Recently my HDD has stopped being detected by my computer. I wasn't trying to install any new hardware and I'm fairly certain that nothing was damaged internally (never know for sure) but the message I get is "Disk boot failure, Insert system disk and press enter." I tried using my XP installation disk to just recover it but I eventually get the message, "Setup did not find any hard disk installed in your computer. Make sure any hard disk drives are powered on and properly connected. And any disk related configuration is correct, etc. Press F3 to quit." That's when I knew for sure that it was harddrive related. I'm hoping that it's maybe just something that got unplugged internally but I just don't see how that would happen. Maybe some of you know of common problems that happen often with HDDs? I'd really like to keep my files if possible. Is there a way for me to test if the HDD is still okay mechanically? There are children who use the computer so there's always the risk of important files getting deleted, maybe I can just replace them? Thank you. Oh I probably should mention that I'm running Windows XP and that I'm using a Compaq.
If it has been shaken around, a cable may have gotten loose, and it may have not been very secure in the fist place. If you open her up, you can probably find out. Just undo some screws on the back, take off the side panel, locate the HD, and make sure the wires are connected.
