operating system not found

[markpsych]

Dropped the lap top this evening

It's an old satellite pro M40, with lots of wear and tear, but all we've got aside from my work computer.

Now, after the toshiba opening screen, I have the followng error message when I switch it on:

PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable
PXE-MOF:exiting PXE ROM.
operating system not found

****!!!

Is it saveable? Can anyone help?

[Hohum]

Sounds like the hard drive connection has come loose, or the fall has knackered the hard drive itself. Open it up and have a look I guess.

[kernow]

It might be simply because the CMOS has reset causing the BIOS options to be lost, and the preferred boot order isn't listing the hard disk as primary (I say this because it is trying a PXE network boot first).

Check your BIOS settings, and the boot order, put the hard disk first.

If its not that you've lost the Master boot record on your hard disk, and its not booting, I'd take the drive out and put it in an enclosure to get the files off it (if its readable at all), or boot a linux rescue disc from the CDROM, and get the files off with that method. (trickier, but doesn't require taking the laptop hard disk out)

good luck,

[markpsych]

Thanks people, please bear with me as not too technical

After googling, checked HD connection 1st and that looks okay.

Then went into bios to check boot order, but none of the options are expandable?

[Hohum]

Should be able to expand them... check the manual for your laptop if you get stuck.

BTW Kernow, your avatar is ridiculously good looking

[Number45]

When you say it looks OK, do you mean that you've disconnected and reconnected it? I'd do that to be safe.

Having said that, the error you've suggested sounds like it's recognising the HDD but that it can't find a valid boot image. Which is bad. Might be worth booting to your OS installation CD and running the recovery process, if at all possible.

[markpsych]

When you say it looks OK, do you mean that you've disconnected and reconnected it? I'd do that to be safe.

Having said that, the error you've suggested sounds like it's recognising the HDD but that it can't find a valid boot image. Which is bad. Might be worth booting to your OS installation CD and running the recovery process, if at all possible.

Yes, did disconnect and reconnect.

TRied the recovery disc, but after the warning you'll delete your HD message, get this error: Error checking for a player partition - please try again! Press any key to continue....

Then just X:\>

[Number45]

It sounds like the HDD might well be b0rked to be honest, or whatever damage has wiped the partition table. Is there anything on there you can't live without? Right now I'd be starting a reinstall of the OS if it were me.

Do you have a backup? Also there are utilities that you can download (I know of them, but can't give any names... Partition Magic might be one) that can boot and check partitions etc. Give those a try if possible.

[markpsych]

Excuse my ignorance.....but how do you reinstall the OP if you can't use the recovery disc?

Don't have a back up, but wouldn't be the end of the world losing the data if I could get it sorted.

I'll have a look for the Partition Magic utility.

[Number45]

It says there's no partition, which to me suggests that it finds the disk but no existing partition with Windows installed. If you reinstall you have the option to create a new partition as you install it.

[markpsych]

Hmm...if I choose recover entire hard disc it doesn't work, but if I choose expert recovery mode I get the partition option but feel a little out of my depth.

Don't suppose you're in the repair business....or can recommend someone?

Very decent of you to try and help anyway, don't want to take up too much more of your time!

[kernow]

BTW Kernow, your avatar is ridiculously good looking

[Matt]

Restoring won't really help. Dropping it sounds like it's caused damage to the HDD itself - dropping won't have "wiped" the OS. Even if you can restore (and I'd imagine it will fail) you'll have a failing HDD, which may last 1 minute or 1 year, but it'll die eventually.

Get a new HDD.