hayden78

Hello. I am trying to boot up a computer, but get the systems disk error.

No, I do not have a windows install disk.

I am currently running Linux on the same computer, off a usb stick. Anyone have any idea where I'd get the proper files to burn to a cd-r? My BIOS does see my hdd, and it does not make that clicking sound I've heard so much about. I am assuming it is missing the boot files only.

Cheers.

Bartender

Need more input

Did the computer ever boot into Linux off the thumb drive? You say that you're "currently running" Linux off the external drive. Does that mean it was working and suddenly stopped? Booting off a thumb drive requires a longer list of things that all have to work correctly, and work together, than booting from a CD or HDD.

For example, is the PC even capable of booting from an external device?

"Non-systems disk error" I assume to be a BIOS error message. The PC tries to boot but cannot find an operating system. The error message indicates it found something but not a bootable device. Is your BIOS set up to look at the optical drive first, and you have a music CD in there?

You ask about getting the proper files to burn to a CD-R. I'm confused. Finding the standard download for the "burn to CD" versions of Ubuntu and converting that download to a bootable CD is an easier process than setting Ubuntu up on a thumb drive.

This is probly a stupid question but I'm gonna ask it anyway. Did you save the Ubuntu download to a thumb drive, then plug that thumb drive in, then start the PC? I can see where someone might think that's all you had to do but it's not that simple.

K-B

Lots of computers (especially older ones) cannot boot from a USB drive, because the USB drivers are not loaded until later on in the boot process.
You can get the files you need from the website of the Linux distribution of your choice. For beginners, I'd recommend (in no particular order) Ubuntu, Linux Mint, PCLinuxOS, SimplyMEPIS. The file is an ISO file normally around 700MB, so you will need a fast internet connection.

Done_Fishin

Hi There

I am assuming that your PC was booting into windows before you had this problem and now you can only boot off of your linux thumb drive.

As your PC boots does it show your hard drive as being present?
From your thumb drive can you see or mount the hard drive and possibly check the files?
In order to boot from windows and assuming you are booting or trying to boot a previous windows installation that was in NTFS format you have to look to see if three files are present on the drive

1. boot.ini
2. ntdetect.com
3. ntldr

if any one of those is not missing then you will be unable to boot into your windows partition. However you should get an error message to say what is missing.
That you say nothing about a missing file and indicate that the disk is not bootable I am wondering if you have been trying to install Linux and something has gone wrong.
It could be that it is trying to boot to the wrong drive, that someone has left a non-bootable floppy in the drive but you hadn't noticed ... or that you have inadvertently changed the active partition of your main drive

Please give some details about your Computer/Motherboard, what happened prior to this happening and what OS had been previously installed.