Boot Device Not Found
The boot device not found prank shows the black BIOS error text every PC owner hopes never to see: Boot Device Not Found, please install an operating system on your hard disk. The PC has not died. It's a browser tab pretending to be a machine with no hard drive.
Hard Disk (3F0)
Press F11 for maximum realism. Tap or press Esc to exit.
For the best results, add this to the device's home screen. It then opens with no address bar, no tabs and no URL, so there is nothing left to give it away.
This is the heaviest of the error pranks, because it does not suggest a crash you can reboot out of. It suggests the drive is gone, and everything on it with it. Want something that recovers on restart? The blue screen of death is the softer option. Want the machine to just look off instead? Use the fake shutdown screen.
How to use the boot device not found prank
- Open this page on the Windows PC or laptop and press Launch Full-Screen Prank.
- Check that no browser bar or taskbar shows. If one does, press F11 so the black BIOS text runs edge to edge.
- Leave the machine with the screen on. Nothing on it moves, so it looks the same an hour later.
- End it with a click, a tap or Esc. If you used F11, press it again to bring the browser back.
What the boot device not found screen shows
White monospaced text on black, laid out like an older American Megatrends BIOS start-up. A few memory and drive checks all pass with OK, then it reads "Boot Device Not Found. Please install an operating system on your hard disk." Under that sit Hard Disk (3F0) and prompts for F2 Setup and F9 Boot Menu. Nothing moves, flashes or counts.
The F2 and F9 prompts are only text. Pressing them does nothing, and that is often when the doubt starts.
Which computers suit the fake BIOS error
It belongs on a Windows desktop or laptop, since that is where this kind of firmware text appears. On a Mac it looks wrong, and on a phone it makes no sense. For Apple hardware, use the fake kernel panic. The page asks the screen to stay awake while it runs, on browsers that support it, so the display does not go to sleep before anyone sees it.
Ending the boot error prank before anyone opens the case
Someone who believes the drive has gone may hold the power button, open the case or start looking up repair shops. Holding power does no harm to the page, and the PC starts normally, but anything unsaved in other windows is lost. Stay in the room and own up once the first F2 press fails.
Skip it on work machines, where it can turn into a call to IT, and for anyone whose only copy of their work lives on that computer.
Frequently asked questions
Is the PC actually broken?
No. It's a browser page showing BIOS-style text on a black background. The drive, the operating system and every file are untouched. Close the tab and the machine is completely normal.
What does "boot device not found" actually mean?
On a real PC it means the firmware searched the boot order and found no drive with a bootable operating system. Genuine causes are a disconnected or failed drive, a wiped boot sector, or a changed boot order in BIOS. Here it means nothing at all. It's decorative text.
Why does this one scare people more than a blue screen?
Because a BSOD implies a crash you restart out of, while "no boot device" implies the drive itself is gone. One costs you a reboot; the other sounds like it costs you everything on the machine.
How do I set it up?
Open the page on the PC and press F11 for fullscreen. Black BIOS text fills the screen with no browser furniture visible, which is the whole illusion, so do not skip the fullscreen step.
Will it survive a restart?
No, and that's the safety valve. Restarting the machine boots normally straight into Windows, which ends the prank by itself and proves nothing was wrong.
Can I get in trouble for using it?
The page is harmless, but this is one of the easier pranks to take too far. Someone who believes their drive has failed may start a recovery process, buy a replacement, or take the machine to a repair shop. Own up quickly, and do not use it on anyone's work machine.
Does it work on a Mac?
It loads, but Macs do not show BIOS text. A Mac that cannot find its startup disk shows a folder with a question mark. Use the fake kernel panic for Apple hardware instead.
How do I get out of it?
Press Esc or F11 to leave fullscreen, then close the tab. Nothing needs repairing and no recovery media is involved.