inspiron 531s boots straight to bios, please help!!

Hi lhamm,

There could be a possibility that the F2 key is pressed on the keyboard. Please disconnect the keyboard from the system tower and then turn on the system. In case the issue still persists, I will recommend you to drain the static charge from your system and see if that makes a difference:

• Disconnect all the external peripherals.
• Unplug all the cables connected to the system including the monitor's cable and the power cable.
• Press and hold the power button for 10 to 15 seconds.
• Connect the power cable and the monitor back and check if the system is working fine.

If the issue is still not resolved, you may try to load BIOS defaults:

• Restart the system and keep tapping F2 as soon as the Dell logo appears.
• Press 'F9' to load defaults.
• Press 'F10' to save
• Exit the BIOS and check if the system works fine.

Keep me posted. Please reply for any further questions.