"Missing operating system" at boot

[CleanChucks]

If you check my other threads (specifically 'ubanka.vbs' and 'dvd drive won't read disk'), you'll see what's been done to my PC lately. I'm not sure what to post here since I have no idea what caused this problem

Every time I boot my PC now (Last thing I did was uninstall the driver for my dvd drive, then reboot), an error shows up at boot saying I'm missing operating system.

REEEEEEEALLY hoping this doesn't mean I've lost all my data/settings etc as I had a lot on my PC.

Please let me know what this means for me and my PC

[systempat]

What operating system are you using? What motherboard and processor, just for reference?
Have you used the System Restore point feature in Windows that will give you a possible fallback to go to?
And hope you've taken a data file backup recently.
If you have your Windows install disk, get ready to try a Repair Installation of Windows. If you are not familiar with how to do that do a search on the forums, it's on here somewhere.
And keep your fingers crossed. Don't want to alarm you but when I got that message, what it really meant was my hard drive had failed.

Pat

[glc]

Make sure that the hard drive with your operating system is first in the bios boot order.

[CleanChucks]

Looks like all it took was GLC's suggestion...

What would have changed the boot drive in the first place?

Also, any good links for backing up?

Thanks guys, got really scared there.

[David M]

Originally Posted by CleanChucks What would have changed the boot drive in the first place?

The boot order? The user, when he makes that change in the BIOS.

[mazz72]

You mentioned that you were having trouble with your disk drive in another thread. Did you maybe change the boot order in your bios to put the disk drive first, and then forgot about it?

[CleanChucks]

Nope, I haven't touched the BIOS.

[David M]

Then go to the BIOS and change the boot order it how you want it. Pull your Microsoft OS disk out of the drive...then try it. Better yet, make your HD your first item your BIOS tries to boot from...that speeds up your computers boot time a little.

[systempat]

Sorry for scaring you but that message is a very scary message. Especially when it did mean for me that the hard drive had failed. From the other comments it sounds like the CD drive may be first in the boot sequence before the hard drive. And you must have had a non-boot disk in it. Which is most CDs other that Windows or certain system tools. As long as the drive is empty, it pauses a second or 2 trying to find a CD and then goes to 2nd choice which should be your HD. As David states, putting the HD first will avoid this problem, AND it boots a little quicker too.

[CleanChucks]

Originally Posted by David M Then go to the BIOS and change the boot order it how you want it. Pull your Microsoft OS disk out of the drive...then try it. Better yet, make your HD your first item your BIOS tries to boot from...that speeds up your computers boot time a little.

Did that already (everything's fine now, except my drive issue which is unrelated):

Originally Posted by CleanChucks Looks like all it took was GLC's suggestion...

I was just confused as to why it changed itself in the first place since I didn't touch BIOS before that.

Originally Posted by systempat Sorry for scaring you but that message is a very scary message. Especially when it did mean for me that the hard drive had failed. From the other comments it sounds like the CD drive may be first in the boot sequence before the hard drive. And you must have had a non-boot disk in it. Which is most CDs other that Windows or certain system tools. As long as the drive is empty, it pauses a second or 2 trying to find a CD and then goes to 2nd choice which should be your HD. As David states, putting the HD first will avoid this problem, AND it boots a little quicker too.

No need to be sorry. I'd read that a damaged HD was one of the causes of that error message, I was just praying that wasn't the case!

Thanks again guys