Reboot and select proper boot device...

[dplume]

Hi all, my sisters computer has the following message "Reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media in selected bood device" that's it - won't do nothing else.

Can anyone help us?

[Strider]

Hi Dplume,
We may need a bit more information. Did your computer shut down normally before this happened? Do you see any evidence of hard drive activity when you power on--drive light on or sounds of the stepper moving the heads? Does the BIOS report that it found the hard drive just before it tells you to reboot?
Do you have a boot floppy disk you can try to start your computer with? Try that and when you get the A:> prompt, try to access the C: drive.
HTH,

[dplume]

It will not let me get to the c drive at all.

[degsy]

Is the BIOS/POST screen detecting the drive?

Here is an example of a POST screen

[dplume]

Okay - this is what i did and what happens - doesn't look like i get the bios whatever thing you asked. I made a copy of the ME bootup disk from this site, tried to reboot this computer with it, it gives me an error saying it can't boot up with a disk - i reboot it with the ME reboot disk in it and it says this each time - that's it...i don't get anything else or can i seem to get anywhere else. any hope?

[Strider]

Dplume, I think youi're getting past the POST if you're getting an error message. Try to enter BIOS setup by mashing <Delete> when it beeps--about 2 seconds after you power on. Find the 'boot sequence' or 'boot order' and make sure A: or 'floppy' is first. Don't change anything else. Save and exit with the ME bootup disk in the drive. If it gives you an error message, copy it down exactly and post back.
Some computers use a different key to enter the BIOS setup, e.g. F2. Look at the bottom of the screen in Degsy's example. Your sister's computer should have a similar screen with the key identified to enter setup.

[dplume]

the Gateway message/symbol comes on - at the bottom it says f1 to settings and tab to messages. I hit f2-nothing, or f1, If i hit tab it takes me to a system config and says hit "esc" to continue...I do that it with or without disc it continues to say: reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media in selected boot device..??

[Strider]

A quick Google search indicates that F1 enters BIOS setup on a Gateway. The Gateway site said hit F1 at 1-second intervals, probably starting when you mash the power switch. Try that. You need to get into the BIOS to set your boot sequence so it won't try to access the hard drive.
The next step, if you can get it to boot from the floppy, will be to try to access the C: drive per Degsy's advice.

[dplume]

Okay-I can get into the bios setup, I find boot, then it takes me to a listing:
1st boot device: removalbe dev.
2nd boot device: hard drive
3rd boot device: attapit cdrom

?? would the 1st boot device be what were looking for? If so, it looks like its set at booting from disc...??? I will not do anything until i hear back...thanks.

[Strider]

OK, the boot sequence is correct. The 'removable device' is the floppy drive.
It sounds to me like the computer is skipping over the boot floppy and trying to boot from the hard drive. The next thing to do is to verify that the boot disk you have is really bootable. Just copying the files onto the floppy doesn't necessarily make it bootable. If you have another working computer available, try booting from the floppy. Again, the floppy drive will have to be first in the boot sequence. You can tell that it is if, right after the computer beeps, the floppy drive light comes on and you hear the head move: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z-tt, z-z-z-z-z-z-z-tt, z-z-t" when no disk is in the drive.
Verify that you can boot a working computer from the floppy, then post back.

[dplume]

Okay-i guess its booting up from the disk, i now have got further than I ever have...but then it goes on to give me bunch of:

the following file is missing or corrupted: DISPLAY.SYS
there is an error in your CONFIG.SYS file on line 44

same thing.....but COUNTRY.SYS
................line 45

..........MODE.COM
.......line 46

..........MODE.COM
.......line 47

.....COMMAND.COM
Type the name of the interpretor (e.g., C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM)
a>

-But when I try to do anything it will not let me...???

[Strider]

Even though you get all these errors, does the computer eventually get to an A:> prompt? If so, type C: and press return. The hard drive light should flash and you should see C:> on the screen. If so, type dir and press return. If you immediately get a list of directories and files, then the hard drive appears to be working, and the Windows installation is corrupt.
If, when you type either C: or dir, the computer is very slow to respond and/or the hard drive light flashes several times, it may be a problem with the drive itself.
If you don't even get the A:> prompt after all the errors, it's probably the boot floppy that's corrupted. You'll need to make another one.
Post back with what you tried and what happened.

[dplume]

After all these error messages (that I referred to earlier)...it stops at the A>, and when I type in C: it does nothing and gives me the error message - The following file is missing or corrupted c: , the tye name of the command interpreter (e.g., C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM)

no matter what i type in after A>, it gives me that message referring to whatever I typed in....????

[Strider]

It appears to me that command.com on your boot floppy is corrupt. Can you...
make another boot disk, or
replace command.com on the floppy with a copy of the same version from somewhere else, or
try the boot floppy in a working computer to see if it will boot cleanly?