Windows XP: Operating System not found

[andg404]

I have a Vaio vgn tx770p
everything time i run my windows xp cd it just keeps starting over and not booting from the hard drive... i have recovery dvd's but the problem is that the optical drive in my notebook only can read cd's. i have a external dvd drive but can't get it to boot from there. some websites told me to run the hitachi drive fitness test, and it passed out okay... when i enter the bios it can read the hard drive and its there... i also tried fixing the mbr with acronis drive director, however no luck there either. Any help would be much appreciated
thanks

 

[raybay]

Your windwos XP CD will not boot from the CD drive?
If so, you can boot to that CD, then run a repair or recovery... But DO NOT run Windows XP RECOVERY as that will give you more stress than you deserve.
If you can boot to that CD, you might want to do online searches for Windows Recovery... Usually you can patch to return to normal operation.
But you still need to think about what may have happened... what became damaged, and why?
I would do this with a new drive, if you have important data, then use an external enclosure to recover your data and files later.

 

[andg404]

there is no data on the harddrive, my files are always backed up
i have the sony recovery dvds... but the drive in my laptop is only reading cds
the windows xp starts and installs at the blue screen i format the drive and then it copies the files
it then restarts and starts the whole process again, isn't the installation suppose to continue after it restarts?
thanks raybay

 

[andg404]

also is there anyway i can boot from an external dvd drive?
i've googled for atleast 4 hours and still can't find a fix on
this operating system not found issue

 

[Zsj]

the windows xp starts and installs at the blue screen i format the drive and then it copies the files
it then restarts and starts the whole process again, isn't the installation suppose to continue after it restarts?

andg404, sounds like your pressing any button when it pops up saying "Press any key to boot from CD", DONT press ANY key. let it sit, it should continue the install.

 

[andg404]

it doesn't even say press any key to boot from cd.. it just boots right away
it say setup is inspecting your computers etc etc, and it goes straight to the install screen
i've googled for hours on how to fix this issue but i'm stuck, after its done formatting and copying, the computer restarts, at this point it should boot from the hard drive and complete the windows installation but it keeps booting from the cd automatically, i hold the f11 key to choose my boot device and i choose the harddrive but it says operating system not found

 

[Zsj]

Well... go to your recovery console from the winxp install/repair disk and type in chkdsk. and after thats done, type chkdsk /r. after thats done restart your computer and see whats up

 

[andg404]

i brought up the recovery console, its at 52% right now and its going extra slow

 

[raybay]

Sure has all the signs and symptoms of a failed hard drive. Save it now if you need to recover data later.

 

[andg404]

i ran chkdsk /r
it first said performing checking or repairing process, or something like that
and then it said checking task complete, unfortunately i keep getting the same results

 

[andg404]

chkdsk /r passed through and i still keep getting the same results
i've tried a bunch of diagnostic software and it passes all the tests
how do i know for sure if the hdd needs to be replaced?

 

[Zsj]

this is when you start thinking about a new hdd, since everything else isnt working. but before you do, try bootfix in the recovery console.

 

[raybay]

All driver makers except Toshiba offer a free online test. Three of the better tests that work on a number of drives are at Seagate's http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/.com, Hitachi's http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm, and Western Digital's http://support.wdc.com, and Maxtor has S.M.A.R.T at http://maxtor.custhelp.com/cgi_bin/maxtor.cfg/php/enduser/olh_adp.php?p_faqid=494 or similar.
Most of these tests will work on any hard drive.

Also search for free S.M.A.R.T. tests, but they only work on 70 percent of the drives... the ones that are closest to failure. Thirty percent of the drives that pass a S.M.A.R.T. test are bad...
Bootfix will repair some booting issues, but will not fix a failing hard drive, and too often will not even detect that it is bad.
If your drive is not one of the above, try the manufacturer's website... Samsung and Fujitsu have their drive tests.
As far as I know, only Toshiba and Tri-Gem do not have drive diagnostic tests on line, yet the other tests listed above will generally work on all Toshiba and Tri-Gem hard drives.

 

[andg404]

hey thanks for all your help raybay and zsj
unfortunately the hard drive most probably has gone bad
i used the ultimate boot cd and tried to boot from the hard drive
and it said incorrect drive parameters, planning to order a new hdd
off ebay the prices are pretty high for 1.8" ultra dma drives... its like a $1.50 per gb
any idea where i can get it for a little lower?

 

[raybay]

The prices are coming down... a 20GB drive is pretty cheap, as it the 30 GB, but 40GB and 60 GB are high.
They are not making any more... and that is part of the reason the drive is so costly.
But there is a SSS (solid state drive) manufacturer who has made 60 GB drives and plant so make 250 gb drives later on... The drives are under the brand name of Kingspec... and can sometimes be found on eBay

I have an IBM thinkpad X41 which uses those drives... I use the 20GB then save everything to flash drives and CD's so I have room for other activities.

 

[andg404]

nevermind... everythings working now
thanks for all your help guys