Question:

How to fix a PC that repeatedly enters BIOS and fails to boot from the hard drive?

I have a PC with Windows 10 home that often gets stuck in a BIOS loop and does not recognize the hard drive as a bootable device. The BIOS screen shows the hard drive, but I cannot boot from it. Sometimes, I can boot from a USB and reinstall Windows, but this does not solve the problem permanently. The PC also tends to crash with a blue screen after a few hours of use. I have checked the connections and cleaned the dust, but nothing seems to help. I took the PC to a repair shop before, and they reset it, but the issue came back after two months. This started happening after an update 1.5 years ago. What could be the cause of this problem and how can I fix it?

Answer:

If your PC often gets stuck in a BIOS loop and does not recognize the hard drive as a bootable device, you may be facing a serious issue that could affect your data and performance. There are several possible causes for this problem, such as a faulty hard drive, a corrupted boot sector, a damaged motherboard, or a misconfigured BIOS setting. In this article, we will explore some of the common solutions that you can try to fix your PC and boot from the hard drive successfully.

1. Check the hard drive health and connection

The first thing you should do is to check the health and connection of your hard drive. If your hard drive is failing or has bad sectors, it may not be able to boot properly or store your data safely. You can use a tool like [CrystalDiskInfo](https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskinfo/) to check the status of your hard drive and see if there are any errors or warnings. If your hard drive is in poor condition, you may need to replace it with a new one or backup your data as soon as possible.

You should also make sure that your hard drive is properly connected to the motherboard and the power supply. Sometimes, a loose or faulty cable can cause the BIOS to not detect the hard drive or boot from it. You can try to reseat the hard drive and the cables, or use a different SATA port or cable if available. You can also check the BIOS settings and make sure that the hard drive is enabled and recognized by the system.

2. Repair the boot sector and the master boot record

Another possible cause for the BIOS loop and the boot failure is a corrupted boot sector or a master boot record (MBR). The boot sector is the first sector of the hard drive that contains the information about how to boot the operating system, and the MBR is a part of the boot sector that contains the partition table and the code to load the boot loader. If the boot sector or the MBR is damaged, the BIOS may not be able to find the bootable device or load the operating system.

To repair the boot sector and the MBR, you can use a Windows installation media (such as a USB or a DVD) and boot from it. Then, you can follow these steps:

• On the Windows Setup screen, click on Next and then on Repair your computer.
• On the Choose an option screen, click on Troubleshoot and then on Advanced options.
• On the Advanced options screen, click on Command Prompt.
• On the Command Prompt window, type the following commands and press Enter after each one:

“`

bootrec /fixmbr

bootrec /fixboot

bootrec /scanos

bootrec /rebuildbcd

“`

• These commands will try to fix the MBR, the boot sector, scan for the Windows installations, and rebuild the boot configuration data (BCD).
• After the commands are executed, type exit and press Enter to close the Command Prompt window.
• Restart your PC and see if it can boot from the hard drive normally.

3. Reset the BIOS settings to default

Sometimes, the BIOS settings may be misconfigured or corrupted, causing the BIOS to not recognize the bootable device or boot from it. To fix this, you can try to reset the BIOS settings to default and see if that solves the problem. To do this, you can follow these steps:

• Restart your PC and press the F2, F10, F12, DEL, or ESC key (depending on your PC model) to enter the BIOS setup menu.
• On the BIOS setup menu, look for an option that says Load Optimized Defaults, Load Setup Defaults, Load Fail-Safe Defaults, or something similar, and select it. This will reset the BIOS settings to the default values.
• Save the changes and exit the BIOS setup menu.
• Restart your PC and see if it can boot from the hard drive normally.

4. Replace the motherboard or the BIOS chip

If none of the above solutions work, you may be dealing with a more serious issue, such as a damaged motherboard or a BIOS chip. The motherboard is the main circuit board of your PC that connects all the components and devices, and the BIOS chip is a small chip on the motherboard that stores the BIOS firmware and settings. If the motherboard or the BIOS chip is faulty, it may prevent the BIOS from functioning properly or booting from the hard drive.

To fix this, you may need to replace the motherboard or the BIOS chip with a new one, or take your PC to a professional repair shop for diagnosis and repair. This is a complex and costly process that requires technical skills and equipment, so you should not attempt it yourself unless you are confident and experienced.

Conclusion

In

this article, we have discussed some of the possible causes and solutions for the BIOS loop and the boot failure problem. We hope that this article has helped you to fix your PC and boot from the hard drive successfully. However, if you still encounter the same issue or have any questions, please feel free to contact us or leave a comment below. We will try our best to assist you. Thank you for reading.