Member Avatar for TragicNancy

This morning my daughter was using her laptop (an HP Pavillion) when it just shut down. When we restarted it the screen is black and shows this:

Intel UNDI, PXE-2.0 (build 082)
Copyright (C) 1997-2000 Intel Corporation

For Realtek RTL8139(X)/8130/810X PCI Fast Ethenet COntroller v2.13 (020326)

CLIENT MAC ADDR: 00 C0 9F CD 5E CC GUID: 00DA9E90-ACC8-D911-939F-00C09FCD5ECCDHCP..._

Now...at the end of all this is a blinking underscore with a rotating slash over it....after a few moments it will continue on to say, where the underscore is...

PXE-E53: No bootfile name recieved
then it says
PXE-MOF : Exiting PXE ROM

then, once this is all done it will go black and begin again at the Intel UNDI part.

I can find my away around a computer as fas as USING it very well, but my knowledge of all of the technical aspects is very limited. With my desktop I know how to roll it back to a previous date when I have issues but I have no idea what to do in this case and on a laptop. I don't seem to know where to find the "rollback" on the laptop or even if that will work for my problem. I did investigate a bit with the Fkey commands it shows right when I turn it on but I don't recognize anything I see there. I also do not have a lot of experience with a lappy, so I don't even really know if the they are the same as my PC as far as command n such. Also, as dumb as this makes me feel, I don't even know if I can go into safe mode on a lappy, and I don't see it come up anywhere to tell me when or how to do so.

I hope I have explained myself well enough for someone to recognize this problem and offer some suggestions. Also, she got the laptop from her dad for Christmas and I found out afterward that it came from *gulp* a pawnshop. Until now it has worked excellently save for some of the normal hassles that come with computer usage.

Thanks!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by hughv

Dani AI

Generated

A quick, practical follow‑up based on ’s discovery and the earlier diagnosis from : the priority is to stop further electrical damage, then decide whether to try a DIY data-salvage or hand it to a pro. Milk is especially nasty for electronics — sugars, salts and proteins dry into a conductive, corrosive film that keeps causing shorts if the unit is powered.

Immediate actions (do these first)

  • Power down, unplug and remove the battery. Don’t boot it again until you’ve inspected and cleaned.
  • Remove the drive (or have a tech do it). Do not open the hard drive’s sealed enclosure — that destroys any chance of professional recovery.
  • Visually inspect connector pins, cable ends and the surrounding PCB for sticky residue, white crust or brown/green corrosion.

Cleaning and testing

  • Clean sticky deposits with high‑purity isopropyl alcohol (ideally 90%+). Use cotton swabs and a soft brush, be gentle, avoid rubbing off paint or small components. Let everything air dry completely (24–48 hours).
  • If comfortable, connect the removed drive to a working computer with a SATA/USB adapter or by installing it internally. If the drive is recognized, immediately copy critical files or make a full image before further use.
  • If the drive clicks, isn’t detected, or behaves oddly, stop — repeated attempts can worsen damage. That’s when professional data recovery is appropriate.

Next steps and cautions

  • If cleaning the bay and connectors fixes the problem, reinstall and test. If not, the motherboard or other components may be corroded; repair costs can exceed the laptop’s value.
  • If replacing the drive, consider a new 2.5" SATA SSD/HDD and restore from backups or perform a clean OS install.
  • When in doubt or if the data is important, prioritize a professional recovery service.

Photograph steps while disassembling and keep screws/parts labeled. This makes reassembly or a shop repair much easier.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for hughv

Your computer is trying to boot from a network, and not finding it.
You can try changing the boot order in the BIOS, but a typical cause is Hard Drive death.
The network boot is one of the boot options, and the BIOS may be searching all the alternatives due to HD failure.
Post the exact model and we may be of more help.

Member Avatar for TragicNancy

Thanl you for your response :) It is a HP Pavillion ze200 running windows xp home edition. Also, not sure if it matters but it was connected via ethernet cable to my dsl modem, along with the pc I am on now.

Member Avatar for hughv

This must be an old model as I didn't find it on the HP site.
I think BIOS access is F1 on boot. Check first for "boot order" "or boot sequence". This should be set to Hard drive or drive C.
If the boot order is correct, your Hard drive is not booting. Try booting to your XP CD and run the repair option.

(Skip the recovery console).
If the disk finds the HD, run the repair. If not, it's probably dead.

Member Avatar for TragicNancy

Well, I am quite positive that I have found the source of the problem. I decided to investigate what was what under the panels on the back, and lo and behold....when I opened the one housing the hard drive I found a sticky, semi-dry liquid I determined to be milk. I am not sure how much got in there, but apparently it was enough. There doesn't seem to be any traces of it under any of the other panels. I'm so sorry to have wasted your time, altho you did help me by leading me in the right direction and I thank you :)
Now I only hope it is salvagable. I get the feeling I'm going to be learning much more about laptops. lol

Thank You Again
:)

Member Avatar for TragicNancy

Oh and of course...proper action will be taken with my 12 yr old who broke the no eating while on the computer rule. LOL

Member Avatar for hughv

Since this substance is on the bottom, I would think the substance came from where she placed it (i.ie., in a previous spill). Just a little Sherlock Holmes thought. If this substance leaked through from the top, you have a much bigger problem.
Since you found the HD so easily, it should be easy to replace.

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