Press F1 to Continue Startup Message - PC Hardware Questions & Answers

Md Rumman Khan writes in with a hardware question.
Question:when I start my computer, the screen says press F1 but the system seems to hang and F1 doesn’t work.

Answer: When you are prompted to press F1 when starting your computer its usually because you have added new hardware or are having a hardware problem and need to go into your computer's BIOS to fix it or adjust the settings. It can also mean you have a CMOS batter that is going bad and needs to be replaced. I would go into the BIOS and see if there is a setting to restore the factory settings. Sometimes just going into the BIOS and saving the settings on exit (press F10) will solve the problem. You may also want to look for a setting that says "halt on errors" and disable it. Plus make sure that your keyboard is properly plugged in since that will give the same error and you wont be able to press F1.

You may also want to change the battery since they are cheap and easy to replace. Just take the old one out and go to a store like Radio Shack and get a replacement.

CMOS battery picture

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