# Computer Emergency! Operating System not found **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 3, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-emergency-operating-system-not-found/315392 "2005-08-03T03:48:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/57b2e6/32.png) [@Alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alien)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-emergency-operating-system-not-found/315392/41 "2005-08-12T19:23:31Z")
> [@XP inhales](#): > > Thanks, **Alien**. I’ll give that a try then. I also found my xp home key (he has home as well), so we will at lease have a match on that. Heck, I found my Windows 95 boot disk! Think I should give that a whirl? Me neither. Feeling a little daring today, are we 😃 > [@XP inhales](#): > > I’ll send for the disk tomorrow, and it should be here by saturday. I’ll also try some of your other suggestions in the meantime to see how much trouble I can get myself into. You’ll be fine. As I mentioned earlier, a disk recognized by BIOS shouldn’t (hopefully) be too difficult to salvage data from if you can pinpoint the problem. I usually check the board once a day, so just drop a note here whenever you have a question. ---
**Author:** ![XP\_inhales](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/46a35a/32.png) [@XP\_inhales](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XP_inhales)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-emergency-operating-system-not-found/315392/42 "2005-08-22T03:27:12Z")
> [@Alien](#): > > Feeling a little daring today, are we 😃 > > You’ll be fine. As I mentioned earlier, a disk recognized by BIOS shouldn’t (hopefully) be too difficult to salvage data from if you can pinpoint the problem. I usually check the board once a day, so just drop a note here whenever you have a question. Good news = Disks came yesterday! Bad news = Disks didn’t work. ☹ I think I am raising the white flag of surrender. My last option is to send the disks back to my brother (with my hard drive) and see what he can salvage for me. At this point, the disk clearly has the upper hand. Thanks to all for your help and responses to this thread. And if you have any last minute guesses (I can’t get to the post office until Wednesday) fire away. Thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![XP\_inhales](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/46a35a/32.png) [@XP\_inhales](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XP_inhales)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-emergency-operating-system-not-found/315392/43 "2005-08-24T09:14:14Z")
**Alien** , No more ideas? No more last minute suggestions? Are you all telling me that I’ve officially hit the wall? Ah, crap. With me, the dream dies hard. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/57b2e6/32.png) [@Alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alien)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-emergency-operating-system-not-found/315392/44 "2005-08-26T17:01:40Z")
> [@XP inhales](#): > > **Alien** , > > No more ideas? No more last minute suggestions? > > Are you all telling me that I’ve officially hit the wall? > > Ah, crap. > > With me, the dream dies hard. ☹ Sorry :o I read your message but I was in a hurry so I might have misunderstood. You said that “disks came” but didn’t work. I read that as a _new_ disk (as in harddrive) sent to you but didn’t work, and that you were going to ask your brother to help you with the _old_ disk. Don’t ask me how I came to this. So, was I wrong? Because on a second read I get the feeling that by “disks” maybe you are talking about the Windows CDs you have been waiting for? Anyway, you said that your old disk still is recognized by BIOS. So, you need to boot with something. This is step 1. You WILL be able to boot with the following: _any_ windows boot disk (win98, winMe, win200, winXP, etc) or Linux or whatever. Remember, _to boot_ simply is to execute some code to get access to the hardware on a x86 based computer. Which should be good enough to probe the disk and use some of the tools previously mentioned. Whether you will be able to access the _content_ of the disk, or do repairs (step 2), that’s another matter, - in your case you do need the proper Win XP cd, or the WinXP boot disks from [microsoft.com](http://microsoft.com). Maybe your brother can download the WinXP disks and send them to you by snailmail? Note, after downloading the winxp boot disk file (a single file) from [microsoft.com](http://microsoft.com), your brother needs 6 _high density_ disks to create the boot disk set. (since you had problems getting the 6 winXP boot disks from [microsoft.com](http://microsoft.com), the only other option I can think of is, _if you can’t get to them at all_, to download the single win98 SE boot disk from boot [disk.com](http://disk.com) (to boot with), and the NTFS Reader program (to read winXP disks with, free) mentioned above). Once you are able to boot you can take the next step. ---
**Author:** ![XP\_inhales](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/46a35a/32.png) [@XP\_inhales](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XP_inhales)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-emergency-operating-system-not-found/315392/45 "2005-08-30T04:38:15Z")
You are now telling me all hope is not lost, are you? Well, if that’s the case, the first thing I do tomorrow (well after a couple of musts) is read your email and give it a go again. You DID read it wrong. My brother sent the XP disks, not a hard drive. So, I will be trying this again. If it doesn’t work, THEN my brother gets the hard drive. It may be the fact that I need the correct boot disks. I’ve downlowded the correct boot disk, but I didn’t get it together for a try. I will do that tomorrow. It never ends… it never ends. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-emergency-operating-system-not-found/315392/46 "2005-08-30T16:22:59Z")
XP inhales if you are in New Jersey I’d like to offer in person assistance ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-emergency-operating-system-not-found/315392/47 "2005-08-30T17:57:15Z")
Operating System not found. Oddly enough, I can get this error message any time I want to. I have to press and hold the power button on the tower for an extra second or two rather than just a simple press and release whenever I turn this box on. If I don’t, I get that message. When I get that message, I just have to power off, press and hold, and _viola!_, I’m back. Another way to guarantee that I will see it is if I just do the Start - Turn Off Computer - Turn Off sequence instead of using Privacy Erasor Pro to clean up and then shut down. If I use the Turn Off sequence, then I get the message every time when I try to turn it back on. Weird, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/57b2e6/32.png) [@Alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alien)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-emergency-operating-system-not-found/315392/48 "2005-08-30T17:58:58Z")
> [@XP inhales](#): > > You are now telling me all hope is not lost, are you? Well, if that’s the case, the first thing I do tomorrow (well after a couple of musts) is read your email and give it a go again. > > You DID read it wrong. My brother sent the XP disks, not a hard drive. So, I will be trying this again. If it doesn’t work, THEN my brother gets the hard drive. > > It may be the fact that I need the correct boot disks. I’ve downlowded the correct boot disk, but I didn’t get it together for a try. I will do that tomorrow. > It never ends… it never ends. 😃 I hope I haven’t been too depressing 🙂 As long as the disk is recognized by bios you will be able to get your data out. The question is how much work you are prepared to put into it. At the very least, with a correct boot cd/disks you can blindly issue the fix boot and fix mrb commands, which might solve it. See if you can boot with something - anything - then try and connect to the disk. You can worry about the xp cd later, based on your result, or lack thereof. And don’t miss out on **MannyL** ’s post. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-emergency-operating-system-not-found/315392.md?page=2)