Resolved error loading operating system

I read some posts that related to my problem but the answers did not fit my circumstance. My PC shut off fine but when I went to turn it on today, it runs through the normal screens until after "boot from cd" the error msg comes up
"error loading operating system ". I tried to us my Windows XP cd and do a recovery but all it does is bring up a C:/ and a list of chkdsk, fixboot, etc. I thought the recovery would actually do a recovery. I don't want to reload Windows XP nor do I want to lose any data at this time. I hope I can find some help here as to what to do. I suspect maybe a bad hard drive but I am not certain of that either.

 

Hi joe645, Have you looked in here:http://support.microsoft.com/search/default.aspx?query=Error loading OS Windows XP&catalog=LCID=1033

When the message appears, is this on a Black screen?
Can you get into Safe Mode? Neil.

 

Hi Joe,

Please enter your System Details. It helps us in answering your questions!

Sounds like your HD has failed. Check to see if it's properly reconised in the BIOS.

If it is download the relevant manufacturers diagnostics and test the dirve. If the BIOS doesn't see your drive you could check the cables in the case to see if any have came loose.

Manufacturer's disk diagnostics:

ExcelStore

Fujitsu

Hitachi/IBM

Samsung

Seagate, Maxtor, Quantum

Toshiba

Western Digital

 

Wildfire; I have found that the bios is not detecting my HD, checked cables all seem fine. Noticed that ACPI controller on startup page did not have any values attached to it. Don't know if that means anything at all. Guess I'm off to the shop. Hopefully can pull data off.

 

Doubt it (you'll probably need to pull data from your backups), but fingers crossed it's a cable that's failed not the drive.

Try swapping to another power connector first (perhaps one of the rails on your PSU is faulty). Seriously though, as asked earlier please complete your system specifications so I know what I'm working with.

 

Confirmed the HD is bad. Won't even spin. My system is a PC Windows Xp Pro, Award Bios 6.0, Intel Pent. 4 2.40, with 3gb memory. The HD was a IDE Western Digital was only 30 months old. I have backup on second HD but will have to load OS to get back up. Have second CPU with similar programs but I definitely have lost some recent data. Just have to learn to Backup on a weekly basis.
Thanks for your help.

 

No problem, sorry it wasn't good news

Please mark your thread as 'Resolved'.

 

If it's something you 'gotta have', you might try Ontrack.