


How to fix 'Reboot and select proper boot device' error in Windows?
Jul 09, 2025 am 12:46 AMWhen you encounter the "Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device" prompt, it is usually because the computer cannot find the boot device. 1. First check whether the hard disk is recognized by the motherboard, enter the BIOS to see if the hard disk exists. If it is not recognized, check the connection between the SATA cable and the power cable, or adjust it to the first boot item; 2. If the hard disk is normal but the boot record is corrupt, use the Windows installation USB disk to enter the command prompt to run bootrec /fixmbr, bootrec /fixboot, bootrec /rebuildbcd in turn to repair the boot; 3. Confirm that the boot mode (UEFI/Legacy) in the BIOS matches the system installation mode, and you can view the current BIOS mode through msinfo32; 4. Finally, if it still cannot be solved, consider backing up the data and reinstalling the system, pay attention to selecting a partition format (MBR/GPT) consistent with the BIOS mode. In most cases, the problem can be solved by checking the hardware connection or adjusting the settings.
When you boot up, you encounter the prompt "Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device", which is mostly because the computer cannot find the boot device. Don't worry, this problem is common but not difficult to solve. The following methods will help you troubleshoot and repair.

Check if the hard drive is recognized
First, confirm whether your hard drive has been recognized by the motherboard. Restart the computer, enter the BIOS (usually press the Del, F2 or F12 keys when the boot screen appears), and check whether the system disk appears in the list in the main interface or Boot tab.
- If you don't see the hard disk, it may be a connection problem: turn on the host after shutting down to check if the SATA cable and power cable are loose.
- If the hard disk exists but is not in the boot sequence, manually adjust it to the first boot item.
Sometimes the BIOS settings will be reset because the CMOS battery is out of power, resulting in a disordered startup sequence. This situation can also be solved by changing a battery.

Repair boot record (MBR or GPT)
If the hard disk is recognized normally but still cannot boot, it may be that the boot information is damaged. At this time, you need to use a USB drive or restore the environment to repair it.
-
Prepare a Windows installation USB drive and boot from it.
Go to Repair Computer > Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
-
Run the following commands in turn:
bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bootrec /rebuildbcd
These commands repair the main boot record, boot sector and BCD storage respectively. After executing, enter exit
and try restarting.
Confirm whether the startup mode matches
If your system is installed in UEFI mode, but the current setting in BIOS is in Legacy mode, it will also cause the startup device to not be found.
Find the Boot Mode option in the BIOS and try to switch to UEFI Only or UEFI First.
If you are not sure about the mode of system installation, you can run it in the installation interface using the command prompt:
msinfo32
Check the "BIOS mode" item to know whether it is currently UEFI or Legacy.
The last trick: Reinstall the system (use with caution)
If you have tried all the above methods but still can't work, then the hard disk boot partition may be seriously damaged or the system file error may occur. At this time, you can only consider reinstalling the system.
It is recommended to back up important data first and then use the original system image for a fresh installation. Note that the correct partition format (MBR or GPT) is consistent with the BIOS mode.
Basically these common ways of dealing with it. Sometimes it can be solved by just inserting a cable or adjusting the settings, so don’t be too nervous.
The above is the detailed content of How to fix 'Reboot and select proper boot device' error in Windows?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

Hot AI Tools

Undress AI Tool
Undress images for free

Undresser.AI Undress
AI-powered app for creating realistic nude photos

AI Clothes Remover
Online AI tool for removing clothes from photos.

Clothoff.io
AI clothes remover

Video Face Swap
Swap faces in any video effortlessly with our completely free AI face swap tool!

Hot Article

Hot Tools

Notepad++7.3.1
Easy-to-use and free code editor

SublimeText3 Chinese version
Chinese version, very easy to use

Zend Studio 13.0.1
Powerful PHP integrated development environment

Dreamweaver CS6
Visual web development tools

SublimeText3 Mac version
God-level code editing software (SublimeText3)

Hot Topics

Fully wireless speakers, like the Anker Soundcore 2, can be a reasonable choice to pair with phones and laptops. They can usually draw power via USB, which allows them to be used wired. However, their limited power output also means that they don't g

It also fully integrates with the right-click context menu on Windows 11, so you can carry out basic tasks—such as adding a file to an archive or extracting the contents of a ZIP file—without needing to open the application itself.NanaZip also provid

In many ways, it doesn’t make sense for me to use wireless keyboards with my stationary PC. Not only do my keyboards never move, but I tend to keep the 2.4 GHz receiver sitting on my desk via a dongle attached to a cable. Further, my keyboard needs r

The New Microsoft Edit Is Superb There isn’t much to say about Microsoft Edit, and that’s a great thing. It has quickly become my preferred tool for quick text editing thanks to its straightforward nature.A Minimal InterfaceThe interface is as simpl

Opening Reliability Monitor on Windows 11 Microsoft has buried this useful utility a few clicks deep, but it's simple to reach if you know the steps. The simplest way to access the Reliability Monitor is through the Start menu search bar.Start Menu S

The JLab Flow Mouse & Keyboard Bundle is a fantastic, budget-friendly mouse and keyboard combo. It’s not the most advanced setup in the world, nor the quietest, but I admittedly had a hard time going back to my daily drive PC accessories when I f

PC gamers have been dealing with these issues for decades now, as Windows has been and remains the default operating system for PC gamers. However, thanks to Valve and SteamOS, as well as other gaming-centric Linux distributions like Bazzite, Microso

Microsoft has made changes to almost every part of Windows 11 since its initial launch in 2021, but the taskbar and Start menu have remained largely untouched—until now. A fresh Start menu design is on the horizon, and it might be one you prefer.This
