Desktop Booting Issues

[kobasew19]

Hey guys,

Since CP is a wealth of knowledge, I was hoping maybe one of you fine individuals could help me out with my desktop.

So when I turn my comp on, here is the message I get:



After Pressing F1, I get the "Reboot and Select Proper Boot Device or Insert Boot Media in Selected Boot device and press a key"

I try to boot up the windows 7 installation disc but it just prompts me to install windows 7 again, even though I already have it installed.

Here are the bios device priority bios report:





I'm pretty fed up with this and i'm not sure what to do, I cleaned the inside of the desktop with a compressed air duster and made sure the HD, DVD/CD drive, motherboard, vid card and everything else are all connected. I'm stuck on what I need to do...

Please help! Thanks in advance guys!

[Hack&Lube]

Unplug all devices (CD, floppy, etc.) except your primary harddrive. Set the primary harddrive to be the 1st boot device so it doesn't mistakenly try to boot from an optical drive (barring a major bios problem, would only happen in this case if your cables and jumpers were seriously messed up on old IDE devices). Inside your bios, try to auto-detect the ST3500630630AS drive. It may be configured wrong. You need to go into the configuration for that drive to show us anything that might be useful.

I had issues with a netbook before where the system refused to boot from the primary harddrive or even refused to boot from USB drives and would constantly keep going to the CD-ROM despite the boot order I set. I had to do a bios flash to correct the problem.

[kobasew19]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Unplug all devices (CD, floppy, etc.) except your primary harddrive. Set the primary harddrive to be the 1st boot device so it doesn't mistakenly try to boot from an optical drive (barring a major bios problem, would only happen in this case if your cables and jumpers were seriously messed up on old IDE devices). Inside your bios, try to auto-detect the ST3500630630AS drive. It may be configured wrong. You need to go into the configuration for that drive to show us anything that might be useful.

I had issues with a netbook before where the system refused to boot from the primary harddrive or even refused to boot from USB drives and would constantly keep going to the CD-ROM despite the boot order I set. I had to do a bios flash to correct the problem.

Thanks for your help. I unplugged everything and changed the HD to primary device but the same message still appears:



Here are some other pics of what might help with this:









Thanks again H&L.

[gartman]

run your windows 7 cd and repair your mbr

it sounds like your boot record is f****

[MickMcGeough]

Did this just magically start happening or were you doing something before? Did you update any firmware? Change a partition size? Change hardware? Do you dual-boot? Any reason your MBR might have been messed with?

The Windows 7 CD should have a "Repair Windows Option". You can also make a Windows 7 Repair Disc right from Windows 7. This will provide tools to restore your MBR, etc.

In your BIOS, why is your SATA configured as IDE?

Try switching SATA cables and SATA ports on your motherboard.

All else fails, dig into your mobo manual and figure out how to reset your CMOS. Normally you move a jumper or remove the battery for a minute or two.

[Frank MetaMusil]

Do you have an option in the BIOS called "Load optimum default settings?"

[gartman]

from what i can see one of 2 things, drive is bunk or your boot record is fubared

[kobasew19]

Originally Posted by gartman

run your windows 7 cd and repair your mbr

it sounds like your boot record is f****

I've tried the repair option but i get the same problem over and over. It just keeps rebooting and brings me to back to the "installation and repair menu".

[kobasew19]

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

Did this just magically start happening or were you doing something before? Did you update any firmware? Change a partition size? Change hardware? Do you dual-boot? Any reason your MBR might have been messed with?

It started happening a while back and I would just do a hard reset on my comp (turn off the power and on again) and sometimes it would finally goto my windows 7 menu. But now, it's not even doing that. I didn't change anything. And nope, i don't dual-boot.

The Windows 7 CD should have a "Repair Windows Option". You can also make a Windows 7 Repair Disc right from Windows 7. This will provide tools to restore your MBR, etc.

In your BIOS, why is your SATA configured as IDE?

Try switching SATA cables and SATA ports on your motherboard.

All else fails, dig into your mobo manual and figure out how to reset your CMOS. Normally you move a jumper or remove the battery for a minute or two.

Not sure about hte Sata configured as IDE..should it be something else?

I will try switching the cables...

[kobasew19]

Originally Posted by Frank MetaMusil

Do you have an option in the BIOS called "Load optimum default settings?"

Nope, not that I know of..

[kobasew19]

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

Try switching SATA cables and SATA ports on your motherboard.

All else fails, dig into your mobo manual and figure out how to reset your CMOS. Normally you move a jumper or remove the battery for a minute or two.

Switching the cables didn't help.

I will try to reset the CMOS...for the record, my MoBo is Asus P5Q PRO.

[kobasew19]

Originally Posted by kobasew19

Switching the cables didn't help.

I will try to reset the CMOS...for the record, my MoBo is Asus P5Q PRO.

Wow, this is getting very frustrating. Resetting the CMOS didn't do anything either

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by kobasew19

Switching the cables didn't help.

I will try to reset the CMOS...for the record, my MoBo is Asus P5Q PRO.

Switch SATA ports on the mobo, also.

You're doing a process of elimination here. Off the top of my head it could be (in approximate order of likelihood):

1. Master Boot Record (Windows 7 Repair Disc)
2. Buggered BIOS Settings (Reset CMOS)
3. Bad SATA Port on motherboard (Switch port)
4. Bad/Unseated SATA cable (switch cable)
5. Bad HDD controller (switch HD)
6. Bad SATA controller on motherboard (unlikely since you can boot from SATA DVD)

[Hack&Lube]

I'm going to guess that his system crashed or some malware or some other problem caused harddisk corruption and that it is not a hardware issue at this point.

1. Put the Windows Vista or Windows 7 installation disc in the disc drive, and then start the computer.
2. Press a key when you are prompted.
3. Select a language, a time, a currency, a keyboard or an input method, and then click Next.
4. Click Repair your computer.
5. Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
6. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Command Prompt.
7. First check for errors on the disk. Type: "chkdsk /r" without the quotes
8. After the disk check is completed, type "bootsect /nt60 ALL" without the quotes and then press ENTER.

More command line options:
Note If rebuilding the BCD does not resolve the startup issue, you can export and delete the BCD, and then run this option again. By doing this, you make sure that the BCD is completely rebuilt. To do this, type the following commands at the Windows RE command prompt:
bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
c:
cd boot
attrib bcd -s -h -r
ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
bootrec /RebuildBcd

More options to add in after typing in bootrec
/FixMbr
The /FixMbr option writes a Windows 7 or Windows Vista-compatible MBR to the system partition. This option does not overwrite the existing partition table. Use this option when you must resolve MBR corruption issues, or when you have to remove non-standard code from the MBR.

/FixBoot
The /FixBoot option writes a new boot sector to the system partition by using a boot sector that is compatible with Windows Vista or Windows 7. Use this option if one of the following conditions is true:
The boot sector has been replaced with a non-standard Windows Vista or Windows 7 boot sector.
The boot sector is damaged.
An earlier Windows operating system has been installed after Windows Vista or Windows 7 was installed. In this scenario, the computer starts by using Windows NT Loader (NTLDR) instead of Windows Boot Manager (Bootmgr.exe).

/ScanOs
The /ScanOs option scans all disks for installations that are compatible with Windows Vista or Windows 7. Additionally, this option displays the entries that are currently not in the BCD store. Use this option when there are Windows Vista or Windows 7 installations that the Boot Manager menu does not list.

/RebuildBcd
The /RebuildBcd option scans all disks for installations that are compatible with Windows Vista or Windows 7. Additionally, this option lets you select the installations that you want to add to the BCD store. Use this option when you must completely rebuild the BCD.

more info
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392

[MickMcGeough]

^ this

[gartman]

Originally Posted by kobasew19

I've tried the repair option but i get the same problem over and over. It just keeps rebooting and brings me to back to the "installation and repair menu".

yeh the automated repair wont fix a mbr

there should be an option for command prompt

google fix mbr windows 7 most sites will have step by step visual guide

[ricosuave]

I think that if you go back into the bios, there should be a setting where it states the ide or sata boot priority, and if the hard drives in the system are in the wrong order, you will get that too. IIRC it should be in the second to last column.

the first boot setting (in your first post) should be what device it boots from ---> hard drive

the setting im thinking of should be what hard drive it then boots from ---> hard drive #1
__________________________________________________ _________---> hard drive #2

and to me, it should like it is reversed to what it should be - that it is trying to boot from #2 when it should be #1

or, if it was an IDE drive, and the setting was changed to sata (and thus not finding a ide hard drive since it was looking for sata) or vice versa

[kobasew19]

Thanks for everyones' help! I finally got it working by resetting the CMOS and then installing a fresh version of Windows7! WOOT! Thanks again all! I didn't need to go through H&L's steps but realized that my O/S was somehow deleted in this process, so i figured i would install a new copy and see what happens, and bam, everything is good to go.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by kobasew19

Thanks for everyones' help! I finally got it working by resetting the CMOS and then installing a fresh version of Windows7! WOOT! Thanks again all! I didn't need to go through H&L's steps but realized that my O/S was somehow deleted in this process, so i figured i would install a new copy and see what happens, and bam, everything is good to go.

Your OS wasn't deleted, just the files the computer needs to recognize that the OS is actually there and the instructions to boot it up (the master boot record) were corrupted. The computer "couldn't see" Windows actually being there.

That's what the steps I posted address if you can't deal with doing a fresh install and losing your data.

Of course a fresh install will overwrite everything and create a new MBR in the process.

[kobasew19]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Your OS wasn't deleted, just the files the computer needs to recognize that the OS is actually there and the instructions to boot it up (the master boot record) were corrupted. The computer "couldn't see" Windows actually being there.

That's what the steps I posted address if you can't deal with doing a fresh install and losing your data.

Of course a fresh install will overwrite everything and create a new MBR in the process.

That's strange because before, I was getting the boot error message even after a fresh install of Windows 7. I think resetting the CMOS helped. Not sure though, just glad I don't have a big piece of paper weight on my hands.