'DISK BOOT ERROR INSERT DISK AND PRESS ENTER' unless i boot with CD drive.

geowal19 · 14 Apr 2010 at 21:28

Got this old piece of **** of a comp and it will say above after posting if the CD drive with the windows install disk isn't in it. why? simple bios tweak?

millsy888 · 14 Apr 2010 at 21:29

Set to boot from HDD in the bios ?

d_brennen · 14 Apr 2010 at 21:30

Hdd set as first boot device (and even enabled)? Did the install go ok?

Liampope · 14 Apr 2010 at 22:21

As above make sure bios is set to boot from the HDD that [you think] has windows installed. If you're sure the bios is set correctly, then that HDD doesn't have windows installed (or the installation is corrupt).

fornowagain · 14 Apr 2010 at 22:36

XP?

Google 'fixboot' and 'fixmbr'

geowal19 · 15 Apr 2010 at 08:18

The installation went fine and is fine when the disk is in i don't press any keys to boot from cd and then a boot selector appears with:

Windows XP 32
First disk second partition
First disk third partition
First disk fourth partition
Second disk first partition
Second disk second partition
Second disk third partition
Second disk fourth partition

You can select either of them. I don't have a second disk in the and the one I have got isn't partitioned.

EDIT: Sorry I have tried the HDD boot.

UKDTweak · 15 Apr 2010 at 08:28

You get this PC second hand?

Sounds like it used to have other HDD's in it and the boot files are on it... as above, try Fixboot and FixMBR...
If you edit the Boot.ini to remove the other entries too, you wont get the boot menu...

Liampope · 15 Apr 2010 at 10:18

Looks like you've done a windows install over the top of an old installation. You should have done a clean install including fully formatting the HDD.

geowal19 · 15 Apr 2010 at 12:59

Fair enough thanks for the help i'll have a go at doing a full format.

I have never been able to find the boot.ini file on any comp what's the directory?

UKDTweak · 15 Apr 2010 at 13:48

It should be in the Root of the C: drive, but its a hidden file?

asoxedri · 15 Apr 2010 at 16:55

load into windows with cd, then go to Start highlight Computer, right click on it, go to Manage, then go to Disk Management. Now check that the disk you installed your windows in is "Active" if not then right click it and chose Make Partition Active.

Liampope · 15 Apr 2010 at 17:30

geowal19 said:
I have never been able to find the boot.ini file on any comp what's the directory?

As UKDTweak says - in the root directory. But to see it you not only have to click the box (in folder options) to show hidden files and folders, but also unclick the box that says hide protected operating system files.

Liampope · 15 Apr 2010 at 17:34

asoxedri said:
load into windows with cd, then go to Start highlight Computer, right click on it, go to Manage, then go to Disk Management. Now check that the disk you installed your windows in is "Active" if not then right click it and chose Make Partition Active.

Good call, possibly - but to have a boot menu like that, something, er... speshul is going on with that existing windows install

. If he's just acquired this old machine and is wanting to start afresh with it, I'd still reccommend a fresh install starting with deleting all existing drive partitions, creating a single new one, formatting and going on from there.