Boot Failure

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tania-lee

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I don't know anything about this topic. My computer was working fine one day and then the next I am having this problem. The problem is as follows:
When I start my computer I get the black laoding screen which displays the following:

Searching for Boot record from CDRom - Not Found
Searching for Boot record from SCSI - Not Found
Searching for Boot record from Floppy - Not Found

Boot Failure
Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device
or Insert Boot Media in Selected Boot Drive
Press any key when ready


I don't know how to fix this problem I have read previous threads but it's all foreign to me. Can someone please tell me in simple terms. I am running Windows XP Home Edition, have Service Pack 2. I have 2 discs for XP 1:Home Edition 2:Office XP Professional and don't know which one I would use.

I can bypass this problem by pressing the left button on the tower but then I have problems such as the Start Menu will not pop up unless I go into My Computer/Local Disc(C:)
and then run a search for the Start Menu then the computer acts likes nothings wrong but I don't like doing it this way as I'm feel I could stuff up my whole system.

Sorry this thread is so long. If someone could help and explain it in simple computer language it would be greatly appreciated and I will Thankyou ahead of time.
 
It sounds like the computer is searching for the MBR. Do you know how to enter the CMOS setup screens? MBR is the Master Boot Record located on the first sector of the active partition on the 1st hard drive (Drive C). What make computer do you have? Need the particulars of your setup.
 
I don't know anything about the inside workings of a PC, sorry. A complete dummy when it comes tothese things.

The system I have is as follows:

AMD Duron 1000 Processor
Gigabyte Motherboard
40GB Hard Drive @ 5400 RPM
256 MB PC - 133 SD-RAM
32MB TNT2 AGP Video Card
56k Modem
 
Tania-lee: Is there anyone, family or friends, that may be able to help you with this? With all due respect, we wouldn't want you to make things worse than they already are. You have to be able to get into the CMOS setup to make some changes or just reload the optimized default settings. The manual for your Gigabyte motherboard should tell you how to do this. Again, you need someone with a little bit more knowledge to give you a hand. Is this computer a store bought or homemade? You didn't give the manufacture type of computer other than it had a Gigabyte motherboard.
 
tania, the system is not seeing the hard drive . it boots fron the har d drive .
it is seeing the CD rom and the SCSI and floop instead of the hard drive , we need to chck if the hard drive is seen and ON in BIOS
To enter the BIUos . when u restart the system it will give you options on the rst screen , like ------> F2 to enter setup
there hit the Key it displays to enter setup and then go to Boot MENU in the set up , [ please dont change some settings u dont understadn ]
in bios go to primary drive and check if the hard drive is listed there . or if it is unknown por on off
The issue is that either the hard drive is bad o it is off in thee bios , or the Boot sequence has been changed someow
 
Gilloz,
the computer is store bought. The information I gave is from the origional receipt and doesn't state the manufacture name. I would have to find the books that came with it but it might take a while to find as I've just recently moved. Thanks Tania
 
es84,
I will checkout what you have told me and get back to you, but I have a funny feeling that I may have to take it to someone to have a look at it just thought I might have been able to fix this little problem by myself. Thanks Tania
 
When I see this kind of message the first thing I look for is a floppy disk left in the floppy drive. If there is a floppy disk in the floppy drive, remove it and reboot the computer.
 
no... a floppy disk (or a usb drive for the newer mobos) will give a "Invalid System disk - replace and press any key" message... but otherwise a valid suggestion..

can you hear the hard drive spinning up and the led light up (looks like a can or a cylinderish symbol)? how about your other drives (floppy, cd/dvd) do they light up? or stay light the whole time?

unplug any unessacery usb devices and boot up. if still no go, enter bios like suggested above. if you still have trouble getting into bios, then post back.

In the first page under the dates (it maybe different on your pc), you should see your hdd like "ST32008421 200gb" or something of the sort. then goto the section called "boot" and see what the boot devices are. they start from top to bottom. it should be floppy(if you still use one), cd/dvd-rom, hdd. but maybe reading the manual will help you for this... if you still stuck then post back..

third step, after confirming that bios picks up your hdd, and that the boot order is correct and still wont get to windows, put your Windows XP Home cd, when it reads off it during bootup it will say 'press any key to boot from cd....'. press something :D

it will come up with two options: windows installer or recovery console.
if you decide to do the repair of windows via windows installer, follow this article:
https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic8356.html

if you decide to go to recovery console, these article will help:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_rec.htm
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/j_helmig/wxprcons.htm

i'd probably said it a few times already.. but do ask us questions if you dont understand any of the giberish we just said :) and good luck!
 
Hi guys,
Thanks for your response. First thing I did when I encountered this problem was check to see if I had left any CD's or a floppy in the drives all were empty. I will give the last suggestion a try and see how I go, if I have any problems will let you know. Thanks again for your help.
Tania
 
Thankyou!

I would like to thank everyone who tried to help me with my problem. For some reason unknown to me the problem I had with the Boot Failure seems to have sorted itself out. So thanks again to everyone who gave advise.
 
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