WinXP error, wont boot - not average problem

[Alliance1911]

ok i have a pc that used to run windows xp but dont know what happend it wont boot it wont do **** the only thing it will do it go to boot screen and show "DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER" ok i get that all the time and nothing else, i tried to load via a:\ with winxp boot disks but wont work, i tried to do it with cdrom and it wont work, i tried to trick it with win98 boot disk and it wont work i need a pro to help me out plz ASAP

 

[ender]

Your MBR (Master Boot Record) has been damaged. This can be caused by overwriting it with something else (wich can happen when you install a new OS or when you zero your harddrive or maybe even if you got yourself some nasty kind of boot virus ). Another thing that may cause this problem is harddrive corruption. Your drive may have developed a bad sector right where your MBR is stored.

It's not quite clear from your post if you actually managed to boot from a floppy disk or CD. If you can boot from your XP cd try to get to the recovery console. One you get to a command prompt type fixmbr and press enter. After that remove the XP cd and reboot. If that doesn't fix it you most likely have a bad sector in your MBR. It will be really complicated to get the harddrive working in this case so you might be better off buying a new drive.

 

[Alliance1911]

hmm the thing is i tried to boot from floppy and it wont work i cant do anything because my keyboard freezes everytime i try to do something after the del button shows up to go to bios, also when i try and disk it shows that error but when i use the windows xp pro disk i get "CDBOOT: Cannot boot from CD - Code: 5"

 

[pcaceit]

Boot Failure

Sounds to me like you have corrupt CMOS, settings have probably been changed by some Virus / Malware.

reset your CMOS Using OEM jumper settings. If you have changed any IDE drives make sure your MASTER/Slave config is correst and that the IDE leads are connected correctly IE.. pin 1 on MB is connected to pin 1 on IDE Drive.

After you have reset CMOS Reflash your Bios. If you have MBR Virus you will have to set up your HDD again. use MAX blast or Seatools or Oem Hdd setup Utility to set up your HDD,

 

[ender]

If you can't get into BIOS even after you reset CMOS then you most likely have a motherboard problem.

If you have any way of testing your harddrive in another computer I strongly suggest you try it. It could save you a lot of troubleshooting. If the drive works the problem most likely lies with your motherboard and you should consider changing it.

If the drive doesn't work at all even when placed in another computer then it's definitely faulty in some way. In this case you should try to zero it with Daryl's Nuke Boot Disk (you can get Eraser here... it will create a Nuke Boot Disk for you ) and reinstall everything. Also, do a surface scan with whatever utilities your harddrive manufacturer provides.

 

[Alliance1911]

well i am a complete n00b :S so can u go step by step plz :S

 

[ender]

:knock: The first thig to say is that you will need to open up your computer's case. So if the computer has a warranty and some type of seals on the back you should contact your manufaturer first. Opening up the case by yourself might make your warranty void. If your warranty has already expired or if your manufacturer says it's ok to open up the computer by yourself follow the instructions below. At all times, keep in mind the fact that if you do something wrong you will most likely damage the computer in a very serious way. If you are unsure of your ability to do this, go to a repair shop.

1. Find out what kind of motherboard you have. You need to know both the manufacturer and the exact model (usually a set of letters and numbers that may not mean much to you ). In an ideal situation, when you got the computer you should also have received a booklet that tells you everything you need to know about you motherboard. If you can't find the booklet you can phone your manufacturer and try to get an answer from them. Remember, an exact answer is needed because you will need to lookup some very specific information.
2. Open up the computer case. You shouldn't have any problems doing this by yourself. Before you begin unplug the computer and make sure you are grounded. Keep in mind the fact that you will need to have a very clear view of the motherboard and remebmer to keep everything you take out somewhere safe. If the dog eats your screws you're screwed.
3. Locate the jumpers that clear CMOS. If you found the motherboard's booklet now's the time to use it. It will contain a diagram of you motherboard and detailed information about all the jumpers. Find out which jumpers reset your CMOS and, by comparing the diagram in the booklet with the actual motherboard, figure out exactly where they are and what configuration they should have. :knock: No mistales are allowed. If you get the wrong jumpers you might damage the motherboard itself and god knows how many components. If you haven't found the booklet you will need to look up all the required information on the producer's website. I don't know how much of it will be available though. Remeber, it has to be for EXACTLY the same type of motherboard. In my case, the manufacturer is Soltek and my motherboard model is SL75DRV. It's not the same as Soltek's SL85DRV or its sister SL75DRV-X. The numbers are similar but the specifications and layouts are not exactly the same.
4. Clear CMOS. This means taking a deep breath and following the instruction your motherboard's manufacturer has provided for you (in the booklet or online). Usually, this means that you have to change the position of a jumper while the power is off, wait for a second or so and then restore the jumper to its original position.
5. Plug in the computer and start it up. If you've done everything right and your motherboard's not damaged in some way you should now be able to access the BIOS. From your previous posts I gather that you know how to do this. Once you get access to BIOS reset everything to default (sometimes also called safe settings). You should have an option that does this for you. You can also find more detailed information in the booklet or online.

After you get access to your BIOS make sure that the computer is set to boot first from floppy, then from CD and only then from the harddrive (most likely called HDD0 in the BIOS). At this point your computer should be able to boot from the XP cd. So try to boot with the XP cd inserted and follow the instructions in my first reply.