Media Test Failure: Check Cable

KittyKatBar · 30 Sep 2013

Alright so, last night I left my desktop on while my phone was plugged in - it went to sleep mode and when I woke up I unplugged my phone. It had not charged at all and died upon unplugging it. My computer screen also froze. Now when I try to start up my computer I get two different kinds of errors: A Disk Failed to Load error which requests I put in installation disks and hit enter and a Media Test Failure telling me to check cables.

I tried doing the first one like it said. When it came to installing, there was no driver for me to select to install to.

I tried to fix the second one, and it was fine. No loose cables, everything is responsive.

I have spent hours looking up various possible fixes and trying to determine the problem.

I cannot get into windows, I don't get past the Nvidia boost agent. I checked the boot order - it was fine. I messed with some settings like the boot order to no avail. I even drained capacitors and restarted the WHOLE system with no luck. The driver is recognized in BIOS but it gives me a 'Disk Failed to Load, insert installation disk and hit enter' error.

My theory after all this is that the computer tried to wake up using my phone as a drive. If I plug my phone in and start the pc up I can see it in BIOS too and even try to start it from there but nothing happens. It goes to a booting screen with the white flashing underscore and nothing happens.

I am running on an Alienware area 51 flagship ALX desktop from 2009 which has had no problems. I had no backups or shadow copies due to a problem long ago involving a virus my brother got on the pc once. Since then I have had no issues with virus'. My OS is windows 7 home premium 64. My hard drive is seagate 7200.11 1000gb, 64mb. not sure about what motherboard it uses or how to find out. Also running an ati radeon in the 5800 series or something similar to that.

And the phone in question is a droid razr.

If you need other information let me know, I can find it. But so far I have tried all the BIOS things I can think of and even a few of the fixes out there for PXE-E16 errors. To no avail. Nothing has even changed. I'm okay wiping this drive, my important stuff was already all copied or is on a different pc, but I don't want to spend 80 bucks on a new HD and stuff.

SandeepP · 01 Oct 2013

KittyKatBar said:

Alright so, last night I left my desktop on while my phone was plugged in - it went to sleep mode and when I woke up I unplugged my phone. It had not charged at all and died upon unplugging it. My computer screen also froze. Now when I try to start up my computer I get two different kinds of errors: A Disk Failed to Load error which requests I put in installation disks and hit enter and a Media Test Failure telling me to check cables.

I tried doing the first one like it said. When it came to installing, there was no driver for me to select to install to.

I tried to fix the second one, and it was fine. No loose cables, everything is responsive.

I have spent hours looking up various possible fixes and trying to determine the problem.

I cannot get into windows, I don't get past the Nvidia boost agent. I checked the boot order - it was fine. I messed with some settings like the boot order to no avail. I even drained capacitors and restarted the WHOLE system with no luck. The driver is recognized in BIOS but it gives me a 'Disk Failed to Load, insert installation disk and hit enter' error.

My theory after all this is that the computer tried to wake up using my phone as a drive. If I plug my phone in and start the pc up I can see it in BIOS too and even try to start it from there but nothing happens. It goes to a booting screen with the white flashing underscore and nothing happens.

I am running on an Alienware area 51 flagship ALX desktop from 2009 which has had no problems. I had no backups or shadow copies due to a problem long ago involving a virus my brother got on the pc once. Since then I have had no issues with virus'. My OS is windows 7 home premium 64. My hard drive is seagate 7200.11 1000gb, 64mb. not sure about what motherboard it uses or how to find out. Also running an ati radeon in the 5800 series or something similar to that.

And the phone in question is a droid razr.

If you need other information let me know, I can find it. But so far I have tried all the BIOS things I can think of and even a few of the fixes out there for PXE-E16 errors. To no avail. Nothing has even changed. I'm okay wiping this drive, my important stuff was already all copied or is on a different pc, but I don't want to spend 80 bucks on a new HD and stuff.

Hi KittyKatBar,

Welcome to Seven forums.

Please make sure that there are no removable media inside the system. Make sure that there are no USB devices connected to the system.

Kindly run the diagnostics on the system to ensure there are no hardware issues with the system:

Dell Diagnostics

Also, check this link below which would be useful in resolving this issue:

Failure to Boot

Keep us posted with the results so we can advise you further.

KittyKatBar · 02 Oct 2013

My computer is not based on dell, I got it less than a year before dell bought alienware. There's no option to run that diagnostic, and the keys don't do anything other than del and tab. Delete starts the BIOS and f8 starts the boot menu.

Also I can't actually get on to the computer to use those technologies in the failure to boot thing. My computer, without fail, continuously stops (at some point in the process), at "DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER" and then it just sits there with that message. I can't get past that part. The old alienware disks for system reboot and reset and all that do not work either, after I installed windows 7 however many years ago.

SandeepP · 03 Oct 2013

KittyKatBar said:

My computer is not based on dell, I got it less than a year before dell bought alienware. There's no option to run that diagnostic, and the keys don't do anything other than del and tab. Delete starts the BIOS and f8 starts the boot menu.

Also I can't actually get on to the computer to use those technologies in the failure to boot thing. My computer, without fail, continuously stops (at some point in the process), at "DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER" and then it just sits there with that message. I can't get past that part. The old alienware disks for system reboot and reset and all that do not work either, after I installed windows 7 however many years ago.

Hi KittyKatBar,

Thanks for your reply. I understand that you purchased the system prior to it was under our name. So these diagnostics would not work.

However, BIOS would still be available as it loads before operating system loads. So if you system is giving alienware logo at the start you should be able to access BIOS settings of the system.

Please access BIOS settings on the system and then check if your harddrive is detected on the system.

If not then kindly reseat the harddrive to ensure it is not a loose connection. And, if yes then let us know the make and model of the harddrive.

Also, please make sure that internal harddrive is set as first boot device and there are no removable or USB media inside the system.

Keep us posted with the results.