Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter

dhammaguest · 06-03-2009, 05:05 PM

Hi,

I am wondering if I have a BIOS virus.

A couple of days ago, while booting, I got the message
DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER

I inserted my Windows XP Pro CD and rebooted and everything came up just fine. Before that I had put the PC in hibernate mode, and after it booted with the XP CD, everything came as it would when I power up.

So I thought the problem was solved.

I removed the CD and tried hibernating and powering up and it came up fine.
Then I did a restart and again it came up fine.

Then again the next day, I got the same message as above.
This time inserting the XP CD did nothing. I tried to use the Recovery Console, but it won't let me proceed because it is complaining about the password. As far as I remember, I don't have a password set for admin. But it won't accept no password (just hitting ENTER). So, I was not able to use the Recovery Console.

Then I booted with a CD containing Ultimate Boot Disk. And I used the Hard Drive Tools to do a diag on the Western Digital HD. I did the Quick Test and it came up without errors.

After this I removed the Ultimate Boot Disk CD and rebooted and to my surprise, it booted just fine!!

So, at this point, I did not know what to do to fix this seemingly intermittent problem. But I thought at least I have a work-around - i.e. either use the XP CD or the Ultimate BootDisk CD.

But today I am getting this same message and am just not able to boot with either of the above (XP CD or UBD). Once again I am unable to use the Recovery Console to fix if there is any MBR problem. I read somewhere that if there is NO password for admin, there is a bug that Recover Console does not allow you (to log on without a password). Apparently this is a known problem but I was unable to figure out exactly what I need to do from the Microsoft website.

The BIOS does not show the HD in the boot sequence!! The same thing had happened yesterday (it did not show the HD in the boot sequence). But after using one of the above methods (booting successfully with the XP CD, or booting after running the HD diag from UBD), I forgot to check how the BIOS looked after that. But it must have changed the boot sequence to include the HD otherwise how would I have been able to boot, right?

So, now I am left wondering if there is a BIOS virus here.

Any pointers or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

**spike2me** · 06-03-2009, 05:08 PM

try replacing the hard drive cable. If it is IDE be sure it is plugged in all the way. Try a different plug from the power adapter. blow all fans and computer out with compressed air.

dhammaguest · 06-03-2009, 05:19 PM

Hi again,

I have a couple of questions based on the above observations.

If BIOS is not showing HD, how is HD diag test from the UBD able to run?
Also, I am able to see the HD light flashing when I insert the XP CD and try to boot from it to the Recovery Console.
Does it mean that even if BIOS doesn't see the HD other programs such as UBD and XP CD can see and use it?

Sorry if these are stupid questions.

Thanks

dhammaguest · 06-03-2009, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spike2me

try replacing the hard drive cable. If it is IDE be sure it is plugged in all the way. Try a different plug from the power adapter. blow all fans and computer out with compressed air.

Spike2me, thanks for your prompt response. I will try all the things you have suggested.

I am not clear about the second suggestion though (Try a different plug from the power adapter). Do you mean the cable going from the power supply to the hard drive? Is that the same as the first suggestion, or different. Sorry, not clear to me.

Edit: I think I got it. You mean the small plastic thingy at the other end of the wires coming from the power supply, right? You want me to try another one of those. When i opened up the PC, I saw one which is unused. So, I will try to use that one.

**spike2me** · 06-03-2009, 05:59 PM

Yes, try a different power plug. Try a different IDE cable. Make sure it is plugged into the motherboard tight and to the HDD. Get to the Bios and make sure the Hard Drive is being recognized. Listen to the HDD, is it making a clicking or scraping sound? If so that is indicative that the hard drive has failed. If the bios won't see the drive, either the cables are unplugged the jumper is set incorrectly or the drive has failed.

dhammaguest · 06-03-2009, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spike2me

Yes, try a different power plug. Try a different IDE cable. Make sure it is plugged into the motherboard tight and to the HDD. Get to the Bios and make sure the Hard Drive is being recognized. Listen to the HDD, is it making a clicking or scraping sound? If so that is indicative that the hard drive has failed. If the bios won't see the drive, either the cables are unplugged the jumper is set incorrectly or the drive has failed.

Thank you spike2me. I used the other adapter on the same IDE cable and now the BIOS seems to see the HD. So I hope that was the problem. (The reason I say i hope is that earlier it had come up twice without me doing anything (as stated in the main post) and so I hope this time it wont go down again.)

Here are some additional details of what happened.

I removed the IDE cable to the HD and in its place I used the IDE cable going to the DVD writer. Then the BIOS was able to see the HD, but it gave a Blue Screen with a message that it had detected a problem and windows was shutting down and some msg about dump. But at least the BIOS was able to see the HD.

Then I replaced the IDE cable going to DVD writer the way it was. And I tried using the same cable to the HD but the BIOS did not see the HD. Then I used the second adapter (?) on that same cable (ie the same cable which was connected to the HD earlier) that was not in use and connected it to the HD. This time again the BIOS was able to see the HD.
So, basically I used the same IDE cable as before but just used the other adapter on it. I am not sure why a cable would just go bad without anything being moved around, but I guess everything has a lifetime.

Again after rebooting, I saw the Blue Screen with the same message as above. It gave me two options -continue rebooting and Delete restoration file and reboot (or something like that). Not knowing what 'delete restoration file' meant I chose to continue rebooting but it again gave the Blue Screen. So after rebooting, I chose 'Delete restoration file' and this time it booted up properly. I am assuming that the restoration file was refering to the hibernation file, but I am not sure.

Anyway, for now the system is up and running. But it is not clear why UBD or XP CD were able to make use of the HD if the cable was indeed the reason the BIOS was not able to see the HD.

Thanks for your help spike2me! I appreciate it.

scouse bri · 06-04-2009, 07:59 AM

poss.you could have intermittent voltage fault on power supply
For the cost of a new one it would be worth investing in one for peace of mind (make sure wattage is high enough for board)

Bri

dhammaguest · 06-04-2009, 05:00 PM

Bri, OK. Thanks for the suggestion.

Today, I had the same problem again (disk not found, insert system disk ...). Before opening up the box, I inserted the XP CD and again tried to go through the Repair Console, trying to remember the Admin password if any (I dont remember setting any). When that did not work, I rebooted, and this time I got the Blue Screen with a message that windows found a problem and I should check all new hardware and software etc.

So, it does look like intermittently the BIOS is able to see the HD. It may well be some voltage issue. I have been having intermittent problems powering up the PC but I did not relate that to this booting problem. The intermittent problem I have powering up the PC is that when I press the ON button on the front of the PC, nothing happens. Sometimes repeated toggling the button powers it up, but sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't I just wait for some time and try again and after waiting some time it powers up. I attributed that to ON/OFF switch going bad. But it may very well be a voltage problem. Wow.

Thanks for the suggestion.

**spike2me** · 06-04-2009, 05:12 PM

Replace the power supply and be done with it.

dhammaguest · 06-04-2009, 06:06 PM

OK. Thanks

It has worked for five years after all.

zennerd · 06-04-2009, 06:28 PM

I would also check the battery on the MOBO. After 5 years it could be time for a new one. If that dies, you lose the hardware settings. The thing I noticed is that it doesn't work the first time, but does the second or third time. Sooo...it could be autoconfiguring the HDD and all after the first boot. I'd also look at your power supply too. Take the battery out and go to Walgreens/CVS/Walmart...I think that you can get 2 of them for like 3 bucks. Good luck!

Riskyone101 · 06-04-2009, 09:04 PM

Why not first replace your IDE cables, before you lose your important data?

dhammaguest · 06-06-2009, 08:15 PM

Update: After installing a new power supply, rebooting a couple of times worked properly. But after that, when I put the system in hibernate and then tried to start, I ran into the same problem again.

I got the 'boot disk not found' message, but after toggling power a couple of times, I got the Blue Screen mentioned above. After that I rebooted and got the choice of "Delete restoration data and proceed to system boot menu" or 'continue booting (not exact words)'

As above, I ended up chosing 'delete restoration data ...' and then the system booted fine after that. Of course, the session that was put in hibernate was gone, but it is not very important.

@Zennerd - thanks for the suggestion. I was not aware that the system may behave inconsistently if the battery has run down.

@riskyone101 - OK. I will replace the cable. Just so that I understand, why could I lose the data? I mean the HD itself (1.5 yr old) is without any errors when I run diags on it.

The thing that is mystery to me is if BIOS doesn't detect the HD, then when I run XP CD or Ultimate Boot Disk (I run HD diags from here), how are these two softwares able to detect the HD?

Riskyone101 · 06-06-2009, 08:34 PM

what are you running:
video card
cpu
m/board
ram
power supply (brand and wattage)

check the listings in the bios for voltages and temperatures and post them

power supply (brand and wattage)

Go here and look at figure 3 & 4:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/362

Also download and run everest:
http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181

Copy and paste the report to Notepad or MS Word.
Save the report so you know where it is.
You then can attach the report.

06-03-2009, 05:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
dhammaguest Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 76 OS: Windows XP Pro SP2	Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter Hi, I am wondering if I have a BIOS virus. A couple of days ago, while booting, I got the message DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER I inserted my Windows XP Pro CD and rebooted and everything came up just fine. Before that I had put the PC in hibernate mode, and after it booted with the XP CD, everything came as it would when I power up. So I thought the problem was solved. I removed the CD and tried hibernating and powering up and it came up fine. Then I did a restart and again it came up fine. Then again the next day, I got the same message as above. This time inserting the XP CD did nothing. I tried to use the Recovery Console, but it won't let me proceed because it is complaining about the password. As far as I remember, I don't have a password set for admin. But it won't accept no password (just hitting ENTER). So, I was not able to use the Recovery Console. Then I booted with a CD containing Ultimate Boot Disk. And I used the Hard Drive Tools to do a diag on the Western Digital HD. I did the Quick Test and it came up without errors. After this I removed the Ultimate Boot Disk CD and rebooted and to my surprise, it booted just fine!! So, at this point, I did not know what to do to fix this seemingly intermittent problem. But I thought at least I have a work-around - i.e. either use the XP CD or the Ultimate BootDisk CD. But today I am getting this same message and am just not able to boot with either of the above (XP CD or UBD). Once again I am unable to use the Recovery Console to fix if there is any MBR problem. I read somewhere that if there is NO password for admin, there is a bug that Recover Console does not allow you (to log on without a password). Apparently this is a known problem but I was unable to figure out exactly what I need to do from the Microsoft website. The BIOS does not show the HD in the boot sequence!! The same thing had happened yesterday (it did not show the HD in the boot sequence). But after using one of the above methods (booting successfully with the XP CD, or booting after running the HD diag from UBD), I forgot to check how the BIOS looked after that. But it must have changed the boot sequence to include the HD otherwise how would I have been able to boot, right? So, now I am left wondering if there is a BIOS virus here. Any pointers or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks __________________ Compaq Presario SR1105IL AMD AthlonXP 2400+ \| 512 MB RAM \| 250GB WD HDD Windows XP Professional + SP2

06-03-2009, 05:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
spike2me TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 2,482 OS: XP SP3, Vista SP2, Windows7	Re: Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter try replacing the hard drive cable. If it is IDE be sure it is plugged in all the way. Try a different plug from the power adapter. blow all fans and computer out with compressed air. __________________ Spike Baron A Plus, MCSE, MCAS (office 2007) MOUS, CNA

06-03-2009, 05:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
dhammaguest Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 76 OS: Windows XP Pro SP2	Re: Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter Hi again, I have a couple of questions based on the above observations. If BIOS is not showing HD, how is HD diag test from the UBD able to run? Also, I am able to see the HD light flashing when I insert the XP CD and try to boot from it to the Recovery Console. Does it mean that even if BIOS doesn't see the HD other programs such as UBD and XP CD can see and use it? Sorry if these are stupid questions. Thanks __________________ Compaq Presario SR1105IL AMD AthlonXP 2400+ \| 512 MB RAM \| 250GB WD HDD Windows XP Professional + SP2

06-03-2009, 05:59 PM	#5 (permalink)
spike2me TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 2,482 OS: XP SP3, Vista SP2, Windows7	Re: Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter Yes, try a different power plug. Try a different IDE cable. Make sure it is plugged into the motherboard tight and to the HDD. Get to the Bios and make sure the Hard Drive is being recognized. Listen to the HDD, is it making a clicking or scraping sound? If so that is indicative that the hard drive has failed. If the bios won't see the drive, either the cables are unplugged the jumper is set incorrectly or the drive has failed. __________________ Spike Baron A Plus, MCSE, MCAS (office 2007) MOUS, CNA

06-04-2009, 07:59 AM	#7 (permalink)
scouse bri Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Merseyside UK Posts: 85 OS: XP Pro sp3	Re: Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter poss.you could have intermittent voltage fault on power supply For the cost of a new one it would be worth investing in one for peace of mind (make sure wattage is high enough for board) Bri

06-04-2009, 05:00 PM	#8 (permalink)
dhammaguest Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 76 OS: Windows XP Pro SP2	Re: Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter Bri, OK. Thanks for the suggestion. Today, I had the same problem again (disk not found, insert system disk ...). Before opening up the box, I inserted the XP CD and again tried to go through the Repair Console, trying to remember the Admin password if any (I dont remember setting any). When that did not work, I rebooted, and this time I got the Blue Screen with a message that windows found a problem and I should check all new hardware and software etc. So, it does look like intermittently the BIOS is able to see the HD. It may well be some voltage issue. I have been having intermittent problems powering up the PC but I did not relate that to this booting problem. The intermittent problem I have powering up the PC is that when I press the ON button on the front of the PC, nothing happens. Sometimes repeated toggling the button powers it up, but sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't I just wait for some time and try again and after waiting some time it powers up. I attributed that to ON/OFF switch going bad. But it may very well be a voltage problem. Wow. Thanks for the suggestion. __________________ Compaq Presario SR1105IL AMD AthlonXP 2400+ \| 512 MB RAM \| 250GB WD HDD Windows XP Professional + SP2

06-04-2009, 05:12 PM	#9 (permalink)
spike2me TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 2,482 OS: XP SP3, Vista SP2, Windows7	Re: Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter Replace the power supply and be done with it. __________________ Spike Baron A Plus, MCSE, MCAS (office 2007) MOUS, CNA

06-04-2009, 06:06 PM	#10 (permalink)
dhammaguest Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 76 OS: Windows XP Pro SP2	Re: Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter OK. Thanks It has worked for five years after all. __________________ Compaq Presario SR1105IL AMD AthlonXP 2400+ \| 512 MB RAM \| 250GB WD HDD Windows XP Professional + SP2

06-04-2009, 06:28 PM	#11 (permalink)
zennerd Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 3 OS: Windows 7	Re: Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter I would also check the battery on the MOBO. After 5 years it could be time for a new one. If that dies, you lose the hardware settings. The thing I noticed is that it doesn't work the first time, but does the second or third time. Sooo...it could be autoconfiguring the HDD and all after the first boot. I'd also look at your power supply too. Take the battery out and go to Walgreens/CVS/Walmart...I think that you can get 2 of them for like 3 bucks. Good luck!

06-04-2009, 09:04 PM	#12 (permalink)
Riskyone101 Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Chicago, IL. Posts: 3,675 OS: XP Pro SP3, MCE 2005 sp3, Vista Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 Ultimate My System	Re: Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter Why not first replace your IDE cables, before you lose your important data? __________________

06-06-2009, 08:15 PM	#13 (permalink)
dhammaguest Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 76 OS: Windows XP Pro SP2	Re: Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter Update: After installing a new power supply, rebooting a couple of times worked properly. But after that, when I put the system in hibernate and then tried to start, I ran into the same problem again. I got the 'boot disk not found' message, but after toggling power a couple of times, I got the Blue Screen mentioned above. After that I rebooted and got the choice of "Delete restoration data and proceed to system boot menu" or 'continue booting (not exact words)' As above, I ended up chosing 'delete restoration data ...' and then the system booted fine after that. Of course, the session that was put in hibernate was gone, but it is not very important. @Zennerd - thanks for the suggestion. I was not aware that the system may behave inconsistently if the battery has run down. @riskyone101 - OK. I will replace the cable. Just so that I understand, why could I lose the data? I mean the HD itself (1.5 yr old) is without any errors when I run diags on it. The thing that is mystery to me is if BIOS doesn't detect the HD, then when I run XP CD or Ultimate Boot Disk (I run HD diags from here), how are these two softwares able to detect the HD? __________________ Compaq Presario SR1105IL AMD AthlonXP 2400+ \| 512 MB RAM \| 250GB WD HDD Windows XP Professional + SP2 Last edited by dhammaguest; 06-06-2009 at 08:18 PM. Reason: Formatting/highlighting

06-06-2009, 08:34 PM	#14 (permalink)
Riskyone101 Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Chicago, IL. Posts: 3,675 OS: XP Pro SP3, MCE 2005 sp3, Vista Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 Ultimate My System	Re: Disk Not Found, Insert System Disk And Press Enter what are you running: video card cpu m/board ram power supply (brand and wattage) check the listings in the bios for voltages and temperatures and post them power supply (brand and wattage) Go here and look at figure 3 & 4: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/362 Also download and run everest: http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181 Copy and paste the report to Notepad or MS Word. Save the report so you know where it is. You then can attach the report. __________________