Interesting, delphine. When you start your machine quite early on in the loading of Windows a program called Ntldr is in control; one of its last functions is to read in kernel files and the SYSTEM reg hive to see which drivers should be loaded. Pressing F8 to choose Safe Mode at this point results in a different registry key being used to specify a reduced set of drivers.
Now it so happens that the error code you are receiving is caused by a missing or bad hardware driver which is related to your your hd or IDE controllers, or a PCI bus driver [commonly called the chipset drivers..]. What that means is that when the system tries to change up a gear in its mode of accessing the hd, it just cannot. So it reports that the boot device is missing...
You obviously have those drivers because you can operate in Normal mode okay?, it must be that the reg key for the list of Safe Mode drivers is incorrect. Ways around that: If the problem does not date back too far you may be able to pick up a restore point that will solve it. Or you could get an old copy of the SYSTEM hive from Windows\repair using the recovery console [tedious]. Or you could update the drivers in Device Manager - catch is, I am not certain if trying this last will rewrite the necessary safe mode reg key [I am sure it will, I just dunno... but I do know it won't hurt to try]
So... did restoring work?
If not... go to Device Manager [go Start, run, paste in
control sysdm.cpl,,2 -and Enter].
-in Device Manager expand IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, select your Primary IDE Controller, right click it and select Update Driver.
-you may choose to download a driver from Updates or take one from your hardware installation cd or floppy...
-restart... say how you get on.
gerbil
Industrious Poster
4,206 posts since May 2005
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wfa, you need to begin your own thread and not post in somebody else's thread. This thread is two years old and you won't receive assistance in anothers two year old thread. Begin you own, stating fully what problems you are having.
I don't know who told you to delete these or why but without full info we can't give help. Please follow the steps given in our Read Me Sticky
http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread134865.html
and create your own thread with all the requested logs and full info and we will be most happy to help you.
jholland1964
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5,785 posts since Jul 2008
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