123ArticleOnline Logo
Welcome to 123ArticleOnline.com!
ALL >> Computers >> View Article

Hard Drive Does Not Boot

Profile Picture
By Author: Stephen Bucaro
Total Articles: 31
Comment this article
Facebook ShareTwitter ShareGoogle+ ShareTwitter Share

----------------------------------------------------------- Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the resource box below is included. ----------------------------------------------------------- Hard Drive Does Not Boot By Stephen Bucaro When your computer does not boot, the first thing a technician must ask is; what do you mean by "it won't boot"? Many times the problem is simply that the user doesn't have their monitor turned on, or that they received the "Invalid system disk" message because they left a floppy in the drive. Or does the user mean WINDOWS won't start? A problem can occur in the boot sequence even before the hard disk comes into play. When a computer first starts, its Basic Input/Out System (BIOS) performs a Power On Self Test (POST). Before the computer is ready to use the display, it communicates using beep codes. After the display is initialized, it sends codes to the screen. If your computer stops with an error code ...
... on the screen, you need to find out who made your computers BIOS and check the website of the BIOS manufacturer for the meaning of the error code. When your computer boots, the BIOS reads the hard disk's partition table in order to find the boot record. If the partition table is damaged, the message "Invalid drive or drive specification" will be displayed. The partition table does not change after the drive is partitioned and formatted unless it has been damaged, possibly by a virus. If the boot record is damaged, you will receive the message "Invalid system disk". If the partition table and boot record are good, the computer will read the hard disk's File Allocation Table (FAT) in order to start loading Windows operating system files. If the FAT is damaged, you will receive the message "Sector not found reading drive C". If you do not receive any beeps, error codes or messages and your computer still will not boot, then the problem is Windows will not start. Note: the POST makes a single beep to test the speaker; this is not an error. If you have a damaged partition table, boot record, or FAT, you can use Nuts & Bolts Disk Minder or Norton Disk Doctor to make a repair. You must have the utility on a bootable floppy disk and execute it from the floppy. Or you can install a new hard drive and load Windows and one of the above utility suites on the new hard drive. Then configure the old drive as slave and repair it from the new drive. Note: If your hard drive makes a loud whining noise when you first start your computer, you need to run out and get that new hard drive now. The first step to repair a computer that won't boot is to find out what "it won't boot" means. If during boot you did not receive any of the errors mentioned above, that probably means Windows won't start. How to repair that problem is covered in another article. ---------------------------------------------------------- Resource Box:
Copyright(C)2002 Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit http://bucarotechelp.com
To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blank email to bucarotechelp-subscribe@topica.com ---------------------------------------------------------- None

Total Views: 266Word Count: 560See All articles From Author

Add Comment

Computers Articles

1. Web Scraping Top Grocery Chains In Michigan
Author: FoodDataScrape

2. How Refurbished Laptops Help Students Save Money And Study Smarter In 2025
Author: usedstore

3. Why The Ls3002 Barcode Scanner Is Perfect For Retail In 2025
Author: prime pos

4. Does Cleaning Temporary Files Really Improve Laptop Speed? (what To Expect)
Author: Neha Jain

5. Extract Supermarket Data From Walmart & Target In Usa
Author: FoodDataScrape

6. How Odoo Partners Drive Growth: From Implementation To Innovation
Author: Alex Forsyth

7. Leverage Web Scraping Cold Drinks Data On Swiggy Instamart
Author: FoodDataScrape

8. Empowering Universities Through Student Engagement Crm Solutions|e2s
Author: Brenda Joyce

9. Odoo Manufacturing And Lean Practices For Small And Medium Enterprises
Author: Alex Forsyth

10. How Posiflex Pos Machines Enhances Customer Service
Author: pbs

11. Scrape Keeta Food Delivery App Data In Saudi Arabia For Insights
Author: FoodDataScrape

12. Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2021 Vs. Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2024: Which One Should You Choose?
Author: davudobuya55

13. Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 Vs. Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 Dvd: Which Version Should You Choose?
Author: davudobuya55

14. Microsoft Office Professional 2024 Vs. Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010: Which One Is Right For You?
Author: davudobuya55

15. Microsoft Office Home Business 2021 For Mac Vs Microsoft Office Home Student 2021 For Mac: Which Is Right For You?
Author: davudobuya55

Login To Account
Login Email:
Password:
Forgot Password?
New User?
Sign Up Newsletter
Email Address: