Boot and detection · job notes · ADR-2025-3153
The Machine Powered Up and Found No Disk.
He pressed the button on his laptop and it began searching for a local area network to use as the starting point. The screen showed PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable
followed by No Boot Device Found
. He had already entered the configuration menu and tried specifying boot from Hard-Disk in the BIOS
. In addition, he had removed the computer cover and confirmed that the drive was securely attached
. These actions were both reasonable, but they had no effect on this situation because a PC will only move on to a network search option after it has attempted to boot using every other available option. Pictures and videos were what he wanted.
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What failed, and why.
PXE is not a failure. PXE is the last entry in a list. The machine operates in the manner of a list, working through the entries of the boot order until every disk entry fails. Once all disk entries fail the machine uses the network as its final entry to broadcast, find nothing and report a media test failure. The name "network" refers to the fact that this was the last action attempted, and not that there is a problem with the network. All that is reported is that a disk did not respond in sufficient time. Changing the boot order manually produces no results; an entry can only be selected if something responds. Checking the cable does not change that either, although it was worthwhile. What is left is the disk, and there are two possible scenarios with respect to it: one that cannot run and one that runs normally but no longer contains the necessary information required for a machine to start. At the boot screen these appear to be equivalent. However, on a workbench they are quite distinct.
What the bench did with it.
The order of the job →| Equipment used | Its work on this job | The reason for it |
|---|---|---|
| ACE Lab PC-3000 Express | Health assessed first, since a disk that is not found may be failing or simply unbootable | This allows access to the manufacturer's service area (where normal ATA commands cannot go) |
| PC-3000 Data Extractor | Copy taken with retry limits prior to attempting any additional start-ups | Instead of working around the drive's firmware and controller, it works with the two natively |
| R-Studio Technician | File system parsed on the copy, boot structures rebuilt, picture folders first | Constructs an array from the images, and reads nearly every file system |
What the bench did with it.
Take it out of the laptop and measure it
The disk was removed from the laptop before any additional start-up attempts were undertaken, as every subsequent attempt to start would involve further readings of a disk whose condition is not yet known. Using vendor-level equipment it identified the disk, and it read it. This already separates two very distinct jobs: a mechanical failure, and a good, mechanically sound disk carrying a non-functional boot record. This was the second of those jobs.
Just one copy, with the retries limited
Not one repair operation was performed on the disk itself. It was copied behind a hardware write blocker. Retry limits were placed on attempts at each address such that an especially difficult region could not hold the run up, and those regions were reserved for a final sweep. Every previous attempt at start-up had used reads against the regions of least importance. From that point on, the disk would only have one reading operation applied to it and then it would be left alone.
Rebuild the boot structures on the copy
Instead of parsing the file system on the original disk, it was parsed on the copy of the disk. Damaged boot structures were rebuilt from whatever remained intact elsewhere on the volume. His picture and video folders were processed first as requested, and each file was rendered instead of just being listed.
What went home.
The images and videos were transferred onto new media and each was rendered here before leaving. No repairs were made to his laptop as it didn't require any repairs; the fault had never been the laptop's.
Begin here if yours is doing the same thing.
Other jobs that began at the mains.
Yours doing something similar? Power it down first.
Published prices are fixed. Memory cards and USB sticks are £250 + VAT. Any stand-alone drive is £300 + VAT. Drive configurations containing multiple disks (RAID, NAS or server) start at £500 + VAT. First assessments are always complimentary. Thereafter, data recovery charges are also fixed in advance and in writing, so you'll always know how much you owe before paying any money. Shut it down, get a quote first (by phone or with the form), then send it in or drop it off at our Guildford intake laboratory, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm (no appointment needed). On most jobs you only pay if we recover your data.