Windows ME

[ben331]

Just a few days ago, my windows ME (have 2 computers, that's how I'm here) started to have this problem. Totally out of the blue. It won't start up. It makes the "beep" sound, but then when it says "searching for boot record from..." floppy and cd rom drive, it says not found, then says

 

"boot failure

 

please insert boot diskette into A:

 

press any key when ready"

 

 

 

Can anyone help me? I'm no good with computers and neither is the rest of my family, so I don't know where else to turn. I can upload some pictures of what it goes through in a few days time if that would help.

[das1330]

it sounds like a hard drive failure, as the computer sounds like it completed POST but could not find the windows files for some reason or another. Try opening the computer case, and locating the hard drive (It should be the smaller, grey rectangle about the size of the floppy drive sitting on a rack just below the CD drive(s) and either above or below the floppy drive). Then turn the computer on, and try to figure out if the hard drive is making any noise at all. If it is, then it may still be the problem, but if its not making any noise at all, then its obviously the failed part. While your at it, check that the long, grey flat cable and four pin multicolored power cable are securily plugged in to their slot. Should the hard drive be the actual problem, it will need to be replaced. Your data will most likley be gone unless you have an extra 500$ for professonal data recovery, but replacing the hard drive is easy and it conly costs like 50$.