"Reboot and select proper boot device" Issue

[Remer]

"Reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media in selected boot device and press any key."

I successfully installed Windows 8.1 on a newly purchased SSD a couple days ago. I had been downloading and installing programs all day yesterday so I attempted a restart before I went to bed and this error message came up. I turned off my PC and tried to boot in the morning. Everything worked as normal! So just to be sure I rebooted again and have resumed getting the error message ever since.

The weird thing is that my SSD is definitely connected and S.M.A.R.T. reported no issues with the drive. It doesn't seem like it is failing but something is keeping me from launching Windows 8.1

Things I tried with unsuccessful results:
- Switching SATA cables.
- Adjusting potential loose connections.
- Resetting CMOS battery
- Making sure it is booting from the SSD (It definitely is)
- Startup Repair

 

[mcnumpty23]

left a flash drive or dvd in it?

press the f key for your boot menu and pick the ssd see if it boots then

 

[Remer]

left a flash drive or dvd in it?

press the f key for your boot menu and pick the ssd see if it boots then

Nope, I made sure 100% that it was booting from the SSD.

 

[mcnumpty23]

can i ask how you made 100% sure?

 

[Remer]

can i ask how you made 100% sure?

Absolutely. I went into my BIOS and set the SSD as boot priority. Just to make sure I went to the boot menu and booted from the SSD manually.

 

[mcnumpty23]

fair enough-- if it sees the ssd in the boot menu then guess you are looking at running windows repair then

 

[ArtPog]

It's one of the more miserable Windows error messages and sometimes very difficult to determine its cause (other than the usual cause being the boot priority order was incorrectly set in the BIOS). But that doesn't seem to be the cause since you've indicated your boot priority order has been correctly set.

You mentioned installing a great many programs shortly after successfully installing the Win 8.1 OS. Conceivably you might have picked up some malware as a result and that might be causing the problem. Needless to say very difficult to trace.

Another possible cause - one we once ran into - was a Windows update that was incompatible for one reason or another with the user's installed OS. Again, difficult to trace unless MS subsequently detects the problem and issues a fix.

Another possibility is a setting in a UEFI-based motherboard. If there's a setting for "Legacy Boot" (or some similar designation) and it's enabled, disable it.

And, of course, always the possibility of a defective boot drive although I note you've apparently checked out the drive's health and it tested OK. Did you use the manufacturer's diagnostic program, assuming one is available?

 

[Remer]

It's one of the more miserable Windows error messages and sometimes very difficult to determine its cause (other than the usual cause being the boot priority order was incorrectly set in the BIOS). But that doesn't seem to be the cause since you've indicated your boot priority order has been correctly set.

You mentioned installing a great many programs shortly after successfully installing the Win 8.1 OS. Conceivably you might have picked up some malware as a result and that might be causing the problem. Needless to say very difficult to trace.

Another possible cause - one we once ran into - was a Windows update that was incompatible for one reason or another with the user's installed OS. Again, difficult to trace unless MS subsequently detects the problem and issues a fix.

Another possibility is a setting in a UEFI-based motherboard. If there's a setting for "Legacy Boot" (or some similar designation) and it's enabled, disable it.

And, of course, always the possibility of a defective boot drive although I note you've apparently checked out the drive's health and it tested OK. Did you use the manufacturer's diagnostic program, assuming one is available?

Thank you so much for your help but I just ended up re-installing the OS. I still don't know exactly what happened but the work I do requires this computer. I would have loved to discover the source of the problem but I need this thing running and re-installing the OS seems to have done the trick *fingers crossed*.

 

[mcnumpty23]

main thing is you back up important stuff so if things like this happen you can re-install without any worries over losing stuff