Weird 'reboot and select proper boot device' problem!!!

I know that this may sound like a common problem but after searching the forums and on google I can't find anyone with this particular problem. My PC is a custom build that I built a couple of months ago and has been running without problems until now.

Here is the spec of the PC:

Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit
Intel i7 980x
Corsair 12 GB 1600 DDR3 RAM
Asus P6 X58 D Premium
2GB ATI Radoen 5970
128GB Crucial SATA 6Gb/s SSD (this is where windows 7 is installed)
2x 1TB Western Digital SATA 6Gb/s
Samsung Blu Ray Drive

If anyone needs a more detailed spec than this let me know.

The Problem:

When I originally built the PC the motherboard only came with 1 6Gb/s SATA cable which I used for the SSD (this is where I installed windows). I then had one of the 1TB drives plugged into the other 6Gb/s SATA port using a standard SATA cable and one 1TB drive plugged into a standard 3Gb/s SATA port. Today I got a hold of a 6Gb/s cable so decided to swap out the standard cable on the 1TB drive to improve it's performance.

However, after swapping this cable out I now get the 'reboot and select proper boot device' error and windows wont boot. All drives appear in the BIOS correctly and I've double and triple checked that the boot sequence is correct. I've even swapped back to the original cable and it still wont work.

I've tried inserting the windows disk and running system repair but windows cannot detect that windows is installed on any of the drives. When I click on 'load driver' I am able to browse through all the connected drives and they are all intact and I can see all of the files stored on all 3 of them. My main drive is listed as C: but windows just wont boot to it, which makes me think that it's a software problem!

When I've run through to Windows 7 installation it lists all the drives as options to install to so I don't think it's a driver issue. Besides, I was able to install to that drive originally without the need for a driver.

Any ideas on how I can get my drive recognised as the boot drive again?

Thanks in advance for any responses!

lordbob24:
Have you tried clearing your BIOS NVRAM?
It's just a thought.... might even be a stupid one...but, when one gets desperate...

Hello lordbob24, welcome to Seven Forums!



First disconnect all Hard Disk Drives (HDD) except the one Windows is installed to, then boot to diskpart to see if the Windows partition is marked as "Active" if it is then do the 3 separated startup repairs out-lined in this tutorial at the link below.

If not use Step Two # 1 to mark it active then do the startup repairs to get Windows booting again.

Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times

click to enlarge
Attachment 116546

lordbob24:
When I said to clear the NVRAM that did not mean to update your BIOS.

BIOS updates are always risky for various reasons.

Your BIOS can be cleared by moving a jumper for a few seconds (usually) or resetting defaults within BIOS itself.
On much older MOBO's you had to remove the battery for 30 seconds or so.
Information should be in your User Manual.

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.

Good to see you have it running and thanks for the update.