What Does "Start PXE over IPv6" Mean? Causes & Fixes Guide

Are you getting an error that says "Start PXE Over IPv6" when you boot up your computer? This error can be very frustrating, especially when you aren't sure how to fix the problem. When you see this error, it means your computer is trying to boot from a network drive instead of your normal hard drive or SSD. In this article, we go over 8 ways you can fix this error. Keep reading to learn how.

Fixing the "Start PXE Over IPv6" Error

Try changing your boot order in your BIOS/UEFI. If that doesn't work, try resetting your BIOS/UEFI settings to default. Also, make sure your BIOS/UEFI isn't in Legacy mode, as that can cause this error to occur as well.

Method 1

Method 1 of 8:

Change Boot Order in BIOS/UEFI

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1
Restart your computer and open the BIOS/UEFI at the startup screen. You'll want to hit the button to open your BIOS/UEFI when you see your motherboard logo on the screen. The buttons to open the BIOS/UEFI for the most popular motherboard brands are listed below, but you may want to check your motherboard manual for specifics:
- ASUS: Delete or F2
- ASRock: Delete or F2
- EVGA: Delete or F2
- Gigabyte: Delete or F2
- MSI: Delete
Each motherboard will have a slightly different BIOS/UEFI layout, so the location may vary.

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Ensure your boot drive is the first device in the boot order. Your boot drive is either a hard drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD) on your device. If you only have one drive, that one will be your boot drive by default.
- If your boot drive isn't first, use the BIOS/UEFI controls to change the first boot device to your boot drive.
Along the top bar with the various tabs should be a button that says Save & Exit or just Exit. Be sure to save your settings when prompted.

Method 2

Method 2 of 8:

Reset BIOS/UEFI to Default

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1
Restart your computer and open the BIOS/UEFI at the startup screen. You'll want to hit the button to open your BIOS/UEFI when you see your motherboard logo on the screen. The buttons to open the BIOS/UEFI for the most popular motherboard brands are listed below, but you may want to check your motherboard manual for specifics:
- ASUS: Delete or F2
- ASRock: Delete or F2
- EVGA: Delete or F2
- Gigabyte: Delete or F2
- MSI: Delete
This button is usually near the Save/Exit buttons. The button may say Load Setup Defaults, Factory Default, Clear BIOS, or Reset to Default.
Follow any on-screen instructions to confirm your choice.
Along the top bar with the various tabs should be a button that says Save & Exit or just Exit. Be sure to save your settings when prompted.

Method 3

Method 3 of 8:

Disable Legacy Support

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1
Restart your computer and open the BIOS/UEFI at the startup screen. You'll want to hit the button to open your BIOS/UEFI when you see your motherboard logo on the screen. The buttons to open the BIOS/UEFI for the most popular motherboard brands are listed below, but you may want to check your motherboard manual for specifics:
- ASUS: Delete or F2
- ASRock: Delete or F2
- EVGA: Delete or F2
- Gigabyte: Delete or F2
- MSI: Delete
Each motherboard manufacturer has a slightly different BIOS/UEFI layout, so the location may vary depending on your model.
Depending on your motherboard manufacturer, this option may be named something slightly different.
Use the arrow keys to navigate to the Legacy option and switch it to Disabled. If your computer was set up in UEFI mode, you'll run into issues if it gets switched to Legacy.^{[1]
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Along the top bar with the various tabs should be a button that says Save & Exit or just Exit. Be sure to save your settings when prompted.

Method 4

Method 4 of 8:

Check Hard Drive Connection

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1
Open your computer. On a desktop, this usually involves removing the screws from the back of one of the side panels and popping it off. On a laptop, you'll need to unscrew the bottom panel and remove it.
- If you have a tempered glass side panel, you may not need to remove it if your computer parts are easy to see.
- As laptop parts are smaller, harder to see, and sometimes soldered into place, you may have difficulty following this method for laptops. If you suspect your laptop hard drive has become disconnected but you can't fix it yourself, bring your computer to a computer repair shop for assistance.
If you have an HDD or 2.5" SSD, it is likely connected to the motherboard with a cable and is stored in a hard drive bay, which looks like a small shelf. If you have an M.2 or mSATA SSD, it will be connected directly to your motherboard.^{[2]
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Research source} M.2 slots are usually near the CPU and PCIe slots, though they may be on the back of the motherboard if you have a Mini-ITX. The mSATA slot is usually near the RAM slots.
If you have an HDD or 2.5" SSD, check both the power cable (which connects to the power supply) and the data cable (which connects to the motherboard). If you have an M.2 or mSATA SSD, make sure the drive is fully and securely seated into its slot, and it's secured with a screw to hold it in place.
If you notice that your drive isn't connected properly, power down your computer (if it's not off already). Then, replug or reseat your drive as needed, making sure it's connected securely.
If the issue persists, try troubleshooting with the other methods in this article.

Method 5

Method 5 of 8:

Check For Any Bootable Media

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1
Determine if any bootable media is inserted into your computer. Bootable media includes USB drives, CDs, and DVDs. Even if the media is not formatted as a boot drive, it could still cause your computer to get confused during startup.
- If you have any bootable media inserted, remove it. Then, try restarting your computer again to see if the issue is resolved.

Method 6

Method 6 of 8:

Run the CHKDSK Tool

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1
Search cmd in the taskbar search bar. The CHKDSK command can potentially fix errors on storage devices, which may resolve the "Start PXE over IPv6" error.^{[3]
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- If you're able to boot into your computer sometimes, you can try this method. If you're not able to boot into your computer at all, you won't be able to run CHKDSK.
You must run the Command Prompt as an administrator for the command to work properly.
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Run CHKDSK. Type chkdsk [drive]: /f /r /x and press Enter. Replace "[drive]" with the drive letter of your boot drive.
- Note that running CHKDSK could take several hours, so it may take some time before the command finishes up.

Method 7

Method 7 of 8:

Repair Boot Sector

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If you don't have recovery media, check out this wikiHow article to learn how.
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Restart the computer and press the boot menu key. You must press this before the Windows logo appears. This key varies based on your computer manufacturer. Below are some common manufacturers and their default boot menu key, but check your computer's documentation for the most accurate results:
- Acer: Del or F2
- Asus: F9
- Dell: F12
- HP: Esc or F10
- Lenovo: F1 or F2
- Samsung: F2
Click on Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
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Enter the following commands one at a time. After each command, press Enter.
- bootrec /fixmbr
- bootrec /fixboot
- bootrec /scanos
- bootrec /rebuildbcd
If not, try troubleshooting with the other methods in this article.

Method 8

Method 8 of 8:

Manually Update BIOS

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1
Check your BIOS version if you can access your computer. If you can't get onto your computer, skip to the next step.
- Search for msinfo in the taskbar search bar.
- Click System Information.
- Note down what it says your BIOS Version is.
- Go to your motherboard manufacturer's website and check to see what the latest firmware version is for your motherboard. If your BIOS is outdated, continue with the next step.
  - Note: Updating the BIOS manually can be tricky, and it can cause your computer to stop working if something goes wrong in the process. If you're not confident in updating the BIOS yourself, bring your computer to a computer repair shop and ask for assistance.
If you can't access your computer, you'll need to do this on a different computer.
If you're doing this on your own computer, you can leave the drive inserted. If you're doing this on another computer, eject the drive once the update file copies over, then insert it into your computer.
If your computer is already turned off, you can turn it on.
5
Press the BIOS/UEFI button. You'll want to hit the button to open your BIOS/UEFI when you see your motherboard logo pop up on the screen. The buttons to open the BIOS/UEFI for the most popular motherboard brands are listed below, but you may want to check your motherboard manual for specifics:
- ASUS: Delete or F2
- ASRock: Delete or F2
- EVGA: Delete or F2
- Gigabyte: Delete or F2
- MSI: Delete
6
Update your BIOS. How you install the update varies between motherboard manufacturers, but you should see an option to Update BIOS from Drive (or something similar). You may have to go to the Boot menu first.
- Once the update is complete, restart your computer if it doesn't automatically restart.