No matter what PC you are using, whether it is a laptop or a desktop, you just need to get access to your PC BIOS at some point. But, what to do when your PC is not booting to BIOS?
If you have just built your new PC, then this is the most common problem that you would face. Here on this page, you will find various causes for this problem along with the fixes.
I want you to read the complete article to find where the problem is on your PC and the required solution.
The above image will let you know what the BIOS page looks like on a computer. However, the page may or may not be the same for different computers because it all depends on the motherboard manufacturer. Here you can find the complete guide to understanding BIOS in a computer.
Ok, now we will see why this page is not displaying on your PC.
Press the Right Key to Enter the BIOS
This is the basic step to access BIOS on your PC – You need to press the right function key. The BIOS accessing key varies from PC to PC.
For example, the PC that I am using here has the ‘Del’ button as the BIOS accessing button. But my friend’s HP laptop needs to press F9 to get access to the BIOS.
When you hit the wrong key for BIOS, the OS will load if you installed an Operating System on your PC. Otherwise, it will display the boot devices connected to it.
Fix it:
Finding the BIOS key on your PC is not a complex task. Here you can find it in multiple ways.
Check the motherboard manual – The motherboard manual is your first guide to solving most of your PC problems. Why? Because it is full of information about your motherboard.
If you have the physical copy of the motherboard manual, go through it. Otherwise, download the soft copy from the web. For that, you need to know what motherboard you have on your PC.
Just type “Your motherboard model + manual” on the web. You can see the results. Your motherboard manufacturer must provide a copy on their official site. I recommend you go with it.
Download the manual and find the BIOS accessing key to your computer.
Test the keys on the keyboard – The function keys from F1 to F12, del, and Esc are the keys you need to test. If you think the first approach is not good for you, press any one of these keys repeatedly after you turn ON the computer.
Only test the single key at a time. If BIOS loads, that is ok. Otherwise, use another key and repeat the process. A bit of a hard task. Right?
Let’s see what the next method we have is.
Do some research – If you know about your motherboard model or manufacturer, search for the BIOS key for that.
You may or may not find the right information on time. Here is my recommended post to save you time.
Use the right method at your convenience to find the BIOS key.
Give Enough Power Supply to Your PC
The computer is an electronic device, so it needs a power supply to work. All the components in a PC from a small cable to the motherboard require a sufficient power supply.
Just guess, what happens if they don’t get enough power supply?
You are right. Problems like not booting BIOS, Blue Screen of Death, PC freezing, etc will occur.
Fix it:
You can fix the issue by using a high-watt power Source Unit.
To find your PSU watt capacity, open the list of components you purchased when building your PC. And find the power source component to know more about it.
In other cases, you need to remove the CPU case and look at the product details on the PSU.
A normal PC requires at least 400 Watts of power source. If you are using a gaming PC, 600 Watts or more is recommended. The gaming components require more power than normal ones. Go through the article to find how much power your PC is consuming.
Remove External Drives, CMOS Battery, and Case Panel for 10 Minutes
Sometimes, the external drives are not in sync to make your PC perform well. Especially, in this case, the CMOS battery on your motherboard will cause you trouble, and fixing it can solve the problem.
All the external devices connected to your PC, like CMOS on your motherboard, hard disk, etc, should be removed for a while.
Fix it:
The power supply to the PC needs to be reset and with this action, you can fix the issue.
Remove all the external components and wait for at least 10 minutes after that, you can place all of them as usual and turn ON your PC. Now your PC will show BIOS utility setup.
The process of removing the CMOS battery from the motherboard leads to resetting it to default BIOS settings.
Make Sure You Are Using Compatible PC Components
A computer can only work when all the components in it are compatible. Some specifications might be up or low but all the components must be compatible.
So, how should you find that your PC components are compatible?
You just need to find your motherboard model. And all the other components must be compatible with it. If they don’t, then you’ll get problems like your PC not booting to BIOS or Blue Screen error, etc.
We have already discussed how to get the motherboard manual.
Just open the manual and find these topics.
- The compatible processor
- RAM type
- GPU type
- Connecting pins
- PSU requirement
- Hard disk storage capability
- SSD compatibility
- and more…
This is a professional approach to finding the compatibility of a computer.
Fix it:
If your PC has incompatible components, you need to replace them with new compatible ones.
Ignore this step if all of your PC components are compatible.
Place RAM, ROM, and Processor Correctly
In general, there is no need to look at this section for this issue. But in some worst cases, RAM misplacement can cause this issue. Also, the ROM and processor installations are important to place.
Faulty RAM and processor give a chance for your PC not booting to BIOS.
Fix it:
Make sure you handle all these components well, especially the processor. If you make any PC build mistake, the problem will arise.
Dismantle your computer remove RAM, ROM, and the processor from the allocated place, and place them properly.
A laptop user can ignore this step though the laptop hardware handling is much more complicated than the desktop.
However, it is not advisable to dismantle your laptop until you think the problem is with the components in it.
This will help you fix the problem.
Any Burnout on Your Motherboard? Check Once.
I hope you know the value of a motherboard in an electronic device. Especially in computers, the motherboard plays a vital role in giving instructions to other PC components.
If you observe clearly, the motherboard has various internal connections like RAM to Hard disk, processor to HDMI port, PSU to CPU cooler, etc. Because of all these internal connections, the computer works fine without any short circuits. And that’s why it is called MOTHERboard.
Any unwanted or neglectful action toward the motherboard will disturb the network structure and lead to a short circuit. It is not a good sign for your PC.
The burnout on your motherboard will impact its working. As a result, you can’t get access to your PC BIOS.
Fix it:
You must be careful while handling the motherboard of your PC. It is sensitive. If this is the case for you – you will find a black area on your board. This is the sign that your board was damaged. Click here to find the symptoms of a dead motherboard in a PC.
You need to buy a new one to access the BIOS on your computer.
No burnout means no problem.
Replace the CMOS Battery And Try
Sometimes, a CMOS battery might cause this issue on a computer. And it can’t help to load the basic BIOS files on a computer. The battery is a small thing to suspect, but it is one of the main components in the entire motherboard.
The main question is, how do you determine whether the problem is with the CMOS battery or other components on the computer? Well, there is no shortcut or recommended tool yet for hardware scanning.
Make sure you check all the above conditions and then come to the CMOS battery for assurance.
Fix it:
Here you don’t have other options except to replace your CMOS battery with the new one. Don’t worry, its cost is cheap.
These are the issues that I found on a computer when it is not booting to BIOS.
However, I will update this list when I find other issues that are causing this problem. If I miss anything to list here, let me know with your comment. Also, read the differences between the motherboard and the CPU.