windows X,P, won't start help!!!!!!1/25/10

[Foolish Old]

Could she boot from her install disk?

Her harddrive is not being found, so a system restore is no good to her. Resetting the bios will not heip either. So her only choice is to try what i said or replace harddrive...

[anthony]

Could she boot from her install disk?

want work but she could try...

[anthony]

I might have misunderstood what she is saying, sorry Foolish...

[Foolish Old]

Nothing to be sorry for - it's difficult to know what's going on when you are looking from a distance. The best way to find an idea that works is to have lots of ideas.

I might have misunderstood what she is saying, sorry Foolish...

[anthony]

Nothing to be sorry for - it's difficult to know what's going on when you are looking from a distance. The best way to find an idea that works is to have lots of ideas.

Thank you, I hope she get it working on the cheap...

[SCIfor55+yrs.]

I would first attempt to start in safemode. Nothing to lose. Shut the computer off. Turn it on after a half minute or so and as soon as anything shows on the screen, press the F8 key and see if a menu with boot options comes up.

Also, how old is the laptop?

[foxyladi14]

I would first attempt to start in safemode. Nothing to lose. Shut the computer off. Turn it on after a half minute or so and as soon as anything shows on the screen, press the F8 key and see if a menu with boot options comes up.

Also, how old is the laptop?

it,s about 5 years old from what i see in the BIOS.i got it from ebay
a month ago.

[SCIfor55+yrs.]

Have you tried booting in safe mode? If your computer does not get that far, given its age, my suspicion is that the hard drive has died. It is the most common component to fail because it is mechanical and the parts wear from friction, etc. The hard drive has failed in all but one of the 14 computers I have gone through since 1980s. However, if you can get it into safe mode, there is hope.

P.S. The life expectancy of computers is 5-6 years, so I hope you did not pay much.

[jody]

I get that err window sometimes too. I reboot, or reset by removing the battery and unplugging, put batt back, hit power button, and if it starts up then plug back in. sometimes I need to reset the router. never had to remove the hdd.

[jody]

all computers that I have purchased from ebay needed new hard drives. most did not last long before that needed to be done.