How to Fix Insert Boot Media in Selected Boot Device

Theo Lucia

Dec 16, 2024 • Filed to: Windows Computer Solutions • Proven solutions

While booting your system sometimes you get the message – "insert boot media in selected boot device." When you come across this error message, the computer does not boot into the operating system. Are you facing the same? Well, it is troublesome, but you can get out of it.

This post will discuss various solutions that show you how to fix the restart error with ease and efficiency.

Part 1: What does the "Select and Reboot Proper Boot Device" message mean?

The operating system exists on the hard drive, and a chip installed on the motherboard of your PC is called "BIOS chip".

When you boot your system, the basic input/output system chip boots the OS and runs it using the boot level. If in case BIOS unable to identify the operating system drive, it will display a message "Reboot and choose Proper Boot Device".

Sometimes, when you unite a bootable USB flash drive and your system displays this error, it means that your flash drive is not working correctly. Hence, you must disconnect it from the system and wait for a few minutes, then reconnect it to another port.

If you bought a new system and experienced this error, it may mean that there is no operating system. You must install an operating system on it. Sometimes you see facing this problem when installing an SSD or a new hard drive on your system. There may be an error in the new hard drive you are trying to install.

If you see this error frequently, it means that you need to use the follow the step-by-step process to fix the issue.

Part 2: What Causes this Error?

The error – "Select and Reboot Proper Boot Device" occurs due to physical and logical factors:

Physical Causes:

• BIOS fails to detect the boot disk. Any faulty cable, dead hard drive, or damaged SATA slot could be the possible reason for this.
• If the BIOS detects systems boot disk, but it not connected properly, then also the error arises.
• Damaged or failed boot disk.

Logical Causes:

• Wrong or inactive partition also leads to this error as it restricts the Windows from booting up.
• BIOS with the wrong boot sequence.
• Lost or corrupted boot files.
• Corrupted operating system
• Damaged or corrupted Master Boot Record

Part 3: Fixing Insert boot media in selected boot device Error

Now let us proceed towards the solutions that help you fix this error.

Solution 1: Check the Boot Order Settings

The simplest solution to resolve the error "Restart and Select Proper Boot Device" is by checking your system boot setting.

Follow these steps, to check the systems boot order:

Step 1: Start your computer.

Step 2: Click the right key to open the BIOS menu, but the key selection depends on the manufacturer and model of your computer. You can see that appears first on your monitor. The key is any from these: F12, F2, F10, Delete key or Esc.

Step 3: Now proceed to the Boot tab and select from the list of options.

Step 4: Save your changes, exit the BIOS setup, and restart your system.

Solution 2: Verify if the computer's HDD (Hard Disk Drive) has failed

You should check if the computer's HDD is working or is failed. If there is a problem or is abandoned, it may cause the error, "Restart and Select Proper Boot Device."

Step 1: Shut your system forcefully twice by pressing and holding the power button till it shuts down. When the system shuts down, restart it again to repeat the same step. When you turn on the system third time, you can access WinRE.

Step 2: Go to Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options -> Automatic Repair

Click on continue and wait till the automatic repair process completes. The process will report all the detected problems of your hard drive or RAM.

Solution 3: Check the Disable UEFI/Legacy Boot

Every computer with Windows uses UEFI mode rather than BIOS for booting. The legacy modes option on these computers causes the error, "Restart and Select appropriate Boot Device." Here, are the simple steps to turn off legacy mode on your computer.

Step 1: First, restart your computer. Enter the BIOS menu, the keys depends on your computer's model and manufacturer. It can be: F12, F2, F10, Delete key or Esc.

Step 2: In your basic input/output system menu, access the boot tab, and access the Legacy Boot Priority option. Once the UEFI is open, find the Legacy Boot option and change the setting. After completing these steps, save the setting and exit the UEFI menu.

Step 3: Again restart your computer to check if the error is still there or not.

Solution 4: Use the diskpart feature

If you have a USB boot drive for the Windows operating system, you're ready to go. Follow these steps to successfully resolve the error, "Restart and Select Proper Boot Device."

Step 1: First, insert the Windows bootable media on your computer and then restart your computer again.

Step 2: Once you are at the system recovery option or the Window's troubleshooting, click on the command prompt option.

Step 3: Type the following commands at the command prompt, and press enter after each

diskpart

select disk *

Here * is the disk number where your system has installed Windows.

list partition

select partition 1 ( 1 is primary partition) and press enter.

active

Step 4: Restart your computer

Solution 5: Physically clean the RAM module

You must test the RAM. Any dust on RAM can cause a slower computer system. You must, therefore, clean the RAM correctly. It would be ideal to take a piece of a soft cloth and gently clean the RAM with it. Now restart the system and see if the error is corrected or not.

Solution 6: Update Drivers

There can be an error due to drivers as sometimes you do not update the new version in your systems. Therefore, you must update your systems drivers, and for this, you have to download the latest drivers from the manufacturer's website.

Part 4: How to recover your data from the unbootable computer if the above method fails?

Rebooting and selecting an appropriate boot device error can be a severe system or hardware error. If you do not know how to correct this error, you can take help from the experts where they will quickly fix your device issue. But before you choose to do it, you should recover your data with the Recoverit Data Recovery software to boot your Window.

Here is the step-by-step guide to Recover Data from Unbootable computer:

Step 1: Create a boot drive

Initiate the Recoverit tool and choose a data recovery mode. If your system's Window is unable to start, you must select the "System Crash Data Recovery" mode option. Then Press on the "Start" button in the next pop-up window.

Step 2: Select bootable drive

Select a USB boot drive or a CD/DVD boot drive. Click the "Create" button to begin.

Step 3: Format the USB drive

A pop-up window will appear, asking you to format the USB drive. Click the "Format Now" button to begin the process.

*Note* you have backed up your important data.

Once you click on "format now," bootable drive creation begins.

Step 4: Processing Complete

After completing the process, you will see three simple steps in the data recovery solution.

• Adjust the BIOS to boost form USB
• Connect the USB drive to your computer
• Restart your computer

Then alter the boot sequence to boot from the USB drive.

Recoverit will launch automatically and you can copy data from the hard drive or recover lost Windows data.

Conclusion

Whenever you experience you come across the error message – "Select and Reboot Proper Boot Device or Fix Insert Boot Media in Selected Boot Device," you won't be able to login to your system. It can be due to some physical or logical damage or error. Whatever be the reason, the solutions discussed above will solve the error.

However, if all the methods fail, recover your data from the unbootable system by downloading the Recoverit data recovery software. Follow all the above-mentioned steps carefully to avoid any loss of data.