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Where is my operating system?
When I try to boot up, I get the error nst?? no operating system found. I know there is xp on it, because I installed it when I got the PC. I allowed a "computer repair" jerk, I mean geek to install a larger hard drive, now nothing works and he is no where to be found. Help!!Is the OS on my hard drive or in the memory?
2 Answers
- treadnotonmeLv 51 decade agoFavorite Answer
Did the geek leave the old hard drive in?
Did he copy the data and OS over from the old drive to the new?
If "no" to both questions, then your data and OS are wherever the old drive is (with the geek?). (The OS is not "in the memory"; it'll be stored on one or the other, or both, drives.)
Otherwise, your data, and your operating system, is either on the old drive or on the new drive, but for whatever reason is not usable in its current state.
The best solution would be to boot off your Windows installation CD and go into the Repair option and run "fixmbr" and "fixboot".
If you don't have a Windows installation CD, and instead have a System Restore CD, you need to be careful if you don't want to lose forever whatever data you had on your computer.
If you don't even have a Windows installation CD, you won't be able to restore your machine to a working Windows configuration without doing one of the following:
1) Borrow someone's Windows installation CD, or a Restoration CD that will work with your computer. (Not just any version will work.)
2) Buy a full version of Windows and install it.
3) Steal a full version of Windows and install it (I'm voting "no" on this one; I hope you do, too.)
4) Restore your original drive back to its original location/setup.
Alternatively, you can switch to a free, but completely different, non-Windows operating system, such as the BSDs or some variant of Linux. Ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com)/ is a very popular version of Linux which is pretty good for Linux newbies. Be aware that Linux is just as different from Windows as is a Macintosh running OS/X. (Linux is not a good option if you are a gamer, or have some other real need for Windows, but if you're just a web surfer and email reader and general-usage type person, Linux may be a great solution.)
- 1 decade ago
Bring it back to the "geek" and tell him:
"You messed up my computer's BIOS!"
(chances are he told the computer to boot from the blank harddrive, so he should just need to redirect it back to the old harddrive.)
