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'Proper boot device'?

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  • 24-01-2015 9:45pm
    #1
    bettasplendens
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭


    Hi, my dad's having a major problem with his computer, he was wondering if anyone here would be able to help him?

    "I cleaned out the computer with the hoover and now when I switch it on, it says 'reboot and select proper boot device'. When I reboot and hit F2, I get the menu for the fan speeds, etc etc. What boot mode should I select? There are two symbols for reboot, one seems to be like a drive, and the other seems to be like a disc going into a drive. What proper boot device should I be selecting?"

    Thank you for reading, if you have any advice for him it would be very much appreciated :)


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    #2
    bettasplendens
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭bettasplendens


    For some reason I can't edit the post BUT I wanted to add that he just mentioned that when he was at the computer earlier he was too curious for his own good and took out the SD drive. He thinks he reconnected it properly but I still thought it might be worth mentioning.


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    #3
    10-10-20
    Registered Users Posts: 6,769 ✭✭✭10-10-20


    Firstly, a vacuume isn't something that he should be using on the internals of a computer. :) The flow of air around the plastic nozle of the vacuume creates static electricity and this can cause parts to fail instantly or over time. A quick vacuume externally may be safe enough, but don't go probing around inside to clean it out. Use a pressure duster to blow dust out instead.

    I suspect that he has disconnected a cable from a hard-drive. Ask him to remove and replace each of the cables which come from the main board (usually big and green) and run out to the hard-drives (4" * 3/4" * 6" devices which are normally installed near the front of the PC).
    If it's still the same after that, you may need to look in that screen with the fan information (it's called the BIOS) to see whether the hard-drive is being detected or not.


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    #4
    10-10-20
    Registered Users Posts: 6,769 ✭✭✭10-10-20


    In the BIOS, find the option for "Hard-drives" or "SATA devices" and enter into it.
    It should show your DVD drive and also your hard-drive brand-name (Seagate, WD, Toshiba...) and size.
    See if you can find that and post back.
    If needed, take a photo of the screen, PC, etc.


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