"A disk read error occurred Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to restart"

This has been happening more often frequently, but if I restart enough my computer ends up working fine. This can't be good for my system and I can't afford to lose this.

What can I do to fix this? It seems as if it's only happening when I shut down then boot the computer up, not restart. If anyone can give me any tips on how to fix this or further maintain the health of my hard drive, please let me know.

 

I'd say your HD is failing or you have a damaged file system

 

Assuming it's a damaged file system, what can I do?

 

run chkdsk

What os you running?

 

Vista Home Basic 32-bit

 

First I want you to try two easy things. Open up the case and check that the cable connecting the hard drive to the motherboard is tight. If the connection is SATA, they can work loose and that might be the cause of the problem. If the cable seems tight or it is not a SATA cable then replace the cable connecting the hd to the motherboard and see if that does anything. Ribbon cables do go bad.