Have tried every step mentioned and still not working HELP PLEASE

[neilmercy]

Okay...here it goes...
Mistake #1...I bought a used computer off of ebay for my daughter for Christmas

Anyway, this is a micron.pc it was running slow, but did everything it should do!! then it quit working. I got on this forum and did the FDisk thing. I even have a disk for Windows XP and went into the BIOS to change where the boot comes from. One posting asked if there was a floppy disk inserted when trying to load the CD-so I tried that too! Nothing seems to be working, it just keeps saying Operating System not found. The CD will run for about two seconds and then nothing but Operating System not found. I know the CD player is good, because we used it.

Please help me, I feel like the worst mom in the world!!!

[hughv]

My mom is the worst!
Just kidding. Let's do this slowly and a little at a time.
Verify that you have changed the boot order in the BIOS. This should be CD ROM first, of course. You may have to watch for a screen that says, "Press any key to Boot from CD."

Verify that this is an XP install disk.

[neilmercy]

Thank you for trying to help!!!!
This is a micron.pc and says TransPort Trek2 on it.
When i start it up it just says operating system not found.

I have to hit cntrl alt delete to get it to the micron.pc screen then hit cntrl esc to get to the Boot Menu. Then I have options: Removable Devices, ATAPI DVD-ROM Drive, Hard Drive, and enter setup. I have tried to switch the order of these, and nothing seems to help.

If I hit enter setup, then it sends me to PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility. Then I have headers that say main, advanced, security, power, boot, and exit.

I BELIEVE that I have an XP install disk...but I copied it following directions from the internet from another posting that I read

This computer when we got it was windows xp. My main computer is windows xp, but it is an emachines computer and windows xp was on the start up system disk, so that wont work either (I tried). I also have HP Recovery disks that won't work....

Any ideas? Besides shooting it? LOL

[hughv]

"When i start it up it just says operating system not found."
This almost always means your hard drive has died. It's possible there's some other cause, like a loose or damaged cable or something, but hard drive death is no.1.
"I BELIEVE that I have an XP install disk."
It sounds as though you don't have the right disk. If the boot order is correct, the computer would boot from the CD, which isn't happening. It wouldn't help much anyway, until the hard drive problem is solved.
Is the hard drive detected in the BIOS, or at boot?
We need to solve the HD problem, so let me know what you want to do.

[gerbil]

Hughv has it right. If you change the order in the Boot Menu [on my machine I reach that via F11 at startup] to CDROM [or DVDROM] then naturally the puter will try to boot from your cd. If the cd is actually not bootable then BIOS will next try to boot from the hd. Nothing in what you have said implies that the hd is bad.... just that it has no OS on it that can be detected - there are no boot files on it that can be loaded [it still may be bad].
Try to boot from the CD in another machine [and then abort Setup if it does actually run..]. If it does not boot then the cd is missing special cd boot files. Boot files or loaders on a cd are NOT the same as the boot files on a hd.
Easiest way out of this is to get a friend to burn you a copy of their XP SP2 cd...

[HoustonIT]

Most likely not a bootable CD, and the HD is either a:)bad, or b:)has a bad boot sector. Have you tried fdisk /mbr to repair the master boot record? What all did you do with fdisk, and what was the initial prompt to drive you to use fdisk?

[bobbyraw]

Thank you for trying to help!!!!
This is a micron.pc and says TransPort Trek2 on it.
When i start it up it just says operating system not found.

I have to hit cntrl alt delete to get it to the micron.pc screen then hit cntrl esc to get to the Boot Menu. Then I have options: Removable Devices, ATAPI DVD-ROM Drive, Hard Drive, and enter setup. I have tried to switch the order of these, and nothing seems to help.

If I hit enter setup, then it sends me to PhoenixBIOS Setup Utility. Then I have headers that say main, advanced, security, power, boot, and exit.

I BELIEVE that I have an XP install disk...but I copied it following directions from the internet from another posting that I read

This computer when we got it was windows xp. My main computer is windows xp, but it is an emachines computer and windows xp was on the start up system disk, so that wont work either (I tried). I also have HP Recovery disks that won't work....

Any ideas? Besides shooting it? LOL

base on the above text in red IS the CD BOOTABLE. just copying files to a CD does not make it bootable. If this was an ISO,IMG or NRG file it would ahve to be preloaded with boot files. HERE is the kicker if you just copy the file to the CD (EVEN it's a bootable file) the cd will not be bootable.you have to burn the image onto the cd with an ISO compatable ( NEro, Roxio, ISO Buster, Ultra ISO, WinISO) program

now back to where the computer was already working what happend to cause it to stop booting up.
1 did you change anything in the bios - then it stop booting
2 did you install anything on the pc, restart and now it will not boot.
3 did it stop booting AFTER running FDISK?

[humbll]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116056

Get the item i linked to above from newegg and your problems should be solved.

[hughv]

You're trying to find out what time it is, and these guys are telling you how to build a watch.
We need to take small steps and one at a time.
You almost certainly have a bad hard drive, so either take it to a shop, or let me know what you want to do.

[humbll]

You're trying to find out what time it is, and these guys are telling you how to build a watch.
We need to take small steps and one at a time.
You almost certainly have a bad hard drive, so either take it to a shop, or let me know what you want to do.

There is no evidence that the hard drive is dead. The original post states that the computer was running but slow, then he/she was told to delete the partition and now the operating system, naturally, cannot be found. The file he/she downloaded from the net was obviously not an original windows xp install disk, thus, the solution is to get one, as I said in my previous post in this thread.

[neilmercy]

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING but, I give up....I ordered a new install disk from microsoft to install on the laptop, they say that it will fix the problem!! I am crossing my fingers!!
I was wondering if you could help me with another problem on my main computer though? It will not allow me to open or install Adobe reader! There are not even any pictures when I go to that site, and there are missing pictures on a lot of sites that I go to....any suggestions???

[hughv]

Humbll may be right, You need an XP install disk, in any case, so get one, then you'll know if the HD is dead when you try to install XP.

[HoustonIT]

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING but, I give up....I ordered a new install disk from microsoft to install on the laptop, they say that it will fix the problem!! I am crossing my fingers!!
I was wondering if you could help me with another problem on my main computer though? It will not allow me to open or install Adobe reader! There are not even any pictures when I go to that site, and there are missing pictures on a lot of sites that I go to....any suggestions???

Sounds like a security permissions issue, are you using Internet Explorer? If so go to Tools>Internet Options, and on the Security tab, select the Internet icon and click the Default Level button. Then, on the advanced tab click the Restore Advanced Setting button. That should allow your browser to display pics. You might want to get the latest verson of Flash for your system as well at http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/.

[bobbyraw]

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING but, I give up....I ordered a new install disk from microsoft to install on the laptop, they say that it will fix the problem!! I am crossing my fingers!!
I was wondering if you could help me with another problem on my main computer though? It will not allow me to open or install Adobe reader! There are not even any pictures when I go to that site, and there are missing pictures on a lot of sites that I go to....any suggestions???

Are you the administrator on the PC. you MUST have administrator privilege to install Adobe.
As for the picture on the site you need to get the flash player . link in previous post

[MidiMagic]

It could be that the guy who sold it to you wiped the hard drive totally clean, to remove all traces of his files (unlike that high school coach arrested for having kiddie porn, because the pictures were left on the hard drive of the computer he sold on eBay).

In that case, you must purchase a new set of Windows disks.

Another possibility is that the hard disk has seized, and is not turning.

[hughv]

I suspect it's "the FDisk thing" she mentioned .

[gerbil]

:).

[jbennet]

yeah our fdisked windows away i think