Non-System disk or disk error

If you are booting from either a DVD, CD, diskette or a USB drive, remove the media and boot from the hard disk. The media is either damaged or is not intended to be bootable.

The BIOS may be configured to boot from the wrong device. If you suspect this, the device boot order can be changed in the BIOS setup. Be aware there little consistency in BIOS setup operations, even with the same manufacturer on different models. As such, these instructions are bit less precise than we'd prefer.

1. Reboot and enter the BIOS setup. Often the BIOS displays the correct key to use briefly on screen or you may need to refer to the computer's user manual. Typically you hold down the Del, Esc, F1 or F2 key immediately after booting. The setup key can also be found in our BIOS access list.
2. Look for a section on Boot or Booting. Often this appears on top menu. Select the Boot option, and if necessary the Boot order choice. The Boot order choices should list the order of boot devices. Typically the CD is the first boot device with the hard-disk typically second. The diskette may also occur before the hard disk, which is acceptable, although this will slow your hard disk boot by a few seconds. Avoid USB and network boots before the hard disk unless you know for sure you are using them (which is exceptionally rare).
3. Save and exit the BIOS. It will force a reboot. See if this change corrects the issue.

If you had changed, added or removed hard drives, or changed or removed drive cabling, likely something is wrong. Recheck that the drives are properly installed and the cabling has not changed. Switching cables to different motherboard connectors or changing the master/slave drive jumpers (on old ATA drives) can cause this problem. In some systems, the cables were not plugged into the drive or motherboard securely and may have worked loose. Reseat all drive connectors.

It's also possible a hard drive is failing. Use a system diagnostic to validate the drive or swap to another hard disk.

Several software products that offer disk diagnostics includes Fix-It Utilities Professional and SystemSuite Professional. Other diagnostic products include Eurosoft's PC Check and Iolo's System Mechanic.

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