Thread: HDD Error on Bootup

Hi I've just bought a newv PC because my old one was ruined (wouldn't even do a POST check on bootup) and i've installed my hard drive from my old pc to my new one but on bootup it comes up with hdd error press f1 to continue

all i want to do is format the drive completely but it doesn't recognize the drive in disk management is the drive totally gone or is there a way that I can restore it for reuse

all help greatly appreciated:

well, have you thought that it's your hard drive that failed? and that's why you couldn't use your old PC, and now the new one is telling you it has a hdd error, it almost certainly is that, try not using your hard drive (assuming you do have another one - i.e you didn't build this new computer yourself only using that hdd) so as I said, take out the one from your old pc, and try it then. Lastly, you may not have installed it correctly, though I doubt that. I would bet on it being a hard disk failure, that's why your old pc didn't work, and you installing it in your new one is causing problems

Hi hd, you ok mate?

I notice that when I boot my pc up with my externally docked SATA drive switched on, I get a disk read error, same as above. As soon as I switch off the dock, the pc boots then normally. I think it was trying to boot from my backup HDD, same make, same size.

when you bott up your pc, do you get the error straight away, or does anything (probably from like hp or acer or w/e the make of your pc is) come up?

If it does, you should be able to press one of the F buttons (usually F2, but it varies)

To take you in to the BIOS control. In there, you should be able to see a menu called "boot order" or something to that effect, you say they are the same make, well it should say HDD on there, make that highest in the list. And if it does just call them both the same name on there, switch them, as it seems to try booting from your external drive

del is the bios link key - well on mine anyway. I think its always been del?

maybe with you, but for me it's F2, and on my brother's.... It varies per manufacturer

Hi Thrush.

Read your original post a couple of times and still not sure if I understand it fully.

You bought a NEW computer, Which I assume came with a harddrive with Windows installed (XP-Vista-Win7) ... are you now trying to boot from your OLD Harddrive?

If so it probably will not boot ... unless your new computer is almost identical in specs to your old one.

You would need to connect the older HD up as slave to the New machine (Need to change the jumpers on the old drive) then boot from the New Drive and format the older one, thus giving your NEW computer 2x harddrives (C + D)

How to Change the Master/Slave Designation on a Hard Drive | eHow.com