If you’re experiencing what I’m going through – “The reboot and select option”, then you’ve come to the right place. Trust me, this problem has been infuriating me for a while now. Windows may be the world’s most feature filled OS, but, and I’m sorry to break it to you, it’s also the weakest OS out there.
I know that most Windows users tend to face this problem and well you ought to. I mean come on, what’s perfect in this world anyway? Although I do have some good news for you as I have finally found the solution to this problem.
I thought I’d be kind enough to shine some light into it for y’all, so that you don’t end up in the situation I was in. I know you maybe you may think that completely taking apart your CPU and removing the corrupted Hard Disk is the way to go, but trust me, you just wasted your time.
But don’t worry, I got you covered. I’ll be running you through 4 easy tips to help you get rid of this error in an effortless manner. But before that, let’s understand what causes this ‘Reboot and select proper boot device’ error.
Understanding the “Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device” Error
The “Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device” error is a critical system error that occurs when a computer is unable to find a valid boot device to start the operating system. This error message typically appears during the boot process, indicating that the system cannot locate the necessary files to initiate the operating system.
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What Causes the ‘Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device’ Error?
Now, some may say that it’s a particular part of the hardware is corrupted or some may presume that its an internal technical glitch which occurs. Let’s just cut to the chase and have a look at what most likely might have evoked this error to pop-up on your monitor –
- Hard Disk or HDD failure – This is the most common cause of the error and anybody’s first assumption of the cause of the error would be a hard disk failure. Another way to put this is that the Hard Disk has been corrupted.
- Incorrect boot order – If there is an incorrect boot order or if your Hard disk isn’t listed in the system’s boot order through BIOS, it could lead to this error
- Legacy mode – If its activated/disabled on UEFI based computers, it may be a cause for the reboot and select error.
These are some of the most common causes of this error. Let me cheer you up and tell you that you’re not alone in this. I was as pissed as you are right now.
How to Fix the Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device issue
Now the time has come, for you to put that smile back on your face because I’m about to tell you ways in which you can fix the ‘reboot and select proper boot device error’. Are you excited? Well then let’s jump right in.
Method 1: Check the boot order
This is probably one of the easiest and most convenient way of rectifying this issue. All you have to do is check whether the computer’s boot order is listed correctly, as your first option in the Hard Disk Drive (HDD). It does sound simple, and well, it is, but you’ll have to follow a certain method. Let me run you through it:
Step 1 – Start off by restarting your PC.
Step 2 – There’ll be a pertinent key to open your BIOS system while the system is booting back up. The key may differ based on your computer’s manufacturer. You’ll get to know as is listed on the first screen that appears on your monitor once it has booted up. The keys can be Esc, del, F9 or F2 keys, or even a dedicated key on some laptop models in Lenovo and Sony. You may have to find this one out, as I don’t know what model you’re using
Step 3 – The next step is to click on the boot tab in BIOS menu. Make use of the + and – keys in a way that your computer’s HDD comes has been listed first. Make sure to save the changes made by pressing the F10 key.
Step 4 – The last and final step, the reveal. Restart your PC and see if the error has been rectified and you’re able to run programs on your computer with ease.
Now as I mentioned earlier, this is the most convenient method. So, there is possibility that this method may not work. If that’s the case, you can try the next method to rectify your issue.
Method 2: Check Hard Drive health
Your Hard-drive may be at risk or has already failed which might be causing the issue. You’ll need to check. There is a software that allows you to check this and its called Easy recovery Essentials Automated repair. This software has the ability to detect and automatically report any irregularities that are found with your HDD or maybe even your RAM. Let me tell you how to use this:
Step 1 – Download the Easy recovery essentials Automated repair using this link –
Step 2 – Burn the ISO you have downloaded into a DVD or a spare USB you might have lying around. I mean who even uses DVD these days right?
Step 3 – From the BIOS boot menu Plug it in and boot into the Easy Recovery Essentials boot image on the drive. Under advanced options, select the Automated repair option.
Step 4 – After that, click on the continue option and let the software do its job by initiating the repair process. Once that’s done, the automated repair option will report any issues which have been detected on your Hard drive or RAM.
Step 5 – Now, simply restart your computer and it should be back to normal.
I know you don’t want to be reading this, but I’m trying to pitch to you the easiest modes of fixing this issue. So, if it still doesn’t work out for you, and your computer still displays the error, I do have another method that should do the trick indefinitely. Have a look at thee next method if the problem doesn’t suffice.
Method 3: Display Legacy boot mode
If your PCs possess the UEFI mode instead of the BIOS mode for booting, then keeping the Legacy mode option enabled could have led to the reboot and select error. Like the other methods, I’ll make sure to keep this method simple for you. All you have to do, is disable the Legacy mode option. It’s that simple!
But hey, hold your horses… this also requires a process you’ll have to follow for disabling Legacy mode. Here are steps, follow along with me:
Step 1 – Repeat the first 2 steps from the previous method which is Restarting your PC, entering the BIOS menu by pressing the designated key such as Esc, del, F9 or F2, based on your computer’s manufacturer.
Step 2 – Under the BIOS menu, navigate to the start-up tab by using the arrow keys and go down to the UEFI/Legacy Boot Priority option. Next, press enter and change the boot priority setting to UEFI only from both.
Step 3 – Press enter again and then press the F10 key to save the changed settings in the BIOS menu. Once you’ve completed these steps, exit the UEFI menu. On most PCs which have the BIOS mode, it will automatically exit the BIOS menu once you’ve pressed the F10 key for saving the changes.
Step 4 – The final and the easiest step, is to Restart your computer and let the changes apply to your rebooted screen.
Now, on most occasions, this should do the trick and your Windows should boot normally. But, this being a PC with UEFI mode, can still have problems which may or may not arise. I still got you covered with one last method called the Disk Partition method. Trust me, this is the last and most effective method and will work, but it has certain requirements. Let’s find out.
Method 4: Disk Partition method
For implementing this method you’ll need the Windows OS CD or the bootable USB drive for this method. Now, follow the steps mentioned below and the error should disappear –
Step 1 – The first step should be to insert the bootable media or installation disk and boot from the media.
Step 2 – Next, click on the Command prompt option, under the troubleshoot option that shows up on the screen. Type in the disk part in the command prompt box and hit the enter key.
Step 3 – After completing the above command, type select disk 0 and hit the enter key again. Disk 0 is the disk in which our default has installed our OS. We need the disk 0 option to select to work on it.
Step 4 – Type in the list partition and hit enter again. Type select partition 1 and hit enter key. Again.
Step 5 – Then, type active and then hit enter once more. This enables your operating system’s primary primary, which happens to be partition 1. Make sure to look out for any error like Windows Update error 0x80070002.
This should finally do the trick. If this doesn’t, then I don’t know what will. After implementing any one of these, the error should be gone… or so I hope. I’m just kidding.
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Conclusion
These are my top 4 easiest methods of getting rid of the Reboot and Select error. I hope that if you followed along with me, your problem should be solved. I hope I’ve put out the fire in your frustration and you can now smoothly use your computer without any hesitation.
It should be alright for a few months until the next error pops up. I’m just kidding again… but if it does, you know where to find your solutions now. Also, feel free to give your own suggestions about any other method you may be using to rectify this problem in a simple way.
