disk boot failure problem

[Krys]

after i came back from my holiday in Korea, my dad switched the computer on and the message "DISK BOOT FAILURE, PLEASE INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER" came up. it started up after a few tries though. through the next two weeks or so, i didnt turn off the computer cuz i was downloading something. when i did turn it off, the message would appear again. after the first time the message appeared, i checked the hard drive with its diagnostic tool. results were all fine. no prob. then today, i turned it off for a few hours and when i turned it back on, again the message appeared. this time it took longer and more tries to get it back up. i tried opening the casing and checking the wires connecting the hard drive to the motherboard. i really hope somebody can help me out

[Koolan]

Do you have 2 computers? Try taking that primary drive and putting it in another computer, try to access it from there.

[Krys]

i have. but this current one im using is a new comp using SATA. so, cant plug it into the old computer

[AllCeline]

I've had this problem before. My only option was to format, and though it sucks, that's how bad it is. Chances are that you'll have to do the same.

 

First, you need to boot from the Windows XP CD. Once you boot up, delete all current partitions and format the hard drive. That's probably going to take you a while. Once it's formatted, reinstall XP. You'll be losing your files, but chances are that's what you're gonna have to do... unless someone else knows of an alternative.

 

Note: If this is the same problem I had, Windows XP will not install (completely) until you delete the partitions and format the hard drive.

 

I bet this really sucks for ya.

 

Edit: You'll probably have to reinstall some drivers once XP's back up and running.

Edited June 27, 2007 at 10:23 PM by AllCeline

[Krys]

i read about reformatting too. i cant afford to lose the files lol. the craziest thing was when i tried to boot from the cd, it gets stuck after loading...

 

for some reason, after i cleaned out the computer of viruses and that sorta junk, its been working fine. i still dunno whether its a virus prob, or a loose wire

[AllCeline]

i read about reformatting too. i cant afford to lose the files lol. the craziest thing was when i tried to boot from the cd, it gets stuck after loading...

 

for some reason, after i cleaned out the computer of viruses and that sorta junk, its been working fine. i still dunno whether its a virus prob, or a loose wire

 

Ya, formatting can be a pain in the butt, but at least it's working now.