no beeps and no operating system found

[szbenn]

I turn on the computer and it came up with black screen and writing, it gave me options to load up last good configuration or windows normally, but it paused on normally and would not load up. (I thought it was the keyboard, but as you fire up it does give you the f1 f12 options successfully). Now, I have no beeps and it says no operating system found. I reset the bios and on the first boot up, before reverting back to the above it said:

System configuration data updated
ERROR
8278: Real time clock error
WARNING
8251: System CMOS checksum bad – Default configuration used
ATTENTION! WRONG HARD – DISK CONFIGURATION
MAY CAUSE BOOT FAILURE OR LOSS OF DATA !
CHECK LBA TRANSLATION MODE
ERROR
8288: previous boot incomplete - Default configuration used
ATTENTION! WRONG HARD – DISK CONFIGURATION
MAY CAUSE BOOT FAILURE OR LOSS OF DATA !
CHECK LBA TRANSLATION MODE

Press [f1] to resume, [f2] to setup

Can anyone help, is this saying my Cmos need a new battery? Cos I remember something like this at college years ago

 

[MarkBarl]

How old is the PC? Is is quite rare for the CMOS battery to go. It does look however that your BIOS may have been corrupted and has returned to a default setup. If you press F2 to get into the setup and make sure that the hard drive is recognised etc, see if it will boot. You could also try upgrading the firmware of the BIOS. If you are not sure how to do this, post the make and model of your PC and we'll have a look for the latest firmware and post some instructions.

 

[^neo^]

for the price of a battery, i'd change it anyway.
After that go into the bios and set everything back up and see what happens.

 

[szbenn]

How old is the PC? Is is quite rare for the CMOS battery to go. It does look however that your BIOS may have been corrupted and has returned to a default setup. If you press F2 to get into the setup and make sure that the hard drive is recognised etc, see if it will boot. You could also try upgrading the firmware of the BIOS. If you are not sure how to do this, post the make and model of your PC and we'll have a look for the latest firmware and post some instructions.

The bios is saying under ide drive 1 and 2, NONE. Oh dear! I rebooted and it said Operating system not found. The computer was bought about 5 years ago at a computer fair, as a custom built computer, Make is fujitsu siemens and the model no. is YBTM331502. I appreciate your help. Thanks

 

[Spark123]

I think you may need to detect your hard disk in bios for a start. It sounds like windows had become corrupt but your tinkering with bios has caused it to also lose the hard disk configuration.
Do you have a windows disk?

 

[szbenn]

I think you may need to detect your hard disk in bios for a start. It sounds like windows had become corrupt but your tinkering with bios has caused it to also lose the hard disk configuration.
Do you have a windows disk?

I have windows XP Home

 

[TonyWarrington]

ERROR
8278: Real time clock error
WARNING
8251: System CMOS checksum bad – Default configuration used

As others have said these errors could be caused by several problems most likely a battery problem, although it could also be caused by Bios being upset by either an update or a new program installed which modified the BIOS.
I would definitely get a new battery as a starting point

ATTENTION! WRONG HARD – DISK CONFIGURATION
MAY CAUSE BOOT FAILURE OR LOSS OF DATA !
CHECK LBA TRANSLATION MODE

It does sound as though your BIOS has lost the disk configuration settings. Hopefully you should be able to set the BIOS to Auto to recognise your particular HD. Failing that you will have to get the manufacturers details and input them manually in the BIOS configuration screen.

Hopefully with a new battery and BIOS reset you will get back your system

 

[Spark123]

I'm still of the opinion there are two completely separate problems - a windows software problem and a hardware problem in the BIOS. If you go into bios there should be an option to auto detect ide drives or something similar, you need to do this, save the configuration and restart. Hopefully you will then get to the windows boot menu.

Once you can get this far you will need your windows CD, set the PC to boot from CD (again in bios) by setting the boot order. This should hopefully get you to the windows XP restore console (can't remember what to click but I think it is quite streight forwards). Once there at the prompt you need to type CHKDSK /R
See if this comes back with any errors.
Reboot your system and see if windows loads now.

 

[TonyWarrington]

I'm still of the opinion there are two completely separate problems - a windows software problem and a hardware problem in the BIOS. If you go into bios there should be an option to auto detect ide drives or something similar, you need to do this, save the configuration and restart. Hopefully you will then get to the windows boot menu.

Once you can get this far you will need your windows CD, set the PC to boot from CD (again in bios) by setting the boot order. This should hopefully get you to the windows XP restore console (can't remember what to click but I think it is quite streight forwards). Once there at the prompt you need to type CHKDSK /R
See if this comes back with any errors.
Reboot your system and see if windows loads now.

I agree that as well as the hardware issues in BIOS there is likely a problem with Windows being corrupt

To access the Windows XP Recovery Console use the Windows XP CD-ROM to start your computer. At the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press F10 or press 'R" to repair.

 

[Notsoandy]

I had a similar problem recently. It was caused by a driver problem on an external hard drive that was attached to the computer via a USB port. Once the external hard drive was unplugged it worked fine.

 

[szbenn]

I'm still of the opinion there are two completely separate problems - a windows software problem and a hardware problem in the BIOS. If you go into bios there should be an option to auto detect ide drives or something similar, you need to do this, save the configuration and restart. Hopefully you will then get to the windows boot menu.

Once you can get this far you will need your windows CD, set the PC to boot from CD (again in bios) by setting the boot order. This should hopefully get you to the windows XP restore console (can't remember what to click but I think it is quite streight forwards). Once there at the prompt you need to type CHKDSK /R
See if this comes back with any errors.
Reboot your system and see if windows loads now.

I agree that as well as the hardware issues in BIOS there is likely a problem with Windows being corrupt

To access the Windows XP Recovery Console use the Windows XP CD-ROM to start your computer. At the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press F10 or press 'R" to repair.

I have got a new battery in, fired up and still said Operating System not found. I went into the bios and checked it was on Auto detect and it was but none in the list of ide 1 and 2. So I then put windows XP in and restarted it fired up and at the prompt I press R to repair I went onto a Dos screen where it asked me to select which windows i want to logon to (only one listed) it still waited for something cos then it saying bad command or something like that. I am now installing windows I will let you know how I have got on.

 

[szbenn]

I'm still of the opinion there are two completely separate problems - a windows software problem and a hardware problem in the BIOS. If you go into bios there should be an option to auto detect ide drives or something similar, you need to do this, save the configuration and restart. Hopefully you will then get to the windows boot menu.

Once you can get this far you will need your windows CD, set the PC to boot from CD (again in bios) by setting the boot order. This should hopefully get you to the windows XP restore console (can't remember what to click but I think it is quite streight forwards). Once there at the prompt you need to type CHKDSK /R
See if this comes back with any errors.
Reboot your system and see if windows loads now.

I agree that as well as the hardware issues in BIOS there is likely a problem with Windows being corrupt

To access the Windows XP Recovery Console use the Windows XP CD-ROM to start your computer. At the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press F10 or press 'R" to repair.

I have got a new battery in, fired up and still said Operating System not found. I went into the bios and checked it was on Auto detect and it was but none in the list of ide 1 and 2. So I then put windows XP in and restarted it fired up and at the prompt I press R to repair I went onto a Dos screen where it asked me to select which windows i want to logon to (only one listed) it still waited for something cos then it saying bad command or something like that. I am now installing windows I will let you know how I have got on.

NO Luck, after installing a fresh copy it still says on the kreboot, Operating System not found. What can I do?

 

[TonyWarrington]

I have got a new battery in, fired up and still said Operating System not found.
Not a surprise if it could not recognise your hardisk or find Windows

I went into the bios and checked it was on Auto detect and it was but none in the list of ide 1 and 2.
Sorry dont understand your comments here. What was set on Auto detect? On the list for IDE 1 and 2 did it actually say "none"?
Are you sure that hard drive is IDE not SCSI?

So I then put windows XP in and restarted it fired up and at the prompt I press R to repair I went onto a Dos screen where it asked me to select which windows i want to logon to (only one listed) it still waited for something cos then it saying bad command or something like that.
Bad command means something wrong can you be more precise on the message?
EDIT: Did you type in CHKDSK /R as Spar123 suggested?
What did you do next?

I am now installing windows I will let you know how I have got on.
Cant see how when your Hardisk does not seem to be recognised and you have an error message stating something!

NO Luck, after installing a fresh copy it still says on the kreboot, Operating System not found. What can I do?

Could do with more info on your system you say that this was a computer fair purchase and custom built. What BIOS is it (Award, AMi, Phoenix etc) and version number? What hardisk - mnfctr and model number and size?
What are the custom built features you mentioned?

With this information may be in a better position to offer help. In the meantime:

First - typical reasons for message "Operating System Not Found" is BIOS does not detect your disk, hardisk is damaged or part of the disk has become corrupted.

You need to make sure that your hardisk is recognised in BIOS - I dont think yours is. You inferred that BIOS showed an entry of "none" for IDE drives. Depends on BIOS but it should show something i.e. Auto or Name of HD or a series of numbers representing the disks physical parameters.
Can you select where it says "none" and use arrow keys to change to Auto or similar?