PDA

View Full Version : PC Meltdown



Shaun
04-01-2009, 01:27 PM
My main PC has gone into meltdown, and I'm like a fish out of water trying to figure it out.

First error message during boot up said 'Boot System Error' press f1 to continue. I was able to log into windows after pressing f1, but now the error message (after rebooting) says disk boot failure.

I've looked in the bios and the Hard Drive is showing as there....I just can't boot into my operating system.

Tried a 'boot fix' with my windows disc using windows repair...still nothing.

Any gurus out there have any ideas?

HELP!

Excalibur
04-01-2009, 01:35 PM
My main PC has gone into meltdown, and I'm like a fish out of water trying to figure it out.

First error message during boot up said 'Boot System Error' press f1 to continue. I was able to log into windows after pressing f1, but now the error message (after rebooting) says disk boot failure.

I've looked in the bios and the Hard Drive is showing as there....I just can't boot into my operating system.

Tried a 'boot fix' with my windows disc using windows repair...still nothing.

Any gurus out there have any ideas?

HELP!
As you all know I'm an absolute whizzkid with PC's, but I'll let my mate Callum answer this. ;) ;) :D :D :D

CRAZY K
04-01-2009, 01:37 PM
Sorry to be negative but when things get to that stage its usually time to ring the Computer repair man--

Sounds like something major--

Unless anyone has any other tests you can do--?

CRAZY K

Jiggles
04-01-2009, 01:39 PM
You either have a catastrophic hard disk failure, or your BIOS has
decided not to even look for a HDD to boot from. 'Boot disk failure'
means it didn't find a disk at all (on most BIOSs), as opposed to 'non
system disk', or various other errors, which mean that the disk was not
bootable. You can get there by screwing up the master/slave/CS jumpers
and cabling, but if it happens in a previously working system it isn't
good news.

Seeing as its showing in the BIOS. Is it still selected for
booting? Is it the first boot device in the list? Is the appropriate
EIDE channel enabled (not turned off in the BIOS).

If not, is it powered up, is the data cable still attached, is it going
round (you can usually hear that)?

It could (hopefully) be a cable / motherboard / etc. fault. It could
also (and more likely) be that the hard disk (electronics, spin motor,
whatever) has failed rather seriously.

I'd debug this by sticking the disk in another PC (as a slave) and
seeing if it was readable.

Excalibur
04-01-2009, 01:40 PM
Sorry to be negative but when things get to that stage its usually time to ring the Computer repair man--

Sounds like something major--

Unless anyone has any other tests you can do--?

CRAZY K

Seriously, I'd disagree Crazy, I'd be surprised if it weren't a simple fix. But then again I know nothing.

Daryll
04-01-2009, 01:41 PM
You can have a look http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic40225.html.
some good advice.

I hope it`s not a hard drive failure, but all is not lost.
If your BIOS can see the drive , it may be possible to get data back.
If I remember the last time this happened to me, I removed the defective drive , put another drive in, installed Win xp as per usual, then shut down, put the old drive in as a slave.
After reboot, you will boot into the drive you have just installed win on, with a bit of luck it will see the old drive, and you can copy across any data you need.
Hopefuly the techspot forum method will work .

cheers

Daryll

funkymike
04-01-2009, 01:48 PM
I had a similer problem and all it was, was the bios battery, 3 quid from tescos soon sorted it out. If its not plugged into the mains (assuming its your gigging pc) the battery drains very quickly, around a year.

hope that helps

Mike

Tony Scott
04-01-2009, 01:56 PM
Have you tried going into BIOS and doing a simple(quick) hard drive diagnostic check to see if it can find the HDD?

One Vision
04-01-2009, 02:13 PM
My main PC has gone into meltdown, and I'm like a fish out of water trying to figure it out.

First error message during boot up said 'Boot System Error' press f1 to continue. I was able to log into windows after pressing f1, but now the error message (after rebooting) says disk boot failure.

I've looked in the bios and the Hard Drive is showing as there....I just can't boot into my operating system.

Tried a 'boot fix' with my windows disc using windows repair...still nothing.

Any gurus out there have any ideas?

HELP!

Hya Shaun, it does sound like your hard drive is playing up mate.
I assume your just getting either the blue screen or the system just keeps restarting.
A simple diagnostic test to verify this would be to unplug your c: drive and put another one in that has windows installed.

It could also be the ram or processor or both, are you getting a single beep from the PC speaker when you try to boot the system?

Jiggles
04-01-2009, 02:22 PM
Hya Shaun, it does sound like your hard drive is playing up mate.
I assume your just getting either the blue screen or the system just keeps restarting.
A simple diagnostic test to verify this would be to unplug your c: drive and put another one in that has windows installed.

It could also be the ram or processor or both, are you getting a single beep from the PC speaker when you try to boot the system?

Its something to do with the hard drive. If it was a problem with the ram them it wouldn't give that error. It just wouldn't POST.

Shaun
04-01-2009, 02:23 PM
I had a similer problem and all it was, was the bios battery, 3 quid from tescos soon sorted it out. If its not plugged into the mains (assuming its your gigging pc) the battery drains very quickly, around a year.

hope that helps

Mike

It doesn't seem to be the battery - the bios is keeping the time perfectly, it's also a desktop PC and powered via the mains permanently


Have you tried going into BIOS and doing a simple(quick) hard drive diagnostic check to see if it can find the HDD?

Can't seem to find that option? I've tried using 'chkdsk' via the windows recovery disk, and everything shows up as fine. The HDD in question also shows up fine in the BIOS.


Hya Shaun, it does sound like your hard drive is playing up mate.
I assume your just getting either the blue screen or the system just keeps restarting.
A simple diagnostic test to verify this would be to unplug your c: drive and put another one in that has windows installed.

It could also be the ram or processor or both, are you getting a single beep from the PC speaker when you try to boot the system?

I don't think it's the CPU or RAM. This problem has been here for a few weeks, but I just kept my PC switched on and there was no issue. It's only after a reboot that the problem has gotten worse. It's definitely a boot issue....I just don't have the skill-set to figure out how to resolve it.

My head hurts. :D

Tom
04-01-2009, 02:29 PM
Are the pc compenents in the case all close together or spaced apart??? If the hard drive is getting hot the pc will not start up at all.

Do you have plenty of cooling inside the case???

Jiggles
04-01-2009, 02:32 PM
Are the pc compenents in the case all close together or spaced apart??? If the hard drive is getting hot the pc will not start up at all.

Do you have plenty of cooling inside the case???

New one on me?:confused: The new hard drives can take temps of up to about 80oC. So dont think it would be that. The error that its giving can be be caused due tot he problems i stated in my first post!

One Vision
04-01-2009, 02:32 PM
It depends if its an intermittent problem or not plus it would just keep looping if the ram, but yes I agree it does sound like a hard drive issue

Tom
04-01-2009, 02:36 PM
New one on me?:confused: The new hard drives can take temps of up to about 80oC. So dont think it would be that. The error that its giving can be be caused due tot he problems i stated in my first post!

Depends on how old the pc components are:confused:

I run Sata raid and always try to make sure plenty of air is passed all parts of the pc case.

Bit like amps for speakers. They need cool air to pass the internals so it can effectly. Even if the amp has cooling fans, if its sucking on warm or hot air its not going to cool it down.

Penfold42
04-01-2009, 02:38 PM
Does it make a clicking noise?

Sounds like hard drive to me....had the same problem a short time back.

Hope you get it sorted friend. :)

Have you rung Marc?

:)

One Vision
04-01-2009, 02:41 PM
Possibly the best way to test would be to simply try another hard drive with windows installed, basically just to see if the system boots ok with another HD.
Possibly even try a different IDE/SATA lead whatever you use.

Excalibur
04-01-2009, 02:42 PM
Does it make a clicking noise?

Sounds like hard drive to me....had the same problem a short time back.

Hope you get it sorted friend. :)

Have you rung Marc?

:)

Clicking noises are really bad news. :( :( :( :(
Have you got the boot from cd option? ( Said a numpty)

Jiggles
04-01-2009, 02:42 PM
You average computer will work fine at 75oC but would rather run lower. When it come to cooling i would be more inclined to keep the processor and graphics card cool over the hard drive seeing as to get silly temps you would need one of those new 10K raptors.

Shaun
04-01-2009, 02:44 PM
Have you rung Marc?

:)

I didn't like to, especially on a Sunday. I've sent him a text though :o

One Vision
04-01-2009, 02:47 PM
Possibly the best way to test would be to simply try another hard drive with windows installed, basically just to see if the system boots ok with another HD.
Possibly even try a different IDE/SATA lead whatever you use.

The above will confirm one way or the other

Penfold42
04-01-2009, 03:25 PM
I didn't like to, especially on a Sunday. I've sent him a text though :o

I will if you like......:sj:


Possibly the best way to test would be to simply try another hard drive with windows installed, basically just to see if the system boots ok with another HD.
Possibly even try a different IDE/SATA lead whatever you use.

Which is what sorted my problem out. :)

Solitaire Events Ltd
04-01-2009, 04:08 PM
Have you tried switching if off and then back on again? :sofa: :taxi: :coat:

Penfold42
04-01-2009, 04:10 PM
Have you tried switching if off and then back on again? :sofa: :taxi: :coat:

:Brain:

Marc J
04-01-2009, 05:17 PM
Sounds to me like a BIOS losing the plot problem. IIRC your PC boots from SATA Shaun, it has probably loaded BIOS defaults and trying to boot from IDE. Could be a dead mobo battery (I said that 3 weeks ago? :D) but I doubt it...probably just your BIOS losing the plot (I built a few PCs using the mobo you have at the same time, and one of them does exactly the same thing every now and then...strange).

Your data is more than likely fine, as long as you haven't run too many MS utilities trying to fix the problem! Worst case scenario you install Windows on a new Disk and pull any data you need from the old OS drive. IIRC you map your My Docs and all other data onto another HDD anyway so losing your OS drive is just the inconvenience of re-installing the OS and apps. This is how I would have set it up when I built it anyway...depends how you've tinkered with it since then :D

If you know what you're doing try to change the boot order in the BIOS to SATA 1...it might be a two step process i.e. change boot to SATA then go into SATA config and change the order there as I think you have more than one SATA drive in...

If you don't know what you're doing...see my PM :)

EDIT: DO NOT format your hard drive, even if you think you have your data on other drives your email will be on the OS drive, and you'll be wanting that...

Shaun
04-01-2009, 05:21 PM
Do I ever know what I'm doing? I'm always breaking things. :o :d

Steve the DJ
04-01-2009, 05:25 PM
Control, alt, delete and I'll get my coat...:o

Shaun
04-01-2009, 05:26 PM
Sledgehammer,release, shatter and I'll buy a new PC... :o

CRAZY K
04-01-2009, 05:29 PM
Seriously, I'd disagree Crazy, I'd be surprised if it weren't a simple fix. But then again I know nothing.

Im sticking to my original diagnosis AND recommendation:D

CRAZY K

Penfold42
04-01-2009, 05:46 PM
Shaun - Invite Marc over for another Wii game night.......let him beat you and then he can fix it at the same time .....Job done! :sj:

Marc J
04-01-2009, 05:56 PM
Shaun - Invite Marc over for another Wii game night.......let him beat you and then he can fix it at the same time .....Job done! :sj:

That can all be done in 5 minutes...1 minute to knock him out on the boxing and 4 minutes to fix his PC :)

Penfold42
04-01-2009, 05:59 PM
:lol:.........:D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Cheap at half the price........:sofa:

Shaun
04-01-2009, 10:28 PM
That can all be done in 5 minutes...1 minute to knock him out on the boxing

It's true...I'm so ashamed. :Embarassed:




If you know what you're doing try to change the boot order in the BIOS to SATA 1...it might be a two step process i.e. change boot to SATA then go into SATA config and change the order there as I think you have more than one SATA drive in...

.


It was already set to SATA1...which I'm positive it's always been. However, I set it to SATA2 and it worked. :) :)

What would I do without you. Thanks!!!! :beer1:


-----------------------

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply with suggestions and advice. Much appreciated. :beer1:

nigelwright7557
04-01-2009, 10:37 PM
I had a similer problem and all it was, was the bios battery, 3 quid from tescos soon sorted it out. If its not plugged into the mains (assuming its your gigging pc) the battery drains very quickly, around a year.

hope that helps

Mike

I would go for the battery too.
Sounds like the bios settings are being corrupted by a dead battery.

Fit a new battery then reset to default bios settings in setup.

Solitaire Events Ltd
05-01-2009, 10:55 AM
I would go for the battery too.
Sounds like the bios settings are being corrupted by a dead battery.

Fit a new battery then reset to default bios settings in setup.

Or...



I set it to SATA2 and it worked. :) :)

Marc J
05-01-2009, 11:24 AM
To be fair though Darren, the BIOS forgetting which drive to boot from could be a sign of a dead motherboard battery... although you would normally see other signs like the time being wrong if this was the case.

Shaun
05-01-2009, 01:19 PM
The original problem I've been having foir a while is still there.

"System Boot Fail. Press F1 to continue or DEL to enter setup"

At least I can get into windows now. I'll lay off tinkering with the settings till you're next along my way, Marc. :d

Shaun
08-01-2009, 01:29 PM
Problem appears to be fixed now. Thanks for popping in and sorting it out, Marc.

:beer1: :beer1: :beer1:

CRAZY K
08-01-2009, 02:05 PM
Problem appears to be fixed now. Thanks for popping in and sorting it out, Marc.

:beer1: :beer1: :beer1:

And the fault was----

So we all know what to try next time

:D :D :D

CRAZY K

Shaun
08-01-2009, 02:11 PM
And the fault was----



Something in the BIOS.




So we all know what to try next time



What, you're going to call Marc in a blind panic begging for help too? :d

CRAZY K
08-01-2009, 03:42 PM
Something in the BIOS.



What, you're going to call Marc in a blind panic begging for help too? :d

Done that already on my website ;)

No just to confirm what I told Peter---

Its a case of calling in someone who knows what they are doing--

Less stress, time wasting etc and of course a business expense to offset tax:D

CRAZY K

Excalibur
08-01-2009, 04:55 PM
Sorry to be negative but when things get to that stage its usually time to ring the Computer repair man--

Sounds like something major--

Unless anyone has any other tests you can do--?

CRAZY K


Seriously, I'd disagree Crazy, I'd be surprised if it weren't a simple fix. But then again I know nothing.


Done that already on my website ;)

No just to confirm what I told Peter---

Its a case of calling in someone who knows what they are doing--

Less stress, time wasting etc and of course a business expense to offset tax:D

CRAZY K

Was that perchance aimed in my direction, my friend? :confused: If so, I refer you to two important points.
1) Though I didn't say so in so many words, I totally agree that you need the assistance of someone with serious knowledge. I'm not so sure about giving them money, I'd recommend having them owe you a favour or two. Gets my vote. :D
2) One of us prophesied a near terminal problem. The other one disagreed, and forecast that it would be a simple settings problem. Not bad for a Numpty, eh? :p :D :D

Marc J
08-01-2009, 06:20 PM
And the fault was----

So we all know what to try next time

:D :D :D

CRAZY K

Hard to say what the exact problem was, as they were compounded by the time I got there (mostly through Shaun's tinkering :lol:)

Initially a boot error creating a BIOS error log that wasn't clearing, as well as the BIOS battery needing replacing, and a possible monitor and / or monitor cable fault....

I did say on the 12th December that it was probably the BIOS battery :D

CRAZY K
08-01-2009, 07:00 PM
Was that perchance aimed in my direction, my friend? :confused: If so, I refer you to two important points.
1) Though I didn't say so in so many words, I totally agree that you need the assistance of someone with serious knowledge. I'm not so sure about giving them money, I'd recommend having them owe you a favour or two. Gets my vote. :D
2) One of us prophesied a near terminal problem. The other one disagreed, and forecast that it would be a simple settings problem. Not bad for a Numpty, eh? :p :D :D

Both wrong Peter--it was somewhere between the two ;)

CRAZY K

scotsguy
03-02-2009, 02:23 PM
or you could try flashing the bios by taking the battery out for about 20 min then pop it back in and boot it up.

Marc J
04-02-2009, 08:28 AM
or you could try flashing the bios by taking the battery out for about 20 min then pop it back in and boot it up.

That wouldn't flash the bios, that'd just reset it. Which is easier (or at least 20 mins quicker) to do with the motherboard jumpers, or from within the bios.

Flashing it is something completely different.

Vectis
04-02-2009, 08:43 AM
That wouldn't flash the bios, that'd just reset it. Which is easier (or at least 20 mins quicker) to do with the motherboard jumpers, or from within the bios.

Flashing it is something completely different.

Oh yes...

Jiggles
04-02-2009, 08:46 AM
Don't flash unless you really have to.