Invalid / Non System Disk error

Cause:

This error can be caused by one or more of the below possibilities.

1. Floppy or CD that is not bootable is currently in the computer.
2. BIOS or CMOS setup is not setup properly.
3. Hard disk drive does not have bootable files on it.
4. The hard disk drive is bad or not connected properly.

Floppy or CD that is not bootable is currently in the computer

Verify that no floppy diskette or CD is currently in the computer. If a diskette or CD is in the computer that is not bootable your computer may attempt to boot from that diskette or CD causing this error message.

BIOS is not setup properly


1. Verify that your hard disk drive is setup and detected properly in BIOS. You're computer should list a hard disk drive installed either under the main page or the drives page in BIOS. If BIOS indicates the drive is not installed or not detected skip to Hard Disk drive is bad or not connected properly.
2. Verify the boot options are properly set in BIOS, almost all BIOS setups should contain options specifying how your computer boots. For example, most computers should have their boot options setup similar to the below example.

- Floppy drive
- CD drive
- Hard drive

3. Rest your BIOS to default values. Many BIOS will enable users to reset the values to the default settings. If you've tried the above options without success try resetting the BIOS.

Hard disk drive does not have bootable files on it

It is possible that command.com or another bootable file may be missing from the hard disk drive. Follow the below steps to possible resolve your issue.

Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME users

1. Boot from a bootable floppy diskette.
2. At the A:\> type fdisk <press enter>
3. If you receive a message no fixed disk present, read Hard Disk drive is bad or not connected properly.
4. If you are able to get into fdisk, choose option 4 to display the partition information. In the partition information, if the System is listed as FAT16 or FAT32 then continue to step 5. If you have a message indicating no partitions defined, no information is on your hard disk drive and you will need to create a new partition. See our fdisk page for additional information.
5. If you see FAT16 or FAT32 in fdisk press the ESC key until back at the A:\>
6. Once at the A:\> type, sys c: <press enter> (only do this command if you are using the same operating system that this diskette was created on).
7. This should return a message 'System Transferred', if you receive bad command or file name and have verified you have typed the command properly, you will need to obtain a bootable diskette with the file sys.com on it.
8. If system was transferred successfully, reboot the computer and issue should be resolved.

Windows 2000 and Windows XP users

1. Boot from either your ERD, your bootable Windows CD, or your bootable restore CD.
2. Once boot attempt to repair Windows. If you're able to repair Windows remove the disks and reboot the computer.

All users

If your operating system is not listed above or the above steps did not resolve your issue you can also try erasing the hard disk drive and starting over.

The hard disk drive is bad or not connected properly

If you have attempted all above suggestions and you are still encountering the same issues, verify the connections are properly connected to the computer if the hard drive was recently installed or the computer was moved.


Unfortunately, if all connections are setup properly and all the above recommendations have been attempted, it is likely that the hard disk drive is bad and it will need to be replaced.

Great writeup. Extremely informative and greatly appreciated. I know i'll definitely be referring to it if I ever get this problem