cd boot

[jwelsh]

I just posted a problem booting my computer with a CD. On investigating
further I find the following: The computer doesn't recognize that a CD is
in the drive when I try to boot up. From a Windows XP setup disk it says it
can't find ntldr. I replaced that file from another computer that doesn't
have this problem. No go. And from a Windows 98 disk the computer ignores
the cd in the drive and just boots up to the hard disk. I have set the
bios to boot up first from the CD. The CD drive works once Windows XP is
started. If I have a bad CD drive I would expect it not to work in Windows.
So what can be causing the problem? Why isn't it seeing boot cds? By the
way these boot cds work fine on my other computers.

 

[Chuck]

The CD drive and or the MBD may not support a CD Boot. If the CD drive is an
IDE or EIDE drive, it's likely the drive.
If the CD Drive is a SCSI drive, the BIOS may not have SCSI drivers loaded
into BIOS or active if loaded. Finally, the CD drive may require a firmware
update to support CD booting. Remember that windows loads drivers for the CD
drive.

 

[jwelsh]

The cd drive does support booting. This drive worked fine a year ago when I
installed Windows XP from the Microsoft setup disk. It's only in the last
few days that I discovered it would no longer boot from CDs. Is it possible
that the CD drive could be bad and yet recognize CDs once Windows fully
loads? I don;t know whether the CD drive--a Lite-On LTN483s-- is a SCSCI
drive or not--I think it is. I haven't changed the bios since I successfully
installed Windows XP from the setup CD.

 

[John]

The cd drive does support booting. This drive worked fine a year ago when I
installed Windows XP from the Microsoft setup disk. It's only in the last
few days that I discovered it would no longer boot from CDs. Is it possible
that the CD drive could be bad and yet recognize CDs once Windows fully
loads? I don;t know whether the CD drive--a Lite-On LTN483s-- is a SCSCI
drive or not--I think it is. I haven't changed the bios since I successfully
installed Windows XP from the setup CD.

Its possible that the CD drive isn't in the boot chain. Have you checked
Bios and set the CD drive to boot *before* the hardrive?

John

 

[jwelsh]

Yes, as I wrote, I have set the cd rom in bios to boot before the hard disk.