FIX: PC won’t exit BIOS

by Ivan Jenic
May 27, 2018 Af liate Disclosure
Troubleshooting Expert

Users have been dealing with booting issues since the very rst version of
Windows.

There are various things that can prevent your system from booting normally.
For example, system failure, damaged hardware, failed update installation, etc.

However, there are some booting problems that are more serious than others.
One of these problems is de nitely the BIOS issues, which prevents users from
starting their computer.

If you’re unable to exit BIOS, your computer is basically useless, because you
can’t start it.

This isn’t a rare problem, as many users have encountered it already. In case

you have the same problem, keep reading this article, because we’ve prepared
a few potential workarounds, that might be of some help.

Common BIOS issues

Not being able to exit BIOS can be a big problem, and speaking of BIOS issues.
These are some of the problems that users reported:

Can’t exit BIOS, ASUS – This issue is mostly caused by your BIOS settings,
so if you’re having any problems, simply revert any recent changes made
in BIOS and check if that solves the problem.
Stuck in BIOS ASUS – This problem usually occurs with ASUS
motherboards. If you encounter it, be sure to reset your BIOS to the
default settings and check if that helps.
Computer stuck at BIOS startup, PC stuck on BIOS splash screen –
Sometimes this issue can be caused by your hardware. If that’s the case,
we advise you inspect your hardware and see if everything is working
properly.
 ASUS laptop stuck in BIOS Windows 10 – This issue can appear on your
laptop, and if you encounter it, feel free to try any of our solutions.

Windows skips BIOS? No worries! Here are the best tips to solve the issue!

What to do if PC won’t exit BIOS

Solution 1 – Set BIOS settings to default

Maybe you accidentally changed some BIOS settings that con ict with your
system. So, the safest bet and the simplest possible solution is to simply reset
BIOS to its default values.

In case you don’t know how to do that, follow these instructions:

1. Go to the Save & exit tab in BIOS

2. Select the Load Optimized Defaults option

3. Con rm the change

This is literally the simplest and the most basic solution for one’s BIOS issues.
In case you’re still unable to exit BIOS after loading the default values, your
problem is more serious.

So, check out other solutions, but be careful with everything you do, because a
wrong step can completely disable your computer.

Solution 2 – Make sure other components are not damaged

If some of the crucial hardware in your computer, like hard disk, CPU, or
RAM are damaged, you won’t be able to boot your computer normally, or go
past BIOS. In this case, BIOS is really not an issue, but you’re not able to go
further, anyway.

The hard disk is the component that causes the most problems for users. Your
system will usually tell you if the hard drive is damaged, but you can also check
from BIOS, by checking if your hard disk is available in the list of boot sources.

It’s worth mentioning that you also need to check whether your components
are connected properly. Sometimes if your hard drive isn’t tightly connected to
your motherboard or the power supply you might encounter this issue, so be
sure to check that.

When you make sure which component prevents your computer booting
normally, change that component, and you’ll be able to start your computer
again. If all your components are in a good shape, carry on with reading this
article, we’re getting to more serious solutions.

According to users, your RAM is the common cause of this problem. If you
notice strange beeps before your PC enters BIOS, it’s rather likely that your
RAM or other hardware is causing this issue.
If RAM is the problem, simply disconnect all by one memory modules and try
to boot your PC.

If that doesn’t work, try to rearrange memory modules on your motherboard.

Simply reseat your memory and check if your PC boots. If you want to perform
a detailed scan, you can scan your memory using the MemTest86+ software.

Simply download this tool, put it on a ash drive and boot your PC from it.

After doing that, the memory scan will start. This process can take a while, and
if you want to nd the exact memory module that is causing this issue, it’s
advised to scan your modules one by one.

Solution 3 – Reset BIOS

If software resetting didn’t help, we’re going to try the physical reset. Every
motherboard has a CMOS jumper, which can be used for manually resetting
BIOS. Before we continue with explaining what to do, we have to warn you.

Be very careful while working with your motherboard, because you can easily
damage it or other components if you’re not careful. So, if you’re not
comfortable working with your hardware, ask someone who knows what he’s
doing for help.

Also, this method doesn’t work on laptops.

Now, let’s see what you need to do to manually reset your BIOS.

1. Power o your computer, and unplug it from the outlet.

2. Open your case.
3. Find the CMOS jumper. It is located on your motherboard, and is usually
labeled with  CLEAR, CLR, CLEAR CMOS, PSSWRD, or a variety of other
labels.
 4. You’ll notice that there are three pins, and the jumper covers only two.
Move the jumper to other two pins. So, if the jumper is covering the rst
and second pins, move it to the second and third.
5. Press the power button. Your computer won’t start because the power is
turned o , but this will discharge any remaining power stored in the
capacitors. When you do this, your BIOS will be reset.
6. Now, just return the jumper to its original state
7. Close the case, turn the power on, and start your computer.

You can also reset your BIOS by removing your motherboard battery. Simply
locate the battery on your motherboard and gently remove it. Once you
remove the battery, try to start your PC without it.

Without the battery, your PC won’t be able to store your BIOS settings and it
will revert to default.

Few users reported that a faulty battery caused this issue, and after replacing
the battery, the problem was completely resolved.

Your BIOS is now restarted, and if there were any problems, they should be
gone. However, there’s one more scenario which will leave your BIOS disabled,
even if you reset it.
We certainly hope that’s not the case with your BIOS, but we’ll explain it to you,
anyway.

Solution 4 – Disconnect external drives

If your PC won’t exit BIOS, the issue might be an external drive. Sometimes
your PC might try to boot from the external ash drive or external hard drive
causing this issue to appear.

Since your external drive doesn’t have any bootable les on it, that will
automatically start BIOS.

To x this problem, simply disconnect all external storage, including hard

drives and ash drives, and try to boot your PC without them. After doing that,
check if the problem still appears.

Problems with disconnecting external drives? We got your back with this
handy guide!

Solution 5 – Change BIOS settings

If you can’t exit BIOS on your PC, the issue is most likely caused by your BIOS
settings. If BIOS isn’t properly con gured, you might experience this problem.

However, many users reported that they xed the issue by doing the following:

1. Enter BIOS, go to Security Options and disable Secure Boot. Now save
changes and restart your PC.
2. Enter BIOS again and this time go to Boot section. Disable Fastboot and
enable CSM (Compatibility Support Module).
3. Save changes and restart your PC.

After doing that, your PC should recognize your hard drive and the issue
should be completely resolved.

Solution 6 – Use UEFI boot and check your Boot order

To x this problem, users are suggesting to switch to UEFI boot. To do that, just
enter BIOS, navigate to Boot section, and enable UEFI boot.

In addition, be sure to check the boot order. Set your hard drive or SSD as the
rst boot device and try to start your PC.

Updated your BIOS? Good luck!

Most of the people think that updating BIOS is like updating any other driver,
but it’s totally di erent.

Our ‘regular’ components and the system are usually updated automatically,
to improve security, performance, and compatibility.

But updating BIOS can cripple your computer badly if something goes wrong.
Because of that, it is not recommended to update BIOS, unless absolutely
necessary.

If something goes wrong when updating your BIOS, it is very hard to get things
back to normal. So, it is advisable to take your computer to a repair center,
and ask for a professional help.

Check out this guide to update your BIOS like a real technician!

That’s all, we hope this article helped you resolve the problem with BIOS, and
of course, that your computer is not permanently damaged. If you have any
comments, questions, or suggestions, just let us know in the comments.