boot disk error

Teclis2323

Senior member
Dec 27, 2002
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pulled the ol' computer apart to put on a new HSF, which required basically taking the entire thing apart (motherboard, HDDs, everything)

Well, the HSF went in just fine and now I have put the computer back together.

TWO problems.

First is minor - the fan on the HeatSink is not spinning...no problem, that's fixed by a $5 fix.

Second is the bigger one - I've put the computer back and now I'm getting BOOT DISK ERROR messages.

It was working great before the disassembly. Now it's BOOT DISK ERRORING on me. The hard drive is recognized, and I've made sure that the BIOS is trying to boot from it.

So...any suggestions? I have made absolutely NO changes to the computer since first last using it and now, except for taking it apart to put on the new HSF.
 

Jiggz

Diamond Member
Mar 10, 2001
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Sometimes it's just pure coincidence when things fail or decide not to work. So to make sure, the hdd is still working, boot from XP Cd all the way to the recovery console. And then take a look at your hdd directory. If you do not see it, it could be that the bootsector is corrupted or the mbr is damaged. Or the hdd could be bad. In this case, try repairing the mbr or the boot sector using the dos commands in the Recovery Console. I am assuming the system is posting properly and the bios is set accordingly.
 

Teclis2323

Senior member
Dec 27, 2002
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I'll definitely check that out - I might just need to repair...I highly doubt the HDD is bad, but if it is, I guess I"ll have to take Seagate up on their 5-year warrantee :(
 

Teclis2323

Senior member
Dec 27, 2002
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okay...still having the problem. now I'm trying to use a WD 160GB drive...but my first attempt at a fresh reload was unsuccessful, and said that there was a drive read error... any thoughts?
 

mcveigh

Diamond Member
Dec 20, 2000
6,457
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have you tried it on a different connector? if you know the drive is good and it won't work on any motherboard connectors...I see a new mobo in your future :(
 

Jiggz

Diamond Member
Mar 10, 2001
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Try different channels (SATA or IDE) and also try a different cable connector. If it's still the same it could be the mobo southbridge has totally gone south!