Comments for

Comment from Danny Williams on 2009-03-01

2009-03-01T16:35:10Z

I had this error message after fitting different hard drive and found I had the jumper set wrong on hard drive. Switched it to master and it is fine.

]]>

A comment on:

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Dennis Jackson on 2008-11-04

2008-11-04T22:44:50Z

There are a couple of other things that you might try to restore the machine. If you can, open the machine and remove the IDE cable that connects the hard drive to the mainboard at both ends. Do this several times for both ends of the cable; sometimes (especially on older machines) corrosion builds up in the connector(s) at either end of the cable which will cause erratic performance of a seemingly random nature. Removing the connector(s) and reinstalling them several times will remove any corrosion buildup. Another thing that you might try, especially in an older machine, is to replace the "keep-alive" battery on the mainboard! Most people forget that it's there, and after about 3 - 5 years, it fails erratically. Its sole purpose is to keep information in the ROM intact - it's not rechargeable, and if it's not providing enough "juice" some or all of your ROM settings (including your hard drive specs) can get corrupted, which may give you the type of error message you're seeing...Regardless, back up your data as soon as possible, because it could be a failing hard drive!

]]>

A comment on:

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Adrian Martin on 2008-11-01

2008-11-01T08:04:44Z

I have an elderly Windows 98 SE machine which displays the message "Primary Hard Disk Fail" every ten or so times I boot it up. I just switch off, remove the power cable from the back of the machine and then insert it again a couple of times to discharge static. The machine then boots up normally!

I hope you're backing up. Someday what you're doing won't work, and it's possible that all the data on that drive will be gone.

- Leo
01-Nov-2008

]]>

A comment on:

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from David on 2008-10-31

2008-10-31T16:42:46Z

This has happened to me a couple of times but by inserting the xp cd and bringing up the repair console and running the "fixmbr" command which rewrites the master boot record fixed it. Worth a try.

]]>

A comment on:

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from Arjun on 2008-10-24

2008-10-24T20:11:22Z

This error is clearly not related to outdated BIOS. It is a sure HDD ( HARD DISC ) FAILURE...

]]>

A comment on:

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.

Comment from vincent on 2008-10-24

2008-10-24T15:44:32Z

Sometimes this error is caused by a faulty BIOS.
You might want to try and flash your BIOS (check the pc's manufacturer's website on how to do that).

Before putting your hard drive in another computer, I would try running the xp repair console from your installation disk (if you have one that is ;-).

If you're unfamiliar with all of the above, I would do as Leo says and take it to someone who knows what they're doing!

In any case, I hope yer friend has backed up all his data...

]]>

A comment on:

Tech Questions? Get Answers! - Ask Leo! ... by Leo Notenboom
Leo's Answers Newsletter - Ask Leo! in your inbox every week.