Computer won't boot up

mine can boot to 7 things, not just the first hard disk.
usb mem, sd, hdd0,1,CD, and more..
no computer stated by you of th 10,000 models. 1984 to now.
what windows, 14 versions exist.
XP? what?
when you turn the PC the booting is a serial process. (ends at windows login screen)
first it runs BIOS< ROM,
the BIOS ROM, runs POST, (self tests and Plug and PLay)
then BIOS jumps to the first thing in the list (boot order)
and boots to the HDD #0 (default ) F9 key I can change that.' on the fly...
so first is what:?

1. if a laptop get that bad main battery out first, now
2. use AC power pack only, NOW. lap or desk top.
3. does the PCs fan run? (my desk top has 4) if not, power is bad.
4. does the CD eject? (button) if not power is bad.
5. does the screen ever show text? like Hit ESC to enter SETUP?> as it did every day since new?
6. if yes, good, no bad. (bad CCFL lamps>)?
7. yes, then see if ESC works, F10 , F1 info page work in BIOS.
8. yes, good, see , now you can boot to 7 things if want.
9. but if the HDD is bad, you cant boot to that. if its bad.
10. we run HDD test no as shown on the HP page on topic.
11. then we try (2006 and newer) the F11 magic recover method.

if the PC is older than 2010, it can in fact have bad CCFL lamps
even PC that are desk tops , the eternal monitor same.

the flash light test. pre 2010 PCs

http://www.pcdied.com/monitors.html#flashlighttest

To boot from a CD, DVD or USB device, make sure that the device has boot sequence priority over the hard drive.

BIOS Boot

BIOS (Basic Input Output Subsystem) is a programmable chip that controls how information is passed to various devices in the computer system. A typical method to access the BIOS settings screen is to press ESC, F1, F2, F8 or F10 during the boot sequence.
BIOS settings allow you to run a boot sequence from a floppy drive, a hard drive, a CD-ROM drive or an external device. You may configure the order that your computer searches these physical devices for the boot sequence.
The first device in the order list has the first boot priority. For example, to boot from a CD-ROM drive instead of a hard drive, place the CD-ROM drive ahead of the hard drive in priority.
Before you set boot priority for a USB device, plug the device into a USB port.
To specify the boot sequence:

1. Start the computer and press ESC, F1, F2, F8 or F10 during the initial startup screen. Depending on the BIOS manufacturer, a menu may appear.
2. Choose to enter BIOS setup. The BIOS setup utility page appears.
3. Use the arrow keys to select the BOOT tab. System devices appear in order of priority.
4. To give a CD or DVD drive boot sequence priority over the hard drive, move it to the first position in the list.
5. To give a USB device boot sequence priority over the hard drive, do the following:
   • Move the hard drive device to the top of the boot sequence list.
   • Expand the hard drive device to display all hard drives.
   • Move the USB device to the top of the list of hard drives.
6. Save and exit the BIOS setup utility.
7. The computer will restart with the changed settings.

Boot Priority Options

Some computer manufacturers allow you to select the device that contains the boot sequence from a special device selection menu. The example below uses a Dell system board.
To set boot priority using a device selection menu:

1. When the computer starts to boot up, after the manufacturer's ID screen, press F12 several times. The device selection menu appears.
2. Use the up and down arrows to select CD-ROM or

While your system is still booting from start, keep hitting F11 to get past that point then proceed with the system recovery.

This comes up mostly when it requires a BIOS save. Try that. If that does not help, sometimes setting the default settings and saving will help.

Shut your computer down and remove the power cord.

Replace the power cord and press the "Power" button to restart it.

Watch the screen carefully for a message about computer setup.

Most computers use one of the function keys, which are aligned across the top of the keyboard, to access the computer's setup utility, but each manufacturer uses a different key.

For instance, HP computers generally use the F1 or F10 keys, while many Dell computers use the F12 key.

Press the appropriate function key to enter the computer's setup program, then scroll through the list of options until you see "Boot Order."

The exact location of the boot order option varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, but it is often located under the Advanced menu.

Highlight the "USB Devices" option and press the up arrow key until that device is first on the boot order list.

This will force the computer to look at the external DVD drive first when it boots up.

Use the "Esc" key to exit the setup menu. Choose the "Save settings and exit" option and allow the computer to reboot.

It will now boot from the external DVD drive.


Hope this helps

The BIOS information is typically found at or near the top of the POST screen for a very short time

ALR PC non / PCI = CTRL+ALT+ESC

AMD advanced micro devices=BIOS = DEL

Award BIOS = DEL

Dtk Datatech Enterprises Co. BIOS = ESC

Phoenix BIOS = CTRL+ALT+S

Phoenix BIOS = CTRL+ALT+INS

Restart your computer
during the boot process you will see on the screen to press a certain key usually Delete or F2 to enter setup
this will differ depending on which bios you have

Press and hold that key during the boot up process to enter BIOS
if you have changed any of the BIOS settings by mistake

you can load failsafe or optimised defaults using the arrow keys you can after you make any changes in BIOS press Esc then press the F10 button save to cmos to restart

CMOS is an on-board semiconductor chip powered by a CMOS battery inside computers that stores information such as the system time and date and the system hardware settings for your computer..



If your computer won't boot without a password or you need a password to enter the computer set-up or change the settings, then you have a BIOS password set. BIOS is an acronym for basic input/output system.

The BIOS is the basic instruction set that teaches the computer how to access disk drives, keyboard, display etc. The BIOS is typically placed on a ROM chip in the computer hence the term ROM BIOS.

The ROM BIOS allows the computer to boot itself. The BIOS is required to boot the computer. Thus, if the BIOS is password protected, the computer will not boot (or you will not be able to enter or change the BIOS settings.)

using the arrows keys scroll to Advanced Bios Features change the first boot device to cd rom press escape the F10 save to cmos to restart

BIOS is a software program that controls basic functions in your computer, such as boot order, keyboard control and how your processor interacts with memory cards









Restart your computer
During the boot process you will see on the screen to press a certain key to enter setup

Press and hold that key during the boot up process to enter BIOS using the arrow keys scroll down to advanced bios features press enter to change boot devices
press f10 to save to cmos escape then restart your computer

if you need to change any of the settings using the arrow keys if you have made any changes that has compromised your computer
you can go back and load failsafe or optimised defaults

hope this helps you

boot from your install disk and open CMD, from there use /bootsectit will give you your options

Check that your keyboard is connected, and is working properly.
Try your keyboard on a different computer.
Try a different keyboard on your computer.

The 'ESC' key should always work.
The 'F1' key should always work.
If your disk-drive is *NOT* "dead", then the 'F10' key should work.

If neither 'ESC' nor 'F1' work, you have a serious problem with the motherboard.

press F10 and format the pc with inbuild pc recovery and if it does not works then format your pc using the recovery discs given to you by HP.

During boot there should be a notifaction at the bottom of screen saying something like "Press Del for bios and F10 for boot menu" or something like that with other keys. If there is a boot menu option press the corresponding key and you will enter the boot menu. Here you can set the drive you want as first, second and depending on the motherboard third boot device.
If there is no boot menu option, enter the BIOS and go to advanced BIOS options, or something like that. There should be located a submenu called boot sequence, in which you can adjust the boot sequence too.