WTF help!

Ok so I got a comp for free, it's windows XP. Well I started it up and it works REAL GOOD, has some programs like MSN Messenger, Nero, thats about it.

Now I open the tower up to look inside, and i see some spider webs.. no biggie i cleaned them up. I took out one of the memory sticks ( I think thats what its called ) just to take a look at it, put it back on. Now when I turned the PC on I get this......

Searching for boot record from CDROM......Not found
Searching for boot record from Floppy.......Not found

Drive not redy
Insert Boot diskette in A:
Press any key when ready

So I'm like WTF:banghead: , I restarted the PC like 10 times and it's still like that. Need help ASAP, Thanks in advance.


Heres a pic of the memory stick I took out and put back ( I think thats what its called )

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a8/twofourty/comp.jpg



-Matt

Well the error you are getting its not related to the memory stick. (Unless its one of those very rare errors where the stick is conected well enough to boot but it can still cause some random error with the the IDE crontroller. Anyway make double sure the stick is seated properly)

The system its telling you that it cannot find the operating system which is on the HD.

Now the question is: did you mess with the HD or its cables at all? if you did make sure the IDE cable (wide ribbon one) is properly connected to both the mobo and the HD and properly aligned (it needs to have the red stripe by the pin 1 on both HD and mobo). Then make sure the molex conector is also plugged in so the HD receives power. If you moved the slave/master jumper around (small little conector on the back of the drive) we'll get to that too.


Now if everything is in place and its still not working get into the bios by hitting the "del" key (or a different one if the comp indicates so at boot time). in there find a setting that selects the boot order. make sure that the HD is on that menu (it should be called something along the lines of: hard drive; IDE 1 or 2; primary or secondary master or slave depending on its conection).

Dude thanks alot Neutrino! lol, just what you said.
Then make sure the molex conector is also plugged in so the HD receives power.

It probably got loose when I was cleaning the inside lol, thanks again.

-Matt

glad i could help :)