PC won’t boot: “Reboot and select proper Boot device”

Understanding and Troubleshooting the “Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device” Error in Modern PCs

Encountering boot failures can be a perplexing experience, especially when your system was functioning perfectly just moments before. A common error message, “Reboot and select proper Boot device or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key,” indicates that the computer’s BIOS/UEFI firmware cannot find a bootable operating system on the designated drive. This article provides a comprehensive overview of potential causes, diagnostic steps, and recommended solutions, tailored for users with modern hardware configurations.

Case Overview

Scenario:
– Hardware:
– Motherboard: Asus X570-Pro
– Main System Drive: Samsung 970 Evo Plus NVMe SSD
– Conditions:
– The system was operational and shut down normally.
– Upon startup, the system presented the error message instead of booting into Windows.

Initial Troubleshooting and Observations

Investors attempted several standard troubleshooting steps without success:
– Rebooting the system
– Creating a Windows recovery USB and attempting repairs
– Using Windows Bootrec commands (/fixmbr, /fixboot, /rebuildbcd)
– Installing Windows on a new NVMe drive—yet system requirements error persisted
– Booting into Linux Mint live environment, confirming drive accessibility and data integrity
– Running MemTest86 to rule out RAM issues—with no errors reported
– Updating the motherboard BIOS—no change in behavior

Given these steps, the problem likely pertains to the drive’s boot configuration, firmware settings, or hardware recognition issues.

Potential Causes and Diagnostic Strategies

BIOS/UEFI Boot Configuration:
Ensure the BIOS is set to UEFI mode suitable for Windows 11.
Verify that the boot order prioritizes the correct NVMe SSD.
Disable Secure Boot temporarily to facilitate repair or OS reinstallation.
Reset BIOS settings to defaults and reconfigure as needed.
Drive Detection and Compatibility:
Confirm that the NVMe SSD is correctly recognized in BIOS.
Check for firmware updates for the SSD and motherboard.
If the drive is new but unrecognized or fails to boot after OS installation, consider reinitializing or testing the drive in another machine.
Boot Record and Partition Issues:
If Windows was previously installed on the drive, the EFI partition may be corrupted.
Use a Windows recovery environment to run diskpart commands:
- List disks and volumes