Boot Problem

Sailor Steve · 06-05-10, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arclight

As a short term workaround you can press F10 during boot and get a dialog where you can select the drive to boot from. Select the primary drive (probably something like "HDD0") to boot as normal.

Would have to do that every boot though, so better to fix the order in BIOS.

I already have to do that every boot. The F2 and F10 keys don't even work unless I unplug it first, and even then I have to F10 boot.

I'll try rearranging the order right now.

Sailor Steve · 06-05-10, 09:19 PM

Well, I switched everything around, and no change. I disabled the new drive, and it wouldn't boot at all. It seems the problem is that the boot menu is no longer recognizing the original internal drive. Once the computer is running I can bring it up just fine, but the boot menu doesn't have it listed.

The only BIOS update from Gateway is older than my machine itself. It also requires making a boot floppy disc, and I don't have a floppy drive. Does the CD/DVD drive count? Also Sandra the PC explorations system gave me a warning: BIOS is flashable but externally mounted. An incorrect update could be fatal.

Can I get the thing to recognize the internal hard drive again?

CaptainHaplo · 06-05-10, 09:38 PM

ok - we are getting into some weirdness - roll up your sleeves. Sounds like either the MBR of the internal HD is going wonky - or the boot.ini file has been modified.

Lets start with a couple of questions....

What OS are you using?

Are you using any odd bootloaders, like LiLo?

Sailor Steve · 06-05-10, 09:48 PM

XP Home, and no.

FIREWALL · 06-06-10, 10:55 AM

The next step may be using you OS disc to repair corrupt files.in boot.

If not familiar with this I will walk you thru it.

Thomen · 06-06-10, 10:59 AM

Concerning the external drive, I doubt that it will be the boot ini..

Since

Quote:

I already have to do that every boot. The F2 and F10 keys don't even work unless I unplug it first...

Which is a clear indicator that there is something borked in the bios or the bios does not support external drives.

FIREWALL · 06-06-10, 01:36 PM

Anything new Steve ?

Sailor Steve · 06-06-10, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIREWALL

The next step may be using you OS disc to repair corrupt files.in boot.

If not familiar with this I will walk you thru it.

All of my discs are buried somewhere in storage.

One thing has changed by itself: Yesterday I had to unplug the external drive and then use the boot screen to start it. Today I still have to unplug the cable but for some reason when I do it starts without help.

kiwi_2005 · 06-06-10, 01:50 PM

After reading about your problem its put me of external drives.

Don't do any of the below unless your certain its the boot.ini

If its your boot.ini that corrupt your have to do a repair using your OS cd, load up the cd when it gets to the blue menu and gives you a couple of options choose R (recovery console) after it goes through its stages, type 'bootcfg /rebuild' and hit enter. it will ask you to identify so you type windows home edition and hit enter.

If your lucky the boot.ini will be fix and your at least be able to get back into windows.

On another note.
Ubuntu got my pc out of a mess. Windows xp pro came up corrupt on startup, not even the repair would fix the boot.ini I was locked out of windows so i gave up and install Ubuntu so at the very least i could access the windows drive from ubuntu OS and backup all my important files to dvd, then reformat damn Windows and reinstall. But installing Ubuntu it fixed the problem cause Linux installs its own boot menu so you can choose either windows or Linux on startup. To my surprise there was WindowsXP alongside Ubuntu 9.10. I was able to get back into windows without having to reformat and start again.

Can't fix the bootup in windows, don't want to reformat, use ubuntu as the last resort. And its a good OS to use

06-05-10, 09:19 PM	#2
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Well, I switched everything around, and no change. I disabled the new drive, and it wouldn't boot at all. It seems the problem is that the boot menu is no longer recognizing the original internal drive. Once the computer is running I can bring it up just fine, but the boot menu doesn't have it listed. The only BIOS update from Gateway is older than my machine itself. It also requires making a boot floppy disc, and I don't have a floppy drive. Does the CD/DVD drive count? Also Sandra the PC explorations system gave me a warning: BIOS is flashable but externally mounted. An incorrect update could be fatal. Can I get the thing to recognize the internal hard drive again? __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

06-05-10, 09:38 PM	#3
CaptainHaplo Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 4,404 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 0	ok - we are getting into some weirdness - roll up your sleeves. Sounds like either the MBR of the internal HD is going wonky - or the boot.ini file has been modified. Lets start with a couple of questions.... What OS are you using? Are you using any odd bootloaders, like LiLo? __________________ Good Hunting! Captain Haplo Last edited by CaptainHaplo; 06-06-10 at 10:11 AM.

06-05-10, 09:48 PM	#4
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	XP Home, and no. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

06-06-10, 10:55 AM	#5
FIREWALL Eternal Patrol Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: CATALINA IS. SO . CAL USA Posts: 10,108 Downloads: 511 Uploads: 0	The next step may be using you OS disc to repair corrupt files.in boot. If not familiar with this I will walk you thru it. __________________ RIP FIREWALL I Play GWX. Silent Hunter Who ???

06-06-10, 01:36 PM	#7
FIREWALL Eternal Patrol Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: CATALINA IS. SO . CAL USA Posts: 10,108 Downloads: 511 Uploads: 0	Anything new Steve ? __________________ RIP FIREWALL I Play GWX. Silent Hunter Who ???

06-06-10, 01:50 PM	#9
kiwi_2005 Eternal Patrol Join Date: May 2004 Location: Aeoteroa Posts: 7,382 Downloads: 223 Uploads: 1	After reading about your problem its put me of external drives. Don't do any of the below unless your certain its the boot.ini If its your boot.ini that corrupt your have to do a repair using your OS cd, load up the cd when it gets to the blue menu and gives you a couple of options choose R (recovery console) after it goes through its stages, type 'bootcfg /rebuild' and hit enter. it will ask you to identify so you type windows home edition and hit enter. If your lucky the boot.ini will be fix and your at least be able to get back into windows. On another note. Ubuntu got my pc out of a mess. Windows xp pro came up corrupt on startup, not even the repair would fix the boot.ini I was locked out of windows so i gave up and install Ubuntu so at the very least i could access the windows drive from ubuntu OS and backup all my important files to dvd, then reformat damn Windows and reinstall. But installing Ubuntu it fixed the problem cause Linux installs its own boot menu so you can choose either windows or Linux on startup. To my surprise there was WindowsXP alongside Ubuntu 9.10. I was able to get back into windows without having to reformat and start again. Can't fix the bootup in windows, don't want to reformat, use ubuntu as the last resort. And its a good OS to use __________________ RIP kiwi_2005 Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others.

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