Member Avatar for rita0528

I was trying to reboot my laptop because it has alot of popups and junk on it but it was working.
I put in the 1st boot cd and all was fine. When I put in the second cd it read 1/2 of it, then said application error, cannot read cd. I repeated this 5 times. Then I paid Toshiba $50 for replacement cd's. Same thing is happening. My expensive 2 year old laptop is garbage. Can anyone help?
Toshiba said a new hard drive is $275. This is ridiculous. There was nothing wrong with my hard drive. Any suggestions I would appreciate.
Remember, the first cd erased everything on my harddrive so I can only open the laptop up to boot it up.
Thanks
Rita

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This thread shows the classic ambiguity when a recovery run fails: the installer reports unreadable files, but that can come from the recovery media, the laptop’s optical drive, or the hard disk. Rather than accepting an expensive quoted replacement, follow a short, ordered diagnosis to find the real fault. ’s intermittent progress and ’s USB workaround are useful clues—they point toward an intermittent read problem, not necessarily a dead hard drive.

Start with the easiest, cheapest checks:

  • Try other known-good discs (audio or commercial) and a CD-cleaning kit to see whether the drive reads any disc reliably.
  • If tilting or gentle pressure helps the drive read, that strongly suggests a failing optical mechanism.
  • Borrow or use a cheap external USB CD/DVD drive; if the install runs from that, the internal drive is the culprit.

If the optical hardware looks suspect, don’t buy a new hard drive yet. If you can boot to any recovery/repair environment (or a Linux live USB), run a SMART check and a filesystem scan to confirm the hard disk’s health before replacing it. Example commands you can run from a Linux live session or Windows recovery console:

# Linux (smartmontools)
smartctl -a /dev/sda

# Windows recovery or from Windows
chkdsk C: /R

Practical workarounds: create a bootable USB installer (or use an external USB optical drive) and install directly from USB; connect the laptop’s drive to another PC with a USB-to-IDE/SATA adapter to image or back up data before doing more invasive work. Replacing the internal optical drive is usually far cheaper than an OEM hard‑drive replacement; if the HDD does show errors, consider a modern SSD as an inexpensive, high-impact upgrade. Always back up recoverable data first and confirm the failing component with the tests above.

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All 6 Replies

Member Avatar for chrisbliss18

I don't think you mean reboot. Rebooting is when you shut the machine down and start it back up.

It would make sense if you were talking about reinstalling your system's operating system and software using the system restore CDs that came with your system. Is this what you are trying to do?

What is the model number of your laptop?

Was your computer running Windows XP? If not, which operating system was it running?

Please answer each of the questions.

Member Avatar for rita0528

I don't think you mean reboot. Rebooting is when you shut the machine down and start it back up.

It would make sense if you were talking about reinstalling your system's operating system and software using the system restore CDs that came with your system. Is this what you are trying to do?

What is the model number of your laptop?

Was your computer running Windows XP? If not, which operating system was it running?

Please answer each of the questions.

It is a Toshiba 5105-S501
You are correcti. I was using the 3 cd's that came with the system to restore it back to the original state because of had alot of junk popping up.
I was running windows xp.
Can you help?
Thanks
Rita

Member Avatar for bearlymakinit

I just did the same thing to my Son's laptop. But I made it to disc 3 before I got the error. Did you get you computer to work? If so how did you do it. I have model 2435 - S255 with windows xp. I hate to pay the $50.00 to get the disc and then it do the same thing.

Debbie

Member Avatar for rita0528

Hi, I paid them the $50, and got the replacement cds. When I put them in, the exact thing happened when I reached the middle of the 2nd disc. Toshiba told me I probably need a new hard drive. and its a 3 year old laptop and the hard drive would cost $250. So, I gave up. Then the next day I tried again 5 more times. And one time, it just went past that point and told me to insert the third disc and I did. And now I have the system working to some degree. I put my linksys software, so I could get the internet working and somehow it went in. But when I put other software it won't read it. And then I put a Dell imaging software program in that I have. And the ones that went in, it took a few hours, and I kept tilting the laptop so maybe it will read it in a different position. The trouble is that I cannot put anymore software in now, it won't read it. One guy told me, it may be the software. Maybe it needs something, the cdrw, some different drivers or something. I don't know. but it works a little. I cannot even put the software from my printer on. it won't go on. So I think it probably is the cdrw. And that costs $300 to replace and I do not think its worth it.
Anyway if you have any info that may help me,
But if you need any part and your laptop is over a year or two old, its hardly worth it to spend anything on it. Let me know what happens with yours. Mine is a Satelite 5105-S501, Nice chatting. Rita

Member Avatar for maverick 2

I was trying to reboot my laptop because it has alot of popups and junk on it but it was working.
I put in the 1st boot cd and all was fine. When I put in the second cd it read 1/2 of it, then said application error, cannot read cd. I repeated this 5 times. Then I paid Toshiba $50 for replacement cd's. Same thing is happening. My expensive 2 year old laptop is garbage. Can anyone help?
Toshiba said a new hard drive is $275. This is ridiculous. There was nothing wrong with my hard drive. Any suggestions I would appreciate.
Remember, the first cd erased everything on my harddrive so I can only open the laptop up to boot it up.
Thanks
Rita

Bob

Error 437 & “no operating system” on the Toshiba satellite
Once you get this message there is no way out of DOS any program that tells you it can cure this problem is trying to do it from windows.I put every Dos start up disk I have all the way back to DOS 6 & all I got was “wrong Dos version”
I have fdisked & made the primary dos partition active & formated the HD "Format c:\s" to tranfer the system files, & loaded the toshiba recovery disk wich recovered the hd untill
"error message 437 cannot read from file"
& it would go no further, must click OK ,it returns to booting from the recovery disk in the cd & the screen reads

starting win 98
Drive q:=driver toscd001 unit O & starts the recovery process again.
I cancel the recovery,& the comp goes into

A:Prompt
a:/DIR
command com
autoexec bat
GETQ bat
bin
config sys

C: Prompt
C:\dir
command com

Q: Prompt
Q:dir
drive Q: has all the autorun & install files wich will not run in DOS,
only in Windows.

I discovered that a flash drive is recognized as drive “D:” so
I bought a 2 gig flash drive put it my desktop with a copy of win 98 in the cd rom drive of my desktop dragged & dropped the win 98 disk to the flash drive, it didn’t copy it all but I was hoping that it copied enough “ format’ was copied so I thought I’d try it, I put the flash drive in my Toshiba Satellite, Booted to the recovery disk C: prompt & C:\copy d:\,I don’t know weather I copied the command com or the auto exec bak, but did copy the rest, then I tried to Fdisk, Format & fixmbr it would not do any of it. I rebooted the laptop & left the flesh drive in, it rebooted to the recovery disk, the flash drive blinked a few time & I thought maybe it would boot to the flash drive, I got the format drive c: notice from the recovery disk so I started all over, it went into recover mode & recovered the drive. I don’t know how it worked but the trick is in there someplace take it for what it’s worth, it worked for,& I hope it works for you.
Good Luck
Bob
let me know if it works for you

Member Avatar for maverick 2

I just did the same thing to my Son's laptop. But I made it to disc 3 before I got the error. Did you get you computer to work? If so how did you do it. I have model 2435 - S255 with windows xp. I hate to pay the $50.00 to get the disc and then it do the same thing.

Debbie

Bob

Error 437 & “no operating system” on the Toshiba satellite
Once you get this message there is no way out of DOS any program that tells you it can cure this problem is trying to do it from windows.I put every Dos start up disk I have all the way back to DOS 6 & all I got was “wrong Dos version”
I have fdisked & made the primary dos partition active & formated the HD "Format c:\s" to tranfer the system files, & loaded the toshiba recovery disk wich recovered the hd untill
"error message 437 cannot read from file"
& it would go no further, must click OK ,it returns to booting from the recovery disk in the cd & the screen reads

starting win 98
Drive q:=driver toscd001 unit O & starts the recovery process again.
I cancel the recovery,& the comp goes into

A:Prompt
a:/DIR
command com
autoexec bat
GETQ bat
bin
config sys

C: Prompt
C:\dir
command com

Q: Prompt
Q:dir
drive Q: has all the autorun & install files wich will not run in DOS,
only in Windows.

I discovered that a flash drive is recognized as drive “D:” so
I bought a 2 gig flash drive put it my desktop with a copy of win 98 in the cd rom drive of my desktop dragged & dropped the win 98 disk to the flash drive, it didn’t copy it all but I was hoping that it copied enough “ format’ was copied so I thought I’d try it, I put the flash drive in my Toshiba Satellite, Booted to the recovery disk C: prompt & C:\copy d:\,I don’t know weather I copied the command com or the auto exec bak, but did copy the rest, then I tried to Fdisk, Format & fixmbr it would not do any of it. I rebooted the laptop & left the flesh drive in, it rebooted to the recovery disk, the flash drive blinked a few time & I thought maybe it would boot to the flash drive, I got the format drive c: notice from the recovery disk so I started all over, it went into recover mode & recovered the drive. I don’t know how it worked but the trick is in there someplace take it for what it’s worth, it worked for,& I hope it works for you, Good Luck
Bob

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