Reboot and Select proper Boot device

If you had changed, added or removed hard drives, or changed or removed drive cabling, likely something is wrong. Recheck that the drives are properly installed and the cabling has not changed. Switching cables to different motherboard connectors or changing the master/slave drive jumpers (on old ATA drives) can cause this problem. In some systems, the cables were not plugged into the drive or motherboard securely and may have worked loose. Reseat all drive connectors.

It's also possible a hard drive is failing. Use a system diagnostic to validate the drive or swap to another hard disk.

Several software products that offer disk diagnostics includes Fix-It Utilities Professional and SystemSuite Professional. Other diagnostic products include Eurosoft's PC Check and Iolo's System Mechanic.

If the first bootable drive is missing (disconnected or dead) the BIOS may be attempting to boot from a second disk. Confirm the primary drive is working.

It's possible the code is damaged in the MBR (Master Boot Record) or the partition table is damaged. While the code can be easily fixed, a damaged partition table may not be repairable.

If you have a graphical partitioning boot CD we suggest using it. These tools can validate the partitions, it's fast and it can fix a some issues not possible with the Windows solutions. Using these tools, you'll replace the MBR with a Generic MBR and make the drive active/bootable. Instructions will vary by product. Remove the boot media, exit and reboot.

You can also replace the MBR from a command prompt if you are using Windows 7 or older. You'll need to boot from the Windows CD/DVD and go into the 7/Vista Recovery Console or XP Recovery Console and select Command prompt. Follow our instructions under recovery console to repair the MBR (instructions differ between Windows 7/Vista and XP).  Windows 8 no longer includes bootable tools, so a third party product is required.

Replacing the MBR does NOT change the partition table, so if it's damaged, it will not be fixed.

Once working, be sure to do an extensive scan for viruses and malware.

If you skipped any of the prior solutions, you may want to return and try them out. These next options are when all else fails!

• Remove the system hard drive and replace it with a blank drive. Install a fresh copy of Windows. If this works, it's unlikely to be a hardware issue. At worse, it may be time to start over with a fresh copy of Windows, although reinstalling your applications may make the problem reoccur.
• Send the PC in for repair - someone else can deal with it!
• Time for a new PC?
• Consider a MAC, but wait - they can have similar hard-to-solve issues and you'd have to buy all new applications.
• Use your PC as a boat anchor and go for a drink.

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