Post by juju on Feb 17, 2006 17:56:46 GMT -5
I get many computer tips e-mail newsletters, so I will be posting some of them as I get them. This one is from Smart Computing.
Normally, hard drives and optical drives (such as CD or DVD drives) identify themselves to your system’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) automatically, and you’ll see them listed in the hardware summary just before the OS tries to load. There must be an entry for the first master drive (the C: drive) because this is where the OS is assumed to be. If the entry is “None” or “Not Installed,” the BIOS isn’t seeing the drive, and it simply won’t work. A missing drive reference may indicate that the drive has failed or that the signal or power cables have come loose. Fortunately, it’s a simple matter for you to power down and unplug the PC, remove the outer cover, and check both ends of the cables attached to your hard drive. If the problem persists, the drive may be defective. When the PC tries to load an operating system from unbootable media, you’ll see a “Non-system disk or disk error” message. If the drive ID appears in the hardware summary but a nonsystem error appears, the drive itself may be working, but its boot information may have been damaged by age, a power anomaly, or a virus. Always check for the presence of other disks in the system. For example, an unbootable floppy diskette will cause a nonsystem error until you remove it. Otherwise, it’s worth trying to recover the hard drive first. If you cannot restore the drive, it should be replaced.
Normally, hard drives and optical drives (such as CD or DVD drives) identify themselves to your system’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) automatically, and you’ll see them listed in the hardware summary just before the OS tries to load. There must be an entry for the first master drive (the C: drive) because this is where the OS is assumed to be. If the entry is “None” or “Not Installed,” the BIOS isn’t seeing the drive, and it simply won’t work. A missing drive reference may indicate that the drive has failed or that the signal or power cables have come loose. Fortunately, it’s a simple matter for you to power down and unplug the PC, remove the outer cover, and check both ends of the cables attached to your hard drive. If the problem persists, the drive may be defective. When the PC tries to load an operating system from unbootable media, you’ll see a “Non-system disk or disk error” message. If the drive ID appears in the hardware summary but a nonsystem error appears, the drive itself may be working, but its boot information may have been damaged by age, a power anomaly, or a virus. Always check for the presence of other disks in the system. For example, an unbootable floppy diskette will cause a nonsystem error until you remove it. Otherwise, it’s worth trying to recover the hard drive first. If you cannot restore the drive, it should be replaced.