Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all! We have been experiencing an issue on site where threads have been missing the latest postings. The platform host Vanilla are working on this issue. A workaround that has been used by some is to navigate back from 1 to 10+ pages to re-sync the thread and this will then show the latest posts. Thanks, Mike.
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Media Test Failure, Please check Cable.

  • 29-10-2010 6:26pm
    #1
    19543261
    Registered Users Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭


    Media Test Failure, Please check Cable.

    This only happens going to the boot screen. After the intel splash screen, everything goes black. No error. No windows splash screen. Just black. Computer stays running.

    The BIOS recognises the HDD, as do various boot CDs, w.7 installation disc detects past installation, as does xp disc. SO it's able to read the HDD, why would it say the media device isnt detected? I replaced the connections, blew on them, switched em around; nothing.

    If the HDD flat out didnt work, I wouldn't even be able to boot CD's. In the bios, at the boot sequence tab, it has floppy listed after dvddrive, then HDD second last. I don't have a floppy drive; never have. I can't change the boot sequence. I click enter, navigate with arrow keys, use select again to confirm, and the sequence does not change, no matter which device I highlighted.

    Any help is greatly appreciated.


Comments

  • #2
    cgarrad
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,611 ✭✭✭cgarrad


    Use f10 to save the new boot config


  • #3
    19543261
    Registered Users Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭19543261


    It's not that I cant save it, it just doesn't change in the first place.


  • #4
    cgarrad
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,611 ✭✭✭cgarrad


    use plus and minus to move them around or page up/down


  • #5
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 92,624 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    It means you don't have a network cable plugged in to the computer

    as to why they use a very confusing message, go figure


    Go into the BIOS and change boot order so that Network / NIC / PXE is not ahead of hard drive


  • #6
    19543261
    Registered Users Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭19543261


    I don't quite follow. Right now the order is: DVD, HDD, Ethernet, Floppy.

    Edit: What the hell is Zip Emulation? It has it at floppy. Should I change it to HDD, or...?


  • Advertisement
  • #7
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 92,624 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    it's not booting from the HDD

    what brand of PC (eg F12 gives boot menu on Dell )
    what OS in case boot sector or mbr needs to be fixed


  • #8
    19543261
    Registered Users Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭19543261


    Not a brand. I put it together myself. Intel cpu+mobo. F2 gives BIOS and 12 boot screen. XP SP3.


  • #9
    19543261
    Registered Users Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭19543261


    I'm now running live CD of Linux Mint. I ran a few tests, and the HDD is in perfect working order. I can even access and play/read files from XP folders within the Mint OS. Meaning it's hardly a mechanical failure of the disc. So I should be able to fix it by using Mint, right?

    Is there anything I can check for now? Like edit any boot files or such?


  • #10
    Snowbat
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,064 ✭✭✭Snowbat


    Have you tried fixmbr and fixboot?
    http://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/fix-mbr-xp-vista/


  • #11
    19543261
    Registered Users Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭19543261


    I have, thanks. I'm actually in the process of downloading an ISO of XP. The copys I have are edited versions, and there's no recovery console option. The problem is, I'm not so sure I have any blank discs laying around...

    Edit: I just wasted my last CD....For some reason the keyboard isn't responding, so I can't press R. The keyboard works on my w7 disc and some other boot discs. A bad burn, I guess. Urgh.


  • Advertisement
  • #12
    19543261
    Registered Users Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭19543261


    When I attempt to fix the MBR, I get a warning.
    **CAUTION **
    This computer appears to have a non-standard or an invalid master boot record....

    It goes on to advise against continuing because doing so may render all the partitions on the hardrive inaccessible. I tried a number of other things like bootfix, it said it was "successful", but no luck on restart.


  • #13
    19543261
    Registered Users Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭19543261


    Okay I ran fixmbr and still no progress. I'm siting here looking at c:/windows right now. I can access all the media on it and everything. This is so frustrating.

    Edit: Solved.


  • #14
    Snowbat
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,064 ✭✭✭Snowbat


    There's also fixboot (fixmbr writes a new Master Boot Record, fixboot writes a new Volume Boot Record).
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recovery_console

    Does Linux Mint have the same Disk Utility as Ubuntu? It would be worth checking there for SMART errors.
    http://karuppuswamy.com/wordpress/2010/05/19/how-to-predict-hard-disk-failure-in-ubuntu-with-3-clicks/


  • #15
    19543261
    Registered Users Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭19543261


    I also attempted fixboot beforehand, but with no results.

    Mint has something very similar, if it's not the very same thing, called Gparted. It was the first thing I ran on Mint. Said the drive was healthy.

    Anyway, everything's back up and running again. Things are pretty messy though. Its still detetecting an old w7 boot screen for some reason, and there's all the crap and bloat installed again that I had escaped. I'm probably going to do a fresh install at some point after all (Maybe run on just Mint for a while....? Who knows!)

    Thank you cgarrad, Capt'n Midnight and Snowbat. I very much appreciate the help. Take care.


Advertisement