mcrew Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Ive just un-earthed my old pc out of the dark and scarey cupboard full of spiders, and tried to switch it on. Then I remembered that it had a fault and that was why it was put in the cupboard to keep the spiders company in the first place. The fault is this: on startup, it goes onto a black screen which starts off in good faith saying that its loading etc etc, then it goes to another screen which has the system details at the top, then goes through the system processes, but then displays the message " Disk boot failure, please insert system disk and press enter". As youve probably guessed, I dont have a sytem disk as I was never given one when I bought it. I can however start the pc up and get it to an " Award BIOS setup utility " page and this kinda looks like a safe mode page. Is there any way that I can ' break into' the pc, just so that I can get it started? I only realy want my old racing pictures out of the thing and then it can go to the big computer chimp dump in the sky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick M48 Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Assuming that it is attempting to boot from the hard disk rather than the floppy drive, it sounds like you've lost some data, maybe even everything from the hard disk. The easiest way to get any data from the HD would be to put the whole drive into your new pc, setting it up as a slave drive, if the disk isn't completely knackered then it would show up in windows, allowing you to copy the stuff you wanted from it. Do an internet search for "adding a slave hard drive" or something similar if you don't know how to do it already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moggeh Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Assuming that it is attempting to boot from the hard disk rather than the floppy drive, it sounds like you've lost some data, maybe even everything from the hard disk. The easiest way to get any data from the HD would be to put the whole drive into your new pc, setting it up as a slave drive, if the disk isn't completely knackered then it would show up in windows, allowing you to copy the stuff you wanted from it. Do an internet search for "adding a slave hard drive" or something similar if you don't know how to do it already. That sounds about right.. or it could just be a wire thats come off the hard drive.. go into the bios and make sure its finding the hard drive. if its there in the bios then its windows that has been corrupted(maybe even the hole hard drive) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrew Posted February 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Thanks Nick & Moggeh, much appreciated guys. Im, absolutely gutted as I tried what you both suggested and it didnt work. I installed the 'old' hard drive as a slave in my ' new' pc, but when trying to start up, I just got the compaq/HP start up screen and the ' old' hard drive 'clicked ' away like it did in the old pc. Thats all it would do and my pc would not start up at all. Well thats the last 3yrs of my racing career's photos completely gone, plus some of my road cars as well as some pics of my best mate that died. ####ing computers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick M48 Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 If you correctly set the drive up as a slave, windows should still boot up as normal from your new HD, you shouldn't get any hp startup screen. When you say it just clicked, do you mean in an abnormal way or did it always make that noise? If the data is really valuable to you, there are companies out there that will attempt to get the data back for you, it costs though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrew Posted February 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 If you correctly set the drive up as a slave, windows should still boot up as normal from your new HD, you shouldn't get any hp startup screen. When you say it just clicked, do you mean in an abnormal way or did it always make that noise? If the data is really valuable to you, there are companies out there that will attempt to get the data back for you, it costs though! When the hard drive was in the old pc, at the start up stage, it would get as far as the setup page or the disk boot failiure message, and the pc would just repeatedly click or make a noise similar to an electrical arc ( if that makes sense). When I put it in my new pc it did exactly the same thing. Im guessing the old hard drive is FUBAR. My misusses friend claims that her husband may be able to have a look at it as he has some pc internal knowledge, so I'll probably let him have at look see. Thanks for the help so far guys. Its much appreciated. ( and atleast I now know how to install a slave drive, so that will be a future upgrade! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munster Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 It sounds like you've not set the drive up right to use as a slave, your new computer should still boot with the old hard drive, even if it is dead ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munster Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 You need to add 'jumpers' little bit of plastic that will bridge the connections on the old drive, you may even need them on the new drive to allow a slave. Try and sort it yourself m8, best way to gain knowledge and is satisfying when you get it right. Seem's like you've not set the hard drives right....try again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F2-Fan Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 Sounds like the bios is set to boot from the slave drive, check those settings too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kane Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 I had that once on my old laptop what you have to do is get a (windows xp) disc or whatever your computer is then insert it then go (Ctrl+Alt Esc) when the computer switchs on keep hitting these buttons wait till it loads setup screen then go to the top it shud say (i.e hard drive+disc+system) change the hard drive by clicking on them then change to drive then it shud say about loading the drive and to update it by putting (i.e drivedrive+system) then it shud start loading hope it works cheers kane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrew Posted February 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 You need to add 'jumpers' little bit of plastic that will bridge the connections on the old drive, you may even need them on the new drive to allow a slave. Try and sort it yourself m8, best way to gain knowledge and is satisfying when you get it right. Seem's like you've not set the hard drives right....try again. I moved the jumpers on the old drive to the slave position, but the existing drive in my pc did not have any fitted. The web-site that I was using for reference said that I may possibly need jumpers in my existing pc's hard drive, or that it may be OK and just work from the IDE cable being installed correctly ( slave on my old pcs drive and master on my existing pc's). I may try and source some more jumpers and install them in my new pcs hard drive and give it all a go again. Thanks again for the help all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrew Posted February 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 Well Im now sat here with my pc running and the old hard drive installed. My pc took a fair while to start up, but it eventualy started. I can not find anything different to identify the old hard drive, where would I look? I have had a browse through My Computer, but it all seems like it used to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F2-Fan Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 Can you see your drive in the bios, check if it has detected it there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrew Posted February 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 Can you see your drive in the bios, check if it has detected it there. Nope, bios just detects 1) the pcs own hard drivee cd 2) nothing 3) CD device 4) DVD device Im guessing that as I have the IDE cable installed correctly, the jumpers set to slave on my old PC's hard drive, and my existing hard drive has not been adjusted, that the old pc hard drive is to be blunt about it knacared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick M48 Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 Is your bios set to auto detect hard disks? If so, then yes it sounds like the disk is completely knackered, does it sound as though the disk is physically spinning or is it jammed up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrew Posted February 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 Is your bios set to auto detect hard disks? If so, then yes it sounds like the disk is completely knackered, does it sound as though the disk is physically spinning or is it jammed up? Ive got the tower ' in bits' and if I hold the ' old disc' you can hear and feel the disc spinning freely. How do I go about finding out if my BIOS will automaticaly detect the hard discs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrew Posted February 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 (edited) I also tried starting the existing pc up by using the old hard drive on its own ( after resetting the jumpers) It simply displayed an install disc boot device to drive ( or something similar ) message. Pretty much telling me the same as it was when it was installed in my old pc. Edited February 4, 2007 by mcrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick M48 Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 In the bios there'll be something along the lines of 'IDE channel 0 Master' you then have options such as 'NONE' 'AUTO' or 'MANUAL' IDE channel 0 Slave needs to be set to AUTO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrew Posted February 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 In the bios there'll be something along the lines of 'IDE channel 0 Master' you then have options such as 'NONE' 'AUTO' or 'MANUAL' IDE channel 0 Slave needs to be set to AUTO. It was set to AUTO and didnt register as any thing being installed. Later on I will take the hard drive out of my old, old pc and see if it registers seeing that one, if it does then its obviously the other hard drives up the shute, if it does not, thin its probably got something to do with the way in which Ive installed both drives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick M48 Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 btw on newer pc's even with the jumpers set correctly it can also be important that the drives are connected in the right order on the cable, trouble is right now I can't remember what the correct order is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrew Posted February 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 Just installed the hard drive from my first ever pc, and its all working fine. Went straight into my pc and there was the old, old drive marked up as ' local disc'. Im guesing that the hard drive that I realy wanted to get to work is fried, but all is not lost as I managed to salvage quite a few photos from the hard drive that works. Now this other hard drive is installed and working, how can I use it to the advantage of my pc, by using oit for extra memory/power etc? or am I better off by going and investing in a newer more powerful drive? If I can use the current one, how do I go about utilising it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reg126 Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 You can keep anything you want on your second hard drive...though a second operating system is advised against (ie win98 se on second drive with xp on your master). Its always a good idea to have back up copies of your system files on the second hard drive and anything else you feel important to you. If space is available then keep a second working copy of nascar heat and mods on it in case of corruption or other errors on your main heat installation. When running two drives on another comp I had the full carmageddon 2 installed on one drive with the SOD banger conversion running on the second drive to prevent either clashing or getting corrupted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts