Home » Questions » Computers [ Ask a new question ]

Windows XP: A disk read error occurred. Press CTRL-ALT-DEL to restart

Windows XP: A disk read error occurred. Press CTRL-ALT-DEL to restart

When i start my system it says A disk read error occurred. Press CTRL-ALT-DEL to restart.my operating system is windows xp

Asked by: Guest | Views: 310
Total answers/comments: 2
Guest [Entry]

"Your hard disk is most probably failing. I hope that your important data is all backed up.

Your options are:

Take the disk out and connect it to another computer, save your data, reformat, then reinstall Windows.
Save your data, replace by a new disk, reinstall Windows.
Try to resuscitate the hard disk by using a commercial product such as SpinRite or HDD Regenerator. (May still require reinstalling Windows if the system file in question cannot be repaired.)"
Guest [Entry]

"harrymc is right — your HDD is likely on its way out. Fortunately, in my experience, it seems that you can usually recover the data before the disk dies entirely. I would recommend against continuing to use that disk for anything important.

You don't necessarily need a commercial program to rescue the disk. Often it will work to boot off of the installation CD and enter the recovery console, then run a chkdsk. This will repair bad sectors of the drive, and you should be able to boot into it long enough to recover your files to an external drive if they aren't backed up. Then start shopping for a new drive. If you need any help figuring out what kind of hard drive your computer takes, we can help you determine that."