Computer wont boot up normally

[Jakaris]

For some reason, my computer will not boot up if i simply turn it on, i have to catch it at the right moment and open the boot menu and select the hd manually, and only then will it boot up.

I have NO experience with computers, so if anyone knows whats wrong and how to fix it, assume im stupid when giving instructions on how to fix it.

Thanks!

 

[Harvey]

1. Unplug and reseat your RAM and all plug in cards.

2. Go into the CMOS (aka BIOS), and check the boot order. You can set it to seek a floppy, CD-ROM or other external device, first, but your main drive should be the first hard drive in the boot order. Also, if your drive is SATA, make sure the CMOS is set to recognize it.

One of the first messages you should see at bootup is how to enter the CMOS. On most machines, you hit the < Del > key as soon as the message appears. Some machines use < F1 >, < F10 > or some other key.

3. If your drive is PATA (standard ATA or IDE), make sure your hard drive is on the master on your primary IDE channel and that the jumper is set correctly. If it is at the far end of the cable, you can set it for Cable Select. If it is not, or if your motherboard has difficulty recognizing that setting correctly, set the drive as Master.

Good luck.