IT Queries: Computer problems answered

I can’t reload Windows XP into my Dell Computer. The first attempt was rejected Error Code 7 – couldn’t find a file. Now it loads all the data from the the XP CD then when it goes to boot into Windows there appears to be nothing there. The response is “A disk read error occurred. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart”. If you press Ctrl+Alt+Del you get the same response.

There could be three problems here, either the hard drive is corrupt, the XP installation disk is damaged or the computer’s CD/DVD drive isn’t reading the disk properly.

The first part is easy, just follow our instructions on the CD not reading disks post. Giving the drive a clean probably won’t hurt at all even if it isn’t the problem.

Checking the XP disk for damage is also simple, shine a light onto the disk and tilt it to see if there are any scratches, dirt or smudges. If the disk isn’t excessively scratched, you can clean it up with a chamois or a commercial CD or DVD cleaning kit which retails from $5 upwards.

Finally there is checking your hard drive for errors. To do this, boot the computer off your XP installation disk and follow Microsoft’s instructions for using the Windows XP Recovery Mode. Once in recovery mode, check your hard drive for bad blocks. Keep in mind this can take several hours to run.

Experience shows a faulty XP installation is often due to errors on the hard drive, so be prepared to buy a new hard drive or system if chkdsk shows excessive bad blocks.

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