PC Won’t Boot to BIOS? Try These Fixes

Basic Input Output System (BIOS) is the system firmware that provides runtime services for the Operating System. It performs the Power On Self Test (POST) needed to signal the system that the Operating System can be loaded. If your PC does not pass POST, it will not boot.

These days, the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) has largely replaced the BIOS. Most UEFI firmware platforms, however, provide support for legacy BIOS services. Thus, if somebody is referring to the BIOS in the modern system, they are most likely referring to the UEFI. In the context of this article as well, we are using the terms BIOS and UEFI interchangeably.

There are some critical settings that you need BIOS access to change. For example, changing boot drive loading priority, or your RAM XMP profiles, or enabling virtualization, etc. In this article, we address the issue of what to do if you cannot get into BIOS, and more. I hope you have a good read!

How To Boot Into BIOS

Primarily, you’d boot into your system BIOS from the startup screen. For different makes and models of your device, there are different keystrokes you can press to enter BIOS. The latest versions of Windows users also have the option to boot straight to BIOS after a system restart. Below we discuss both these methods.

Boot into BIOS from Windows

If you use either Windows 10 or 11 and you can load your OS, then you can let Windows know that you’d like to restart the machine and load BIOS. Here is how you’d do it:

For Windows 11

1. Launch Settings. (Win + I).
2. Navigate to Windows Update > Advanced Options > Recovery.
3. Under Recovery options, click Restart Now on Advanced startup.
   
4. Click on Troubleshoot.
   
5. Click Advanced options.
   
6. Select UEFI Firmware Settings.
   
7. Click on Restart.

For Windows 10

1. Launch Settings. (Win + I).
2. Navigate to Update & security > Recovery.
   Under Advanced startup, click Restart now.
   
3. Click on Troubleshoot > Advanced options.
4. Select UEFI Firmware Settings and click on Restart.

The computer will now restart and automatically take you into the BIOS screen.

If your OS is working fine, then we have an article outlining various other methods in which you can enter system BIOS. Please do give it a read.

Enter BIOS From the Boot Screen

The primary method of entering into BIOS screen is by pressing a certain keystroke immediately after booting your device. Of course, what key or key combination to press varies widely depending upon your device manufacturer. If you have no idea of what keystroke you need to use, you are not entering into BIOS by this method. Below we have listed various manufacturers and the keystroke they require to enter BIOS. Look up the manufacturer of your device in the list below and use the corresponding keystroke.

If You Have Forgotten BIOS Password

You might have secured your BIOS by locking it with a password. In such a case, you will not be able to enter BIOS without entering the correct password. And if you have not accessed BIOS in a long time, it is possible that you have forgotten the password! You will need to reset the password first. Here are a few methods of how you’d do it.

Remove the CMOS Battery

If you remove the CMOS battery, it will wipe out your BIOS password.

1. Power off your PC. Make sure you are wearing an anti-static wristband.
2. Open your device casing and find the CMOS battery in the motherboard.
3. Remove the CMOS battery and wait 10-20 seconds.
4. Put the battery back in, and reboot the computer.

Reset BIOS Jumper

You can also reset the BIOS jumper to reset BIOS password.

1. Power off your PC. Make sure you are wearing an anti-static wristband.
2. Open your device casing and locate the BIOS reset jumper. It is usually located near the CMOS battery and is blue in color. Refer to the device manual if you have problem locating it.
3. Remove the jumper. If the jumper is seated in 2 of 3 pins, move the jumped one pin over instead, Wait 20-30 seconds
4. Restore the jumper to its original configuration.
5. Reboot the computer.

Use Master Password

Many device manufacturers will have a built-in master password in BIOS that is not available to the user. This master password can be used to bypass the user-populated BIOS password.

1. Enter the wrong password three times at the prompt. This will generate a System Disabled message along with a number. Note down this number.
2. Go to www.bios-pw.org and enter the number.
3. Click on Get password. This will generate a master password (or multiple passwords) that you can enter into the BIOS password screen.
   

After using the master password, you will be able to enter BIOS screen.

How to Fix BIOS Errors

Sometimes you might not be able to boot into your system because it gets stuck on the BIOS screen, or the BIOS does not load at all. There are a number of reasons why this happens, and below we will try to go through each of these in an easy-to-follow step-by-step manner. Please follow them carefully.

BIOS Error Beep Codes

When an error occurs during POST, the computer will emit a series of beep sounds to let the user know the specific error that caused POST error. The beep error code will vary depending upon the motherboard manufacturer, so we recommend you refer to the user manual and head to the relevant section in this article.

Resolve Problems With the Bootable Media

One of the common problems with your computer not booting beyond the BIOS is that you have a problem with your bootable media. In such a case, keep an eye out for one of the following messages.

Any of the above messages or something similar indicate that you have a boot drive failure at hand.

Any of the above messages or something similar indicate that you have a boot drive failure at hand.

Check for any USB ports to see if you have accidentally left a USB drive in during boot time.

If your USB drives were clear, then go into BIOS settings to check for boot order and make sure that your bootable drive is at the top of the list.

If this does not fix your issue, then your bootable drive is probably corrupt and needs to be repaired or replaced.

Disconnect Peripherals

A hardware conflict with one of the peripherals could cause a boot issue with your OS. To troubleshoot this problem:

1. Power off your PC
2. Disconnect all external peripherals (keyboard, mouse, monitor, printers, etc) connected to your PC.
3. Connect one of them at a time (starting with the monitor for obvious reasons), and power your computer back up. If you can boot into your OS, the problem is likely one of the peripherals.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for every individual peripheral until your computer fails to boot again, at which point you have identified the faulty peripheral, and replace it.

If you had no success troubleshooting your boot problem, then the peripherals is probably not an issue. Please try another fix below.

Check for Power Connection Problems

A faulty power connection could also lead to your PC not booting. Please check your power outlet and UPS connections at both ends and make sure that your cables are attached firmly and properly.

Also, turn off your PC and make sure that your SMPS cables are connected properly and securely to the motherboard, CPU, graphics card, etc.

Restore Default BIOS Settings

A misconfigured BIOS setting or two could also lead you to a BIOS error. To see if this is the case, restore default BIOS settings. The location of this option in your BIOS may vary depending upon your system manufacturer.

Diagnose Your RAM Modules

Another reason your PC is refusing to boot is that it cannot access memory. Check if you have faulty RAM sticks or if they are just not seated properly.

1. Turn off your PC.
2. Open the PC case and locate the RAM slots on your motherboard.
3. Take out all RAM sticks from their slots.
4. Re-seat one RAM stick back into a slot. Make sure that the notches on RAM stick align with the notches on the slot. When done properly, you will hear a click and the tabs at both ends of the slot will snap close.
5. Power your PC back on and see if you can now boot.
6. Power off the PC again and repeat steps 1-6 with another RAM module until the PC fails to boot again, at which point you have a faulty RAM stick.

If all this test fails with all RAM modules, it is possible that all of your RAM sticks are faulty. However, it is more likely that the reason for boot failure is something else. Please try another fix in this list.

Make Sure All Fans Are Running

The fans in your device are vital for maintaining system temperature. If any fans, especially the CPU fan, has failed, then your system BIOS might refuse to boot the system. Keep an eye out for a fan failure message.

Disconnect and Reconnect the CPU

CPU is the brain of your device. No CPU equals no boot. If might be pretty silly to think that anybody would try to boot a PC without its CPU, but it’s possible that the CPU has been dislocated from its socket. To see if this is the case:

1. Power off the PC.
2. Remove the CPU.
3. Clean the old thermal paste and re-apply some fresh ones.
4. Reattach the CPU to the socket.
5. Turn on the power and see if the problem has been fixed.

Re-flash Your BIOS

Sometimes when you update your BIOS firmware, the newer version might not be 100% compatible with your older BIOS, which might result in your BIOS not working properly. If you have recently flashed your BIOS firmware to a newer version and your PC stopped booting thereafter, you should flash your BIOS firmware to the older working version.

1. On a working PC, download the version of BIOS firmware that was working and copy it to a blank USB.
2. Note down the exact filename and extension of the downloaded file.
3. Plug the USB media to your PC that needs to be flashed.
4. Enter BIOS upon booting and change boot order to prioritize USB booting.
5. At the command prompt, type in the name of the BIOS firmware file and press enter.
6. Press Y to confirm update.