Troubleshoot Non-system Disk or Disk Error messages When you get a Non-system disk error, it generally means the computer BIOS cannot find a bootable operating system. The following possibilities are the primary causes: - Cannot boot from on any storage devices (floppy disk drive or CD-ROM drive).
- Remove any floppy diskettes or CDs that are in the computer. Your computer may be attempting to boot from that device before booting from the hard drive.
- Verify that your hard disk drive is setup and recognized in BIOS.
- Generally, on the main BIOS setup page your computer should list a hard disk drive. If it does not, then either the hard drive is bad or not installed properly.
- Verify the boot path is correct in the system setup procedures.
- Most computers have the boot path set the following way:
- Floppy Drive
- CD-ROM Drive
- Hard Disk Drive
- You can enter the setup procedure on most PCs by pressing either the F1 Key, F2 key, F10 Key, or Del Key right after you hit the power-on button. If none of these work, check the documentation that came with your PC.
- Try resetting the BIOS to default values if none of the above works.
- This is done in the computers setup procedure also. See previous step for accessing setup procedure.
- The hard disk does not have bootable operating system on it.
- If you have a Emergency Recovery Disk, you can try to boot from that and perform a Repair installation of Microsoft Windows XP.
- You can use the computer manufacturer’s restore CD and attempt to reinstall the operating system. This method will most likely erase all your data on the hard disk, so it should only be the last option to try.
- Verify all cables, jumpers, and connections are firmly and properly connected.
|