Disk boot failure after BSODs

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  1. Determine
    Posts : 13
    Windows 7 x64
       New #1

    Disk boot failure after BSODs


    It all started when I tried to launch a game application and it BSOD. I briefly saw nvlddmkm.sys before it restarted. It would restart fine after that, but when I shut down the computer and turned it on the next day, it would no longer boot to the desktop. It gets to the Windows starting up screen and then my monitor just disconnects.

    I then tried booting into safe mode to see if that worked. It was working for a few minutes before another BSOD which lead to the "DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER" message. I looked in my BIOS and it no longer detects the hard drive.

    I put the hard drive into an external enclosure and tested on another computer. Once I plugged it in, it detected the hard drive and all the files.

    What does all this mean? My hard drive is a Western Digital Green 500GB.
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  3. TVeblen
    Posts : 6,292
    Windows 7 64 Bit Home Premium SP1
       New #2

    Hello Determine, and Welcome.

    Your symptoms are confusing because they are all over the place.

    A nvlddmkm.sys error message or bluescreen would indicate an issue with the video card or it's drivers. These could also contribute to the no-boot condition.

    The blue screen in Safe Mode and the DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER message, and the BIOS not detecting the hard drive would all indicate an issue with the Hard Drive, the Storage Controller, or the Chipset drivers.

    The fact that the Hard drive works in another computer narrows things down a bit.

    Given that the HDD is OK, there are two items that, if failing, could explain all these disparate symptoms: the motherboard, and the power supply.

    Do you have a spare power supply you could test the system with? Or a multimeter?

    If you can boot into windows at all (safe mode OK), it would be helpful to copy and post the minidump files as explained here: https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...en-forums.html. You could also access these files from another computer with the drive in the external enclosure. That may give us some more info to work on.

    Also: did this condition occur after Installing a new game, or has the game been on the computer, and played, for a while before this all occurred?
    Have you made any changes to the BIOS (Overclocking, etc.)?
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  4. Determine
    Posts : 13
    Windows 7 x64
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    I can no longer boot to safe mode since it says "DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER" and the bios doesn't see the hard drive (this applies to when I tried to use my other computer to see if it was detected in its BIOS too). I can only access the files on an external enclosure connected to another older computer.

    I don't have a spare power supply, but I do have a multimeter.

    It did not occur after installing a new game because the game (NBA2K10) has been installed for quite some time. I have played it multiple times in the past with no problems. I also have not changed the Nvidia drivers since installing this game.

    Hopefully this can clarify the sequence of events:

    The first BSOD was after loading up NBA2K10 and it did a force restart back to the desktop. I shut it down for the night and after turning on the computer the next day, it would get to the Windows is starting screen before the monitor just goes blank.

    After that, I booted to safe mode thinking that perhaps I should uninstall the old Nvidia drivers with a new one. I need to make a correction here: I actually did manage to uninstall the Nvidia drivers from CCleaner and restarted the computer. I went into safe mode again intending to use the program Drivers Cleaner to clean up the leftovers. I pressed the Windows logo start button and after a few minutes before I can even open the Drivers Cleaner program, a BSOD occurred. Once it restarted after that, it would stop at "DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER." The bios no longer detects the hard drive too.

    I have done only two changes to the BIOS recently to date:

    1) I updated my BIOS to SZ1K, which the EVGA website lists for E175 - nForce 750i SLI FTW.

    2) I tried out changing the memory settings to EPP standard according to this: http://www.corsair.com/_datasheets/t...96-8500c5d.pdf. It made my computer not boot after the Windows starting up screen, so I switched back JEDEC standard and there no problems for quite some time after that.

    I will upload the dump files as soon as I can.
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  6. Determine
    Posts : 13
    Windows 7 x64
    Thread Starter
       New #4

    I checked the Minidump folder and it was empty, ugh. So that means it wasn't configured to create a minidump? I didn't see a memory.dmp either.
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  7. Wishmaster
    Posts : 4,517
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
       New #5

    Have you tried Clearing CMOS and then reset Bios to optimized defaults?

    There should be a button, or jumper to clear the CMOS. Sadly, i am not familiar with that board.

    All boards are differnet, so I would suggest refering to your MOBOs manuall for details on how to with that board.

    Sometimes this can help get things to post again.

    If it does however, we still must find the root of the issue as it will happen again until you do.
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  8. TVeblen
    Posts : 6,292
    Windows 7 64 Bit Home Premium SP1
       New #6

    Determine said:
    and the bios doesn't see the hard drive (this applies to when I tried to use my other computer to see if it was detected in its BIOS too).
    If I read this correctly, the hard drive is not recognized in the BIOS of two different computers? Then that would indicate a hard drive failure.

    One other possible cause would be a bad SATA cable. Are you using the same cable when you move the drive to the other computer?



    Determine said:
    but I do have a multimeter.
    You can use the multimeter to test for a steady 12v on any spare yellow wire coming from the power supply. But considering the above, I doubt that is going to be the issue.
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  10. Determine
    Posts : 13
    Windows 7 x64
    Thread Starter
       New #7

    TVeblen said:
    If I read this correctly, the hard drive is not recognized in the BIOS of two different computers? Then that would indicate a hard drive failure.

    One other possible cause would be a bad SATA cable. Are you using the same cable when you move the drive to the other computer?
    Yes, the hard drive cannot be recognized by both BIOS of two different computers. It can only be recognized through an external enclosure connected via USB. Would this still be considered a hard drive failure?

    I'm not using the same SATA cable when I tried it on the other computer.

    I just tried a different SATA hard drive on my problem computer (the one that BSOD), and it did recognize it in BIOS.
    TVeblen said:
    You can use the multimeter to test for a steady 12v on any spare yellow wire coming from the power supply. But considering the above, I doubt that is going to be the issue.
    This doesn't seem to be a problem.
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  11. Determine
    Posts : 13
    Windows 7 x64
    Thread Starter
       New #8

    Wishmaster said:
    Have you tried Clearing CMOS and then reset Bios to optimized defaults?

    There should be a button, or jumper to clear the CMOS. Sadly, i am not familiar with that board.

    All boards are differnet, so I would suggest refering to your MOBOs manuall for details on how to with that board.

    Sometimes this can help get things to post again.

    If it does however, we still must find the root of the issue as it will happen again until you do.
    Yes, I tried clearing the CMOS, but I used fail-safe defaults. There was no change. Would it be different with optimized?
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  12. TVeblen
    Posts : 6,292
    Windows 7 64 Bit Home Premium SP1
       New #9

    Well, it's obviously not failed totally if you can access data from the enclosure. But a fail-ing drive can behave awful strange.

    Have you reset the BIOS defaults as Wishmaster suggested?

    One WAG (wild-ass-guess): See if there is a jumper on the drive to switch between SATA mode 1 and SATA mode II. Set it to SATA mode 1 and test.
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  13. Wishmaster
    Posts : 4,517
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
       New #10

    Determine said:
    Wishmaster said:
    Have you tried Clearing CMOS and then reset Bios to optimized defaults?

    There should be a button, or jumper to clear the CMOS. Sadly, i am not familiar with that board.

    All boards are differnet, so I would suggest refering to your MOBOs manuall for details on how to with that board.

    Sometimes this can help get things to post again.

    If it does however, we still must find the root of the issue as it will happen again until you do.
    Yes, I tried clearing the CMOS, but I used fail-safe defaults. There was no change. Would it be different with optimized?
    Probably not. The only difference between "Fail Safe" and "Optimized" is that:

    Fail Safe is more less generic settings that will ensure any Hardware Configuration will start.

    Optimized sets everything according to your current Hardware.
    (for example RAM settings & Voltages)

    Either way will be fine for testing purposes however.
    The important thing here is to properly clear and reset CMOS.

    I missed the fact the HD was not recognized on another PC.
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