Article ID: 812446 - Last Review: June 9, 2008 - Revision: 4.1

Hard Disk Problems Cause Error Messages When You Start Your Computer

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SUMMARY

When you start your computer, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following:
Hard disk drive failure
When you start your computer from a Microsoft Windows 98 Startup disk, and then try to use the Fdisk.exe program to view partition information, you may receive the following error message:
No fixed disk present
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CAUSE

This issue may occur if any of the following conditions exist:
  • The hard disk is not installed correctly.
  • The hard disk is not configured correctly in the computer's Basic Input/Output System (BIOS).
  • The hard disk is damaged.
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RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, contact your computer manufacturer for help and for more information about how to troubleshoot and resolve this issue. For information about how to contact your computer manufacturer, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/vendors (http://support.microsoft.com/gp/vendors)
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MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to troubleshoot startup problems in Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
308041   (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308041/EN-US/ ) Resources for Troubleshooting Startup Problems in Windows XP
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APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition
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Keywords: 
kbprb KB812446
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