the boot drive is set as the main one.

Gotcha, that makes more sense!

9

Sam said:
@Maryjane
Yeah, I realized I misread the post after I wrote that, my bad! Maybe just check the BIOS and make sure the boot drive is set as the main one.

Haha, yeah, I thought I was about to go through a big backup ordeal. Thanks for the clarification!