Errors•Hardware Issues

Getting the “No Boot Device Detected: System Halted” error when you start your computer?

February 11, 2010 by Ian Brown No Comments

I was getting the same message with one of my systems. It was not even listing the hard drive or the CD-ROM in the BIOS. It ended up being a very easy fix.

Here was the fix:

I simply replaced the CMOS battery. This system was a desktop, by the way. The CMOS batter is a small round battery found on the motherboard, and has the battery code of CR2032, in case you need to go buy it. Radio Shack has them. But I would make sure the one that is in there is low on power before you go out and buy a new one. You’ll need a battery tester to do this.

Once you have confirmed that it is the battery, and you have a new one in your hand, just pop out the old one on the motherboard, and put in the new one. BEFORE you take it out, make sure you note how it goes in, and make sure you replace it quickly. You still may have to reset the date and time, as well as some of the settings in the BIOS. If you don’t know what they are, then just load the default BIOS settings in the BIOS.

Replacing the CMOS battery is for intermediate to advanced users. However, if you are a beginner and you are ambitious, just Google it if you need visuals.

Written by Ian Brown

Ian has been involved with computers since very young. He took his first computer class when he was just 8 years old. He always had an affinity for computers, but never really took it seriously. It was not until he graduated from college and experienced the real world for a while did he realize that computers may be where his talent and passion lie. He has since branched out into Internet marketing and LOVES it. He currently resides in Los Angeles where he services clients ranging from residential to small business to celebrities.