Error Message: “Non-System disk or
disk error . . . Replace and strike a key
when ready.”
Translation: This simply means that
WinXP is attempting to boot from a disk (be it a
floppy diskette or one of your hard disks) that
doesn’t contain the system files
WinXP needs to start. WinXP needs
access to certain bits of information
when it starts up. Your hard drive’s
boot sector, a specific location on the
disk, contains the startup files WinXP
needs to continue the boot process. If
WinXP can’t find those files, the boot
process stops cold.
Solution: This one is either a simple
mistake or a catastrophe. First,
check to see if you have a floppy
diskette in your drive. Nine times out
of 10, this error is caused when you
leave a floppy in the disk drive, turn
off the computer, and then turn it on
again without taking the diskette out
of the drive. If the floppy is not a system
disk with the required boot files,
WinXP won’t launch. Check the floppy
drive, and if there is a diskette in
it, remove it and press any key on
your keyboard. Windows should
now start up normally.
If a forgotten floppy disk is not the
cause, then you’ve got a much bigger
problem on your hands. Somehow,
your hard drive’s boot sector has
been damaged or erased. This is typically
caused by either a boot-sector virus or a
hard drive failure. Most antivirus programs let
you create a rescue disk designed specifically
for those times when a virus renders your computer
unbootable.
If you created a rescue diskette, insert it into
your floppy drive, restart the computer, and follow
the antivirus software’s instructions to
clean the boot-sector infection and restore your
computer.
If you don’t have a rescue diskette, go to a
friend or co-worker who has one and either use
his or use his antivirus software to create one,
even if you use different antivirus programs.
Right now, your main focus should be on disinfecting
and booting your computer.