After launching a game, a browser tab, and another application, my computer became extremely slow. Task Manager would not open, and although Alt+F4 closed most of the browser tabs, the system still seemed unresponsive. I eventually shut it down using the physical power button. Since then, it goes directly into the BIOS instead of Windows. I'm using an ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi motherboard. Restarting does not help, so how can I diagnose whether the boot drive or Windows installation is the problem?
1 Answer
Since restarting still takes you straight to BIOS, check whether the BIOS detects your Windows drive. Look under the storage or NVMe/SATA information and also check the boot order. If the drive is listed, set Windows Boot Manager for that drive as the first boot option and save the changes. If it is missing, power the PC off completely and reseat the NVMe drive or SATA cables. A missing drive could indicate a connection problem or drive failure. If the drive is detected but Windows still will not start, you may need to boot from a Windows installation or recovery USB and run Startup Repair. In the future, avoid holding the power button unless the system is completely frozen, since an abrupt shutdown can corrupt the file system.
A restart by itself won’t fix it if the BIOS no longer sees the boot drive. The first thing I’d verify is whether Windows Boot Manager is still present in the boot options.