Major Computer problem - Reboot and Select Proper Boot device

[TechStuey05]

Hi, I have an Sony Vaio Computer, it's approximately 6 years old.

The power went out temporarily (I have the Computer plugged into a surge protector) and when I turned the computer on I noticed a black screen that says "Reboot and Select Proper Boot device or insert boot media in selected boot device and press a key".

It says this every time I restart the computer. It won't get passed the boot screen. I saw a message that said something about a failed hard drive but I forgot what I did to get that screen to appear.

This is my Mom's computer and she has not used it in about 2 months. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[SticKx911]

bad boot hard drive.

try booting from cd or usb. most likely needs a new drive. storage is cheap no a days, so not a big deal fix per-say. Just a loss of data that could be an issue.

 

[-(Xyphox)-]

Sounds like the unmountable boot volume problem
With a Windows XP Disk. Boot off disk, go into windows install, Hit R when it asks to install or Repair
Once Command Prompt opens, type this in
chkdsk /r
Do this 2 or 3 times until it fixes the errors
Then type
Fixboot <enter>
Fixmbr <enter>

Should fix it

 

[SticKx911]

^ now that's just awesome. I didn't know that. I always just reformat/reinstall at that point if the drive is still salvageable.