DISK BOOT FAILURE INSERT SYSTEM DISK

this could be an indication of the drive failing
run the appropriate disk diagnostic program
www.fujitsu.com 
http://www.storage.ibm.com/hdd/support/download.htm
www.maxtor.com 
www.seagate.com 
www.wdc.com/service/ftp/drives.html
www.westerndigital.com 

Also when I run Disk Doctor sometimes there are errors with the Indexes which appear alone or at times with the Security Descriptors errors. Thanks again.

This error is coz of ur system boot failiure. Now tell me that Windows directory and files are present on your hard disk or u formated or remove some files from windows folder, any way Now u can  boot /start your system in DOS by using  Boot able CD or boot able floppy. to make boot able flopy Go to any other Win98 pc and make it from
controlpanel > add remove programs > make start up disk> then insert a empty floppy disk in floppy drive and follow the screen instructions.like next next and finish.
After that set boot sequence of ur system from bios by pressing DEL of F10 key (depending on ur system) then change boot sequence like 1st boot deviece Floppy , 2nd boot device CD rom , 3rd Boot device Hard disk , (this is very famous combination of boot sequence) then save settings ,restart system and use boot able floppy or CD to go in Dos and IF u want to Install windows Again then Insert windows Cd and start installation after that ur system will OK!

Thank Mehranck, would a WIN98 boot floppy work on an XP OS? How do I make a boot floppy with XP? The OS is XP Home Edition, sorry if I did'nt make that clear.

Thank Mehranck, would a WIN98 boot floppy work on an XP OS? How do I make a boot floppy with XP? The OS is XP Home Edition, sorry if I did'nt make that clear.

StevenLewis I ran diagnostics on the hard drive and it tested fine. Thanks for the info.

Steven is there a way to know if the IDE controller is initializing correctly? Is there a record kept? Could this problem be caused by a driver or software? Thanks

the ide controller is hardware, and the error message would come before any software/drivers would load
"DISK BOOT FAILURE" is a hardware message

what it means is either the controller or the disk didn't initialize
this message is delivered from the bios, and not the OS

Steven does the IDE controller have a possible driver/software problem that would cause this? Or could there be something wrong with the BIOS? Does the BIOS have the driver/software for the IDE controller? If so would reloading or updating the BIOS correct it? Also would restoring the system take care of this? Thanks for the info.

>Steven does the IDE controller have a possible driver/software problem that would cause this
while the chipset drivers are for this, you are getting the error before the OS (and the drivers load) so no, they would cause this particular error message

>Or could there be something wrong with the BIOS?
Highly unlikely

>Does the BIOS have the driver/software for the IDE controller
no

> If so would reloading or updating the BIOS correct it?
highly unlikely

>Also would restoring the system take care of this
no

when you boot the machine,
it will POST first (power on self test)
this test the memory and circutry (if it fals you will get a series of beeps)
it then reads the bios
 the bios tells the machine what the parameters are (what hard drive, floppy drive, cd drives, how much memory, etc)
it also tells it where to find the boot strap routine (usually on the first hard drive)
it will then try and access that drive, and if it can't (due to the drive not spinning, or the ide controller not initializing correctly (not getting the right electrical signal)
it will give you that error message
it will give different error messages if the boot strap routine is not found on the MBR (invalid system disk)

I am fairly certain (98%) that when you get this message it means the hard drive has a problem either spinning up, or with the controller card built in (it can even be the cable)
the fact that you can get it to boot by re-trying indicates the drive is not toast, but my recomendation would be to get another drive, and drive copy the data over
mos new drives come with utiliteis to do this
You cna then slave the original drive and sue it for storage, but I wouldn't trust it much longer, or one day you won't be able to retry and have it work

another thing to try of course is open the case, andmake sure the cable is seatd correctly (a slightly loose cable can cause this

Steven another question how hot should the hard drive get? It is a IBM DeskStar 123.5GB 7200rpm if that maters it seems to be getting around 140 f I will get something to measure it. I quess it could also be the mother board. Thanks Steven I will have to back up my data and do some testing and keep a log to see when this happens. If you think of any other possiblities please let me know. Thanks again

that one I don't know, never measured the temp of a drive, some get hotter than others
they do make cooler fans for hard drives (they take up andother bay, but work well)

Steven thanks it seems that the IDE interface cable wasn't fully seated on the mother board. I haven't got that error message since I had removed the hard drive to get the mfg spec's. When I noticed that the IDE interface cable was easily removed from the mother board. But it didn't dawn on me till later that the cable came off a little too easy. BTW the hard drive temp with the unit closed was about 105F, it was hotter with it open understandably. Thanks again Steven.

Glad you tracked it down :~)