[sterlingb]

I am getting the following error on boot-up:

HP UNDI PXE-2.1 v7.5.14 blah blah blah
HP Base Code PXE-2.1 v.1.0.0 blah blah blah
PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable
PXE-M0F: Exiting HP PXE ROM.

I have seen on this site where many others are having this same problem with different machines/motherboards, and a common recommended solution is to enter the bios and diable network boot.

I must admit, I haven't tried that yet, but maybe mine is different. What puzzles me is this. I have one of those 12-in-1 usb cardreaders connected, and I only get this error message and refusal to boot when it is connected. I can disconnect this card reader, boot up and all is well.

Any thoughts? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have tried three different card readers and it makes no difference, and I have tried connecting it to several different usb ports.

Once the machine is up and running, I can connect the cardreader and it works fine, but I just need to remember to disconnect it before I boot up the next time.

Thanks,
Sterling

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check your bios...some of them have a setting called enable usb booting or something to that effect..try disabeling that...your pc might be trying to boot off the usb (sort of like when you leave a floppy in)

[dsenette]

check your bios...some of them have a setting called enable usb booting or something to that effect..try disabeling that...your pc might be trying to boot off the usb (sort of like when you leave a floppy in)

[sterlingb]

OK Dave. Thanks much! I'll try that tonight....

[sterlingb]

It worked...Once again, thanks Dave.

Sterling

[dsenette]

was there a section in the bios?

[sterlingb]

Yes there was. In the boot order section, I removed "boot from usb device" and I went ahead and removed the "boot from network" reference as well.

Sterling

[Murray S.]

Howdy:

Your problem was the "Boot from Network" option.. Not the USB option..

Murray

[sterlingb]

Murray,

Why is that? I assumed the problem was the "boot from usb" option, since by removing my usb cardreader from the system it would boot fine.

Sterling

[Murray S.]

The PXE option is the onboard nic that allows a system to be able to boot from a network drive.. You don't need an operating system on that computer if it is connected to a network drive that has one..

Many office complex/work stations use that sort of setup now..

Murray

[Murray S.]

As per Intel>Desktop Boards..

Symptom(s):

Error: PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable.
PXE-MOF: Exiting Intel® ROM

Cause:
This is an expected operation. In the Boot Device priority setting in BIOS, you will see Removable Dev. (floppy), Hard Drive, ATAPI CD-ROM, and typically last is Intel® UNDI PXE 2.0. This setting will attempt to boot off a remote agent using the onboard NIC. By seeing this message it means the PC cannot find a boot partition on the floppy disk, hard drive or the CD ROM to load the operating system.

Murray

[sterlingb]

Hey Murray,

I understand all that, but I still wonder why it would boot just fine if I removed the usb cardreader, but would give the PXE error messages when it was connected?

Thanks,

Sterling

[Murray S.]

Where in the boot setup were both located??

Murray

[sterlingb]

Both usb reference and network reference were in the boot order/sequence section of the bios. If I remember correctly, usb boot was second or third, just after floppy and cd and definitely before harddrive, and network boot was dead last.

Sterling

[Murray S.]

Then, the usb boot option was over-riding everything else and forcing the system to boot or try to boot from the network drive..

Once you removed the usb option, then it was able to see the hdd option and boot..

Dsenette was spot on here..

Murray

[sterlingb]

Thank you both, dsenette and Murray. I appreciate your help in my understanding and resolution of this problem.

This was the first time I have been to this board. I found it through google, and it will certainly not be the last time I come here for help, or possibly to help others in spite of my modest knowledge.

Sterling