Possible HDD problems, need help to determine!

henry_jin03 · 08-15-2004, 09:36 PM

A while ago, the light that indicates when the hard drive is operating became dimly lit constantly instead of lighting only when it is doing something. That didn't cause any problems with the way the computer is running.

However, recently, upon turning on my computer, it would give me the "Disk Boot Failure" message, after which I have to ctrl-alt-del to restart again, and it'll boot fine. Each time I restart thereafter would be fine too, until I turn off the computer again, in which case I will have to repeat the "turn-on, ctrl-alt-del" process again.

However, today the computer started to have noticeable lag whenever it is about to play a sound (clicking on a link, or simply navigating through explorer clicking on different folders). It also has noticeable lag when a webpage is loading, as the cursor on screen would actually become stuck for a second or two, or move jerkily if the mouse is moved.

I know it's not a virus problem nor a spyware problem because I update my virus definition weekly and perform scans, and update Ad-Aware reference files as well.

I checked the Temporary Internet Files an everything looked normal. My partitioned C-Drive has an abundance of space available still so it's not a virtual memory problem either.

Is this a hardware problem? If so, what are the possibilities?

ZinOwl · 08-16-2004, 12:14 AM

SOLUTION: Follow this procedure

1/ check that there is no floppy in the floppy drive, and no CD in the CD drive; then reboot.

If that does not fix it, then

2/ Check that the BIOS is set to boot from the hard disk, then reboot.

If that does not fix it AND YOU ARE SURE THE BOOT PARTITION IS FAT 16 or FAT32, then

3/ Boot with a Windows98 boot floppy, and run "FDISK /MBR" to replace the master boot record; then reboot.

If it is not a FAT partition, or step 3 did not help, then,

4/ Shut down and power off the PC - remove the hard drive - tap the sides of the hard drive (with your fingers - fairly hard but not too hard), reinstall the hard drive, and then try to boot up.

If that does not fix it, thrown the drive away and get a new one.

dai · 08-16-2004, 11:43 AM

d/l the h/d manufacturers diognostic utility and run it

08-15-2004, 09:36 PM	#1 (permalink)
henry_jin03 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1 OS: WinME	Possible HDD problems, need help to determine! A while ago, the light that indicates when the hard drive is operating became dimly lit constantly instead of lighting only when it is doing something. That didn't cause any problems with the way the computer is running. However, recently, upon turning on my computer, it would give me the "Disk Boot Failure" message, after which I have to ctrl-alt-del to restart again, and it'll boot fine. Each time I restart thereafter would be fine too, until I turn off the computer again, in which case I will have to repeat the "turn-on, ctrl-alt-del" process again. However, today the computer started to have noticeable lag whenever it is about to play a sound (clicking on a link, or simply navigating through explorer clicking on different folders). It also has noticeable lag when a webpage is loading, as the cursor on screen would actually become stuck for a second or two, or move jerkily if the mouse is moved. I know it's not a virus problem nor a spyware problem because I update my virus definition weekly and perform scans, and update Ad-Aware reference files as well. I checked the Temporary Internet Files an everything looked normal. My partitioned C-Drive has an abundance of space available still so it's not a virtual memory problem either. Is this a hardware problem? If so, what are the possibilities?

08-16-2004, 12:14 AM	#2 (permalink)
ZinOwl Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Nebraska (West) Posts: 20 OS: XP Media Edition	Disk Boot Failure Problem SOLUTION: Follow this procedure 1/ check that there is no floppy in the floppy drive, and no CD in the CD drive; then reboot. If that does not fix it, then 2/ Check that the BIOS is set to boot from the hard disk, then reboot. If that does not fix it AND YOU ARE SURE THE BOOT PARTITION IS FAT 16 or FAT32, then 3/ Boot with a Windows98 boot floppy, and run "FDISK /MBR" to replace the master boot record; then reboot. If it is not a FAT partition, or step 3 did not help, then, 4/ Shut down and power off the PC - remove the hard drive - tap the sides of the hard drive (with your fingers - fairly hard but not too hard), reinstall the hard drive, and then try to boot up. If that does not fix it, thrown the drive away and get a new one.

08-16-2004, 11:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,588 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	d/l the h/d manufacturers diognostic utility and run it