"Boot Disk Failure" after installing new Power Supply

Hey all,

I just installed a new power supply (900 watt, so it's sufficient for whatever I'm running) along with the new graphics card (285gtx) I got. I've put the card in first with the old psu and the system loaded up just fine. Upon installing the new psu, I can get to my bios screen, but after that it says "BOOT DISK FAILURE, PLEASE INSERT DISK AND PRESS ENTER "

If I go into my bios setup, my SATA hard drive doesn't show up on the list of devices. I've tried moving SATA ports, changing the power chord running to the hard drive, all with no success.

Is my hard drive boot sector ruined? What can I do? Could this really be some kind power supply related problem with the RAM or other parts of my computer, how can I narrow down what the issue is?

Thanks all,

wustl285

 

I would change back to the old PSU and if all works OK again you know it is the new PSU.
As your drive is not showing up I assume Windows can not detect it and hence no boot.
Unless you can lay your hand on a PSU Tester.

 

Doesn't startup with old psu either

I tried using the old PSU and the same boot disk failure happens.

I'm not sure I have my vista install disk still (it came with teh packaged pc, so it wasnt a true windows disk).

Is there anything I can do without the vista disk? Is there some way to create a boot disk?

 

The Disk does not spin up upon turning on the system. I have tried both the SATA cable that was currently in there running to the motherboard (which worked since purchase) I also tried replacing that cable, and replacing that cable and plugging the hard drive into a different SATA port on the motherboard. The disk did not spin up any of those times.

I have also tried switching the power cabel running to the psu.

One issue: What kind of power should I be feeding to the hard drive (huge indicator here that I dont know this - may well have caused the probelm to begin with). I have plugged it into a 12V3 and a 12V4 modular power inputs on my psu. BOth of which indicated they should be used to power SATA II/EIDE drives, which I presumed meant they were okay for my hard drive.

I have the WD 500 GB 16 MB Cache 7200 RPM drive, though I'm not at home so I can't give you the exact model right now.

I have downloaded all of the drive checker tools you forwarded me to from that site and will try them when I get home. I presume I can load them on a CD and use the CD as a boot CD into those driver checker tools?


Also, I've read that a way to get around this and get into windows and check my drive is to use my Vista boot disk. Problem, I bought this computer over a year and half ago and have misplaced my vista disk (I may find it yet, but can't find it now). I still have the Vista registration number posted on the side of my computer so it's not as though I pirated vista, its just that I bought from a manufacturer who didnt give me a big pretty windows vista box, so I'm having trouble finding it. Is there anything I can use to boot into windows without my vista operating system disk? My laptop is XP based, so I'm not sure I could create a boot disk using files from it.

I'm close to throwing in the towel and taking my rig to a computer shop and just paying them to deal with the headache. Thoughts? Recommendations for a repair shop?

Thanks for all the help.

 

Yep. The drive doesn't spin up at all. I think I did something during the course of installing the new power supply to **** it out. I sent the drive off to a data recovery team.

I'm going to buy a new hard drive. My one frustration as that because I have lost the vista disks, I don't know what I'll do for an operating system. I still have my registration key and cd key etc (all teh windows info) left on a sticker that come with my computer. Will microsoft send me another vista dvd if I can demonstrate to them that I am a lawful owner of a copy? (i.e. by telling them my product/registration number and name/info)?

Thanks all, been very helpful.

wustl285

 

That sounds like you are connecting both the old style Molex and the new style, low profile, SATA power connector at the same time. You should find that only one or the other be connected at the same time. Look up the installation instructions at the manufacturer's website (go to the Support webpage in Arie's links).

Matt

 

One thing I can tell you... If you did hook the SATA power and 4 pin molex up at the same time, chances are far better than average that you fried the drive. The manufacturer of the drive will even state that hooking them both up at the same time will damage the drive.

 

Na. My drive didn't even have a traditional 4 pin power input so I couldn't have plugged in both power types.

I got a new hard drive, 500gb Seagate 7200 Rpm 16mb cache. It's a SATA drive as well. Any advice for installing it since I seem to have fried my last hard drive (though how I did such I know not).

As far as I understand, there is the SATA cable which runs to the motherboard, and then the SATA power cable which runs to the power supply (and either 12V3 or 12V4 will work with that?)

I will read the instructions with my hard drive tonight before installing it.

Also, I've found this Windows vista recovery iso which Nero offers for free. Does anyone know if that will somehow work if I don't have the previous hard drive which had vista on it (I don't have it cause it's currently in the shop and most likely completely *******).

Thanks,
wustl285

 

Thanks for this, *extremely* helpful.

 

Okay, got the new hard drive in, functioning fine. Just waiting on my manufacturer to provide me with a replacement disk for Vista.

Thanks for all the help here guys.

wustl285

 

Hrmm...I'm impatient and thinking of using a boot cd of linux to get my comp up and running and download a clean version of vista that I can then use my product registration key on.

Any thoughts? Warnings?

 

They're available all over the place. It's a hideously gray area, though. You're not supposed to make illegal copies of the disk. The argument would be, it's there.. I'm downloading it.. I'm using *my* valid Vista key.. and I'm not distributing the software in any way.

It's uber tough. I don't know what to recommend, what the Law is down there, but I know it's definitely possible.

 

Yes, in America it would be copyright infringement and possibly a violation of the Digital Millenial Copyrights Act. There's a very famous case in American software IP history that held that any time you load a program onto a computer at all, even if you don't actually use it/sell it/distribute it, you are nevertheless infringing the copyright of that software if you don't have a license to do such. The reason? Running software means loading the program into you RAM, aka copying the code into your computer's RAM. The court held that such a copy was tangible enought to constitute copyright infringement.

So yes if I downloaded a disk from somewhere else I technically wouldn't have rights to that disk, but really who would come after me if I had the registration key? No one. If they did the damages would be non-existant and they'd have a PR boondoggle (Microsoft sues its own customer who lost his DVD...not a good headline).

But regardless, I have been a good little boy and paid $50 for my hardware manufacturer to send me a DVD of software which I already own ($25 for the replacement and $25 for overnight shipping).

Thanks for the help again guys.

wustl285

 

Okay, what the heck is going on!?

Okay I am pretty worried now:

I have installed a new hard drive, which detects in the BIOS as functioning. I got the OEM Vista Boot Disk from my manufacturer, when I put it in the DVD player the system still reads "Boot System Failure Insert disk'

The dvd drive keeps sounding like its initializing and spinning back up only to stop then restart doing this again. I thought that it meant the DVD drive had crapped out, so I put in a brand new DVD Writer and the same thing happens with the new dvd drive.

Is my system disk the wrong disk? (It's a Cyberpower Recovery DVD-Rom - Windows Vista Home Premium 64Bit)

Is my motherboard somehow not communicating correctly with dvd drives? (If it is this then both the SATA interface and the regular 24 pin interface both don't work, as one dvd was 24 pin (or however many that traditional cable is) and one dvd drive is SATA based.) How can this be if the motherboard boots to bios and detects both drives upon boot and the hard drive?

Is there something else I'm missing? My video card, ram, all other systems are go according to the bios. Do I need to reset my bios somehow? I've already reset to factory defaults. I've changed the boot order to go DVD rom first....I'm really running out of options here.

Please help guys. I've already spent a **** load of money trying to get my system back up and running, I really dont want to go drop 300 at geeksquad or someother ripoff place.

wustl285

 

We'll let you slide on the IDE pinouts - they are 40 pin connectors and you probably have 80 wire cabling.

As to the recovery disc - you won't get a free pass here. That Cyberpower Recovery DVD-Rom - Windows Vista Home Premium 64Bit isn't going to do you any good unless you want to play frisbee.

You are going to need to buy a new Vista Disc. You can try to beat the system all day long but contrary to some advice you've gotten, you're going to have to reach down in those deep pockets and pony up. And, trust me on this one - you're either going to pay now or you'll pay later but any way you cut it, you're going to have to pay the price.



edit - see below for considerably more detail and clarification - it ain't as bad as it sounds