Strange Booting Issue

pennywise · 26 Feb 2009 at 23:25

Ho,

I've got a 2.5" Samsung HM121HI 120gb hard drive. It is completely brand new, but when I go to install an OS on it it displays the error "Disk Boot Failure Please Insert System Disk". I lingered on this for a while, then decided to try it in another PC - same problem. I added it on as a secondary drive to my Vista install, went into disk management, formatted it, assigned it a drive letter, and it works fine. I can read/write to/from it no problem, but when I try to boot from it I keep getting this error. I made sure the newest drivers were installed also, just in case, and I'm pretty much out of ideas at the minute.

Anyone got any suggestions or ideas at all? All help appreciated

ChrisLX200 · 26 Feb 2009 at 23:47

That error means the computer was trying to boot from a disk without an operating system, you need to make sure the boot priority is set to what you thought it was... (i.e., with the OS Install Disk inserted it's trying to boot from the CD and not the HD).

pennywise · 27 Feb 2009 at 08:38

Thanks for the reply.

I'm pretty sure the boot priority was set to DVD on my other PC (where the HDD was originally installed). I managed to install Ubuntu via Wubi on it last night through my main PC; when it dual boots both Vista and Ubuntu show up fine, and if I select Ubuntu it works no problem, but if I disconnect my Vista drive and just keep this problematic drive running then try to boot from it, I get the same error :S
I'll fire it into my other PC tonight and check the boot priority just to make sure everything is sweet... and if not I'm stuck for ideas again

ChrisLX200 · 27 Feb 2009 at 10:45

I've noticed that when you connect a new drive strange things can happen to boot priority unless the new [boot] drive is on the first SATA port, then it appears to choose that by default and it stays there. This was with an ASUS A8V board.

IAmATeaf · 27 Feb 2009 at 11:23

You may also need to hit a key when prompted to confirm booting of the DVD even though the boot order is set to DVD first.

Janesy B · 27 Feb 2009 at 22:22

You need to boot from the cd/dvd first! Check the boot config in the bios and make sure the optical drive is set as 1st

pennywise · 28 Feb 2009 at 09:18

Janesy B said:
You need to boot from the cd/dvd first! Check the boot config in the bios and make sure the optical drive is set as 1st

Of course

The boot priority is set to DVD/CD-ROM on both computers, yet the error still appears. I didn't get a chance to check everything again last night, but I'm 99% sure that the boot priority isn't causing the issue. Anyone got any other ideas about what the problem could be? I don't want to go through the hassle of trying to get another replacement drive if that's what it comes to