[ses]

Hey all,

I have been having a problem over the past week I have searched google but cannot find someone with the same problem as me. I have a computer approxiametely 5 years old with a Western Digital WD800LB 80gb hard disk and since last week it has been unable to boot up. Whenever i boot up I receive an error message saying, "DISK BOOT ERROR, INSERT SYSTEM DISK". I have tried inserting the windows xp disc but it gets to a blue screen saying "Setup is starting window" and freezes there while my hard drive makes a noise as if it powers ups-->starts spinning-->powers down and keeps repeating this cycle every 10 seconds.

I'm thinking maybe its some sort of hard drive problem; I have tried running Western Digital's Data Lifeguard Tools 11.2 and am able to run this from a boot disc and can access HDD information and maintenance utilities, it tells me that my HDD is only 8.4GB:S (its actually 80GB) and that my Master Boot Record (MBR) is corrupt I dont know what this means but I'm assuming this is the reason why my PC isn't booting?

Please help, how can I fix my hard drive so it will boot?

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anyone got any suggestions?

[ses]

anyone got any suggestions?

[happyrock]

go into the bios and set the first boot device to your cd drive...the hard drive 2nd...

go here..download the following file: rc.iso....then run chkdsk /r
from the rc.iso cd...be sure the bios is set to boot from the cd drive first...

if you don't have a burning program that will burn .ISO files go here and get burncdcc ..a small FAST no frills iso burning program...

NOTE...do not put a blank cd in until burncdcc opens the tray for you
1. Start BurnCDCC
2. Browse to the ISO file you want to burn on cd/dvd ....in this case its rc.iso
3. Select the ISO file
4. click on Start

make sure in the bios the cd drive is the first boot device....put the cd in the cd drive..boot your computer....

boot from the rc.iso cd....
type in chkdsk /r press enter
note the single space before the /

While chkdsk is running, you will see a light blue window with a dark blue band at the top and bottom. Chkdsk will display the specific stage it is checking as well as the percentage of completion of the stage. You cannot do anything else on your computer while chkdsk is running. When chkdsk is finished, it will automatically reboot your computer.
NOTE this can take a long time to complete..it may even appear to hang or get stuck at a certain % for a couple of hours...then complete
it may even back up and go over the same area...this is normal...let it run...there are 5 stages
DO NOT TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER WHILE RUNNING CHKDSK or you can have severe problems...
nojoy...
boot from the cd again...
then type fixmbr press enter...reboot
no joy ....boot from the cd again...
type in fixboot press enter...reboot

Edited by happyrock, 10 March 2009 - 09:51 AM.

[ses]

hey thanks for helping me

When I insert the disc I made with rc.iso, It starts to boot up and comes to a blue screen sayings Windows Setup at the top left of the page and Setup is starting Windows at the bottom left. It then hangs at this screen while my hard drive makes a noise as if it starts spinning then stops then starts then stops and so on for eternity (well I never leave it for longer than 20mins cos its not going anywhere and the cd isnt even being read).

Ahh I think maybe the Hard Drive has actually broken somehow!

[happyrock]

that was why we were trying to run chkdsk...it only fixes minor hard drive problems though

[ses]

oh wait I waited longer than 20 mins and the screen finally changed! should have done this in the first place

anyway it is now running chkdsk, Il post up with the results asap

thanks

[happyrock]

whats your definition of asap...