HDD screwed up?

Fuga

So when I boot up my computer it says something like

"VERIFYING DMI POOL DATA..............
BOOT FROM CD :
DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER"

Now it doesn´t start if the windows disk isn´t in, earlier it just said "press any key if you want to boot from cd" if I had the windows cd in, now it just demands it.
So I put it in, it loads, then I choose to reinstall winxp, and on the next screen it says:

"Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer.
Make sure any hard disk drives are powered on and properly connected
to your computer, and that any disk-related hardware configuration is correct. This may involve running a manufacturer-supplied diagnostic or setup program.

Setup cannot continue. To quit Setup, press F3."

Whaat? Is my hdd screwed up because this started pretty randomly, it started after I in bios menu chose "load optimized defaults" because my computer wouldn´t run because of another problem, then this started happening.
So what do I do if I can´t even reinstall my os or format c: ?

Dixon

Ok got a few things here to hopefully narrow down the problem
1) Make sure your harddrive is being detected in the bios
2) if you have another drive hooked up in the system, disconnect it in case it's trying to boot from that (Although if the Windows CD can't see it, it doesn't really make a difference)
3) In your bios select the "Reset options to default" setting in case something has been changed that shouldn't be
4) Make sure the harddrive is acutally connected to the system both on the harddrive and mobo side, I once had a drive where the sata cable had some how fallen out and it took me a while to realise...
5) If none of this works, go to another computer and download seatools I think it's called and burn it to a cd then boot from that cd. This program is a diagnostic thing and might give you some answers

Fuga

1) isn´t detected
3) don´t see such option
5) it won´t start diagnosing because it says no hdd detected

mrbernz

In your BIOS poke around in the different menus and look for a cable things. If you hard drive is connected via IDE, (wide flat cable) look to see if there is an option about enable/disabling IDE. It might also say primary and secondary. If you hard drive is connected by a smaller cable less than an inch wide, it is SATA. Check the bios for SATA setting.

Fuga

Don´t see such option. And it´s SATA.

Transparent

Not being detected could be a bios setting, the hard drive, or the cables. Do you have another computer to test with to eliminate the last two options?

Also I'd try moving the hard drive to a different port.

Desert_Eagle25

DMI Pool Corruption can cause this. Curious though, that now it's not being detected, because usually a quick reinstall of Windows fixes this and all your data tends to be saved if you dont do a reformat. Stick another HDD in there and set that as master, your old one as Slave, and see what happens. If it still comes up as nil, even in Computer Management under a fresh Windows Install, then it is probably dead.