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Boot-device selection problems
In the last two weeks, my Dell Studio XPS 435T system running Windows 7 64-bit began wanting to boot from an empty DVD drive instead of the C:\ hard disk. Symptoms are not completely clear, but there seem to be two conditions under which it happens:
1. Restarting from Windows 7 (i.e., rebooting without power-off), and
2. Booting after power off when the previous attempt has failed.
*So far* what works is a power-off reboot following an orderly shutdown of Windows 7. Also going into "Select boot device" at startup and manually selecting the hard drive.
Is there a way to persuade this system that I really want to default to the hard drive? The PC works fine except for not booting (ha ha).
Second question: I may try to replace the CMOS battery, to see if that is the cause. Is there a way to determine what model/size the battery is, without opening up the machine (a Studio XPS 435T)?
RoHe
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May 18th, 2014 18:00
Check the manual, but the default #1 boot device in BIOS may be the DVD, so if the battery is weak and not holding your settings, it would revert to booting from the #1 default device (eg, DVD).
CR2032 3-volt lithium ion coin cell battery, ~$2 at discount stores.
Ron Sipherd
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May 18th, 2014 20:00
Thanks! I think the big question is whether a new CMOS battery will fix the problem, or it is something else; but putting in a new 2032 battery is probably the easiest fix to try.
What is puzzling is why it fails on Restart but not after power-off, which is the opposite of what I would expect; but that may be unanswerable.
Ron Sipherd
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May 18th, 2014 20:00
> CMOS battery removed for more than 30 seconds will reset the BIOS
That reminds me of another question; the manual says essentially "write down every single CMOS setting before you change the battery" which would be a massive task. Is there a core set of values I should jot down to save time and effort?
Balaji M Kundal
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May 18th, 2014 20:00
Ron's suggestion looks good. But, before changing the boot device replace the CMOS battery, as CMOS battery removed for more than 30 seconds will reset the BIOS, meaning again the boot order needs to be set.
Balaji M Kundal
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May 19th, 2014 00:00
Not necessarily you need to write down every individual setting. You can write down only the individual settings modified by you. Rest will take the default values automatically.
For example, change in boot device order, needs to be changed again after replacement of the CMOS battery.
RoHe
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May 19th, 2014 11:00
You can always take digital photos of the BIOS screens. Just turn off the flash so it doesn't "white out"the images from the reflections.
Ron Sipherd
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May 19th, 2014 21:00
Good idea; thanks! (Have already photographed the backplane so I know what cables go where,and why.)