windows xp home startup error

Hi, just a cuple of days ago i went to a computer store an bought more memory for my computer. The guy installed it and then started up my computer at the store and everything worked fine, but then when i get home and startup my computer i get this error that says "Cannot read disk". I dont have any disks in my drives so i have no idea whas going on. Can sombody help me?

 

The first thing I would check, is the disk drives themselves. There is the possibilty that a simple mechanical problem developed from the transport of your system to the store and back. Simply stick disks in all of the disk drives you have several times opening and closing them. Follow that with opening and closing them with nothing in them.

After that shutdown and reboot. See if it reoccurs. If it does, itmay be a firmware problem. Go to your disk drive manufacturer and download any firmware updates for your drives, or if none then the most recent firmware installed in the drives, and reinstall the firmware.

I doubt if installing memory has anything to do with the problem. That is a pretty basic upgrade.

I had the same problem with my system, and really don't know what fixed it. It just doesn't do it anymore. I have done so many upgrades to my system since that it is hard to say why or when it resolved itself. I think probably the firmware updates I did. But that is just guessing.

If none of this helps, come on back, and maybe someone else has a better Idea that might solve it.

 

make sure your IDE cable on your hard drive is connected good.

 

Does bios see all your drives? Especially the hard drive?

How old is this computer? Pre-Auto-Park era?

Do you have a floppy drive (3.5"), if so, is there a disk in it?

 

he said he had no disks in his drives

 

Yep, you are correct. My bad habit of skimming over an initial post and rapidly posting something that my fingers want to type, but my brain already registered but hasn't processed thoroughly, needs to stop. (excuses, excuses.......).

Though, I'm still wondering if bios can see the hdd.

 

ok ive open and closed the disk drives severtimes that works fine,
i cant install anyupdates for firnmware because i cant even get on the computer it just stops in the startup, ive opend the cpu up and looking in and all the plugs are going into the drives, im kinda a rookie when t comes to this stuff so im not sure what bios is or how to start it, o, and the computer is only a few years old. Im not sure what else i can say to try to help u guys understand

 

Where EXACTLY does the computer stop at startup?