Blocked From Using Hiren'S Boot CD By Strike F1 Error

[conceptualclari]

I have used Hiren's Boot CD a great deal, but now I am unable to. Whenever I click Enter on USB Flash Device in the menu, instead of opening up Hiren's Boot CD, it is giving me the message:

Strike the F1 key to continue, F2 to run the setup utility.
​

When I strike F1, it just repeats the same message ad infinitum.

I have Hiren's on a 4GB flash drive. (My old computer won't let me boot from CD or DVD.)

As for the context of this, I have replaced an old hard drive that was clearly on its way to failure with a larger unused IDE drive. The BIOS seems to recognize that there is a new hard drive, but elsewhere I see non-recognition, including within MiniXP on Hiren's before this error shut down my access to Hiren's.



Computer: Dell System B3 Desktop
CPU: Intel Pentium 4-2667 (Northwood, D1)
2666 MHz (20.00x133.3) @ 2657 MHz (20.00x132.9)
Motherboard: DELL 0G1548
Chipset: Intel 845GEV (Brookdale-GEV) + ICH4
Memory: 2048 MBytes @ 166 MHz, 2.5-3-3-7
- 1024 MB PC3200 DDR-SDRAM - Kingston K
Graphics: Intel 82845G/GL/GV Graphics Controller [DELL]
Intel i845G(L) Integrated, 64 MB
Old Drive: ST380011A, 78.1 GB, E-IDE (ATA-6)
New Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE (WD2500JB) 250GB 8MB Cache 7200RPM ATA100 (http://www.goharddrive.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=G01-0311&CartID=10
Drive: HGST HTS545050A7E380, 488.4 GB, Serial ATA 3Gb/s <-> USB
Drive: SAMSUNG CD-R/RW SW-252S, CD-R Writer
Sound: Creative Technology SB Live! Series Audio Processor
Network: RealTek Semiconductor RTL8139 PCI Fast Ethernet NIC [A/B/C]
Network: Broadcom 4401 10/100 Integrated Controller
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Build 2600 SP3
Antivirus : Advanced System Care Ultimate (Bitdefender engine)
Firewall: Windows Firewall
​

 

[PliotronX]

What utility did you use for the creation of the bootable flash? You may have to try a different one. That is the biggest obstacle for me to switch completely away from optical media. No utility can do 100% of bootable ISOs without trouble, I have to experiment every time. On top of that, some older systems flat out refuse to boot from USB flash drives about 1 out of 3 of these older systems will boot with them only after a BIOS update. The remainder are SOL.

 

[conceptualclari]

Thank you for your response, PliotronX. I borrowed somebody else's Windows 7 to create the bootable flash drive.

I am now able once again to boot into the flash drive consistently after making one little change: I turned upside down the little jumper on the new hard drive. It's not intuitive to me that the jumper on the hard drive would affect the ability to boot into a flash drive, but there seems to be no room for doubt for it at this point.

I now believe after some reading in forums that the reason my computer is not recognizing my hard drive is because it considers 250GB too big. So I am looking for a way to create a 120GB partition on the drive to get past the objections

 

[Steltek]

Thank you for your response, PliotronX. I borrowed somebody else's Windows 7 to create the bootable flash drive.

I am now able once again to boot into the flash drive consistently after making one little change: I turned upside down the little jumper on the new hard drive. It's not intuitive to me that the jumper on the hard drive would affect the ability to boot into a flash drive, but there seems to be no room for doubt for it at this point.

I now believe after some reading in forums that the reason my computer is not recognizing my hard drive is because it considers 250GB too big. So I am looking for a way to create a 120GB partition on the drive to get past the objections

IDE hard drives depended upon the jumper positions to designate primary and secondary hard drives on each cable. Some systems were more sensitive to setting the jumpers than others.

The hard drive size limit is a Windows 2000/XP thing. The original Windows XP had a 137GB limit on the size of IDE/ATA partitions. However, once you install SP1 or later, this limit is eliminated.

So, if you are installing off of a pre-SP1 XP media, create the primary partition on the hard drive as less than 137GB in size. Then, once you get XP SP2/SP3 installed, you can then use a bootable utility like Gparted to extend the partition (or just create a new partition in the empty space using Windows). Alternatively, you can also use an XP SP1 or later install CD to install XP.

I would remove all hard drives except for the new system drive from the system when installing XP, then add them back in once it is up and running.

 

[VirtualLarry]

IDE hard drives depended upon the jumper positions to designate primary and secondary hard drives on each cable. Some systems were more sensitive to setting the jumpers than others.

The hard drive size limit is a Windows 2000/XP thing. The original Windows XP had a 137GB limit on the size of IDE/ATA partitions. However, once you install SP1 or later, this limit is eliminated.

So, if you are installing off of a pre-SP1 XP media, create the primary partition on the hard drive as less than 137GB in size. Then, once you get XP SP2/SP3 installed, you can then use a bootable utility like Gparted to extend the partition (or just create a new partition in the empty space using Windows). Alternatively, you can also use an XP SP1 or later install CD to install XP.

I would remove all hard drives except for the new system drive from the system when installing XP, then add them back in once it is up and running.

There are, unfortunately, BIOS limits too. Some BIOSes would refuse to boot if the IDE HDD was larger than a certain capacity limit. Might need to add a third-party IDE controller card, that supports 48-bit LBA and larger HDDs, with a bootable BIOS onboard.

Then again, it may indeed just be an XP install media issue.

 

[conceptualclari]

Thank you gentlemen. Where things stand now is that my local computer shop has somehow got my computer recognizing the new 250GB hard drive. But to get started on that hard drive I need to be able to use MiniXP on Hiren's Boot CD to transfer the image of the near-dead hard drive to my new hard drive. The problem is I'm not able to boot into flash drive while the new hard drive is in place. I click Enter on "6. USB Flash Drive". I get the message "Strike the F1 key to continue, F2 to run the setup utility" over and over.

I have made plenty of use of Hiren's on this computer and many times booted into it with the old hard drive in place. What do I need to do to be able to boot to flash drive with the new hard drive in place? Right now I'm on Hiren's, having booted into flash drive, but only after removing the new hard drive temporarily.

 

[lakedude]

2 things

1) You can work around this with a couple of USB enclosures or adapters. You can then use any computer to do your clone, including your own computer booted from Hiren's.

2) I have a similar and possibly related issue. I can't get my computer to boot from HD in "legacy" mode and I can't get it to boot from optical in "UEFI" mode. Never tried to boot from flash.

 

[XavierMace]

2) I have a similar and possibly related issue. I can't get my computer to boot from HD in "legacy" mode and I can't get it to boot from optical in "UEFI" mode. Never tried to boot from flash.

His computer is far too old for UEFI.

 

[lakedude]

His computer is far too old for UEFI.

For sure, thanks!