Laptop problem - 'A disk read error occured'
It comes up with this message everytime I try and start up my laptop. I installed the latest Football Manager 2007 patch last night. Afterwards when I was turning it off I knocked the cable on the back of my laptop which switched it off as it was shutting down (battery doesn't work, have to keep it plugged in). I can't restart it in safe mode and I've put in my recovery cd and it says press any key to boot from cd .I do that and it says 'inspecting system hardware'. Then nothing happens. What's wrong, what shall I do ?
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A'ight... installed a patch, then knocked the (power?) cable and had an improper shut down.
Does the error message say anything more than "a disk read error occured" like a number or anything?
Who is the laptop from (company)? Is there a diagnostic disc that came with it?
Do you have files on the laptop that aren't backed up that you need to keep?
What message do you get when you try to boot into safe mode? The same thing? Do you get the message before or after it gets to booting Windows?
Hopefully we can get this sorted for you soon
You're saying the Recovery CD freezes as well? Again, were you waiting a fairly long time? I'd just let it sit for 15 minutes once and see if it continues.
If it's still no dice... I'm pretty sure it's a hardware problem. It's kinda a roulette to find the faulty component: Hard drive, memory, or motherboard.
My next suggestion is to unscrew the back and then unplug and re-plug in the hard drive connector(s). Try the system again.
If that doesn't work, try taking the memory out (grab a piece of metal first to get rid of any static built up on your hands), blow on it, and put it back in. Try the system again.
Try resetting the CMOS too. This is generally done by moving a little pin-cover-thing (called a 'jumper') on the motherboard. Try Googling your laptop model with the words "reset CMOS" and see if you can find a diagram. If not, it's possible to find it on the motherboard if you look real close. Let me know if you need some more help with this step.
Those were my "maybe something got jiggled or set wrong options". If none of that works, then it's time for the "something died" options:
You could try replacing the hard drive, hard drive cable (if possible), and/or memory (assuming your warranty is expired - otherwise call them). Personally, I'd try them in that order. If none of that works, it leaves the motherboard... which basically means it's time for a new laptop.
If it gets down to replacing hardware, I guess it's possible something shorted out when you hit the power cord. I've never heard of that happening, but it's the only explanation I can think of for this.
Let us know how it goes or if you have more questions