Hard drive/ CMOS question

[mrdinkel]

Ok kind of a strange problem. I have an older HP Pavilion 6630 that i purchased a year ago off of ebay, and recently ive been having problems w/ it detecting with my hard drive. One day i'll turn it on, and it'll go, "Operating system not found". it takes several reboots, messing around w/ cmos, and switching of cables.

My question is if there is any easy way to remedy it, or should i just go with a new HDD?

Another thing : if i reboot the computer, it'll detect the Hard drive just fine and dandy. It sounds like somethings shooting craps.

 

[mrdinkel]

Well if it helps, I have an Intel 82810 Chipset. Its a Celeron, so maybe....

Well after school gets out, i'm gonna try something to resolve this.

I did an upgrade from Windows 98 to XP home, and then, this is the first time, but it said something to the effect of "remove older operating system" that i upgraded from. Did that.

 

[mrdinkel]

An update on the situation...
Flashed the BIOS. Restarted...
It worked this time.
I'm gonna try it a couple more times, but I want it to work.

 

[U.n.c.u.T.!]

Hmm...it could be one of these things:

Mobo problems, which means you are pretty much screwed.

Or, it's just a HDD issue. If you can't figure out how to fix it through fiddling around, or even reinstalling xp, then you might as well buy a new HDD. I've encountered countless unexplainable errors with HP computers, I don't like them. It happened to me after installing Kazaa Lite once. I install it, reboot, and the same thing happens. But after a second reboot, it ran fine.

 

[imation]

to be honest.. like i always am.. id buy a new hard drive if it concludes to being a hard drive failure.

Usually the symptoms you are describing indicate a dying hard drive. If you have information on it you dont want to lose, buy a new hdd and get everything you need off your failing one.

 

[CrashAbbott]

Hold on!!

We are Talking HP Pavillion's here,, I have an older Pavillion PII 333,,, Piece of Crap!

I bet that you have system restore CD's that came with the unit,, and I have no doubt in my mind that if you run the restore cd, that the PC will run without issue!

On another discussion board, we spoke about pavillions having some form of security in the bios or a Mobo chip,, it recognizes if it is not the software that came with the system, and performance degredation to near uselessness is the outcome,, BUT., run the restore cd's and VOILA! issue resolved,, I finally parked mine on a shelf,, stripped down of anything useful,, and am trying to sell it,, without any luck!

The best method to resolve this issue might be going to HP for updated Restore CD's for the OS that you wish to use,, problem.. this = $$$$$$

Hate to say it, but I bet the hardware is fine,,

Pavillions....Sheesh!

 

[mrdinkel]

D**n thing toasted itself

Well, today i come home from working over at scott city, and come home, thinking that i could just hit the power switch and go...

But no... The SOB just has to go its own way, and so now the HDD is toast, im thinking.

Tried it with another cable, and now it won't even let the CD-ROM detect itself.

Maybe at the end of this summer, i will have made enough to go get a cheap laptop from state surplus.

 

[mrdinkel]

A bit of an update...

After ripping my PC apart, and destroying a cable, I have figured out my HDD has finally shot shit. So now, its off to the nearest HDD retailer in hopes of finding one.

 

[mrdinkel]

Yep. We also still have cowboys and Indians still ridin' around here too.

 

[imation]

to be honest.. like i always am.. id buy a new hard drive if it concludes to being a hard drive failure.

Usually the symptoms you are describing indicate a dying hard drive. If you have information on it you dont want to lose, buy a new hdd and get everything you need off your failing one.

^^ did you have info you didnt wanna lose?