6 Fixes: Loading Operating System, Disk Boot Failure

The issue: loading operating system, disk boot failure

Disk boot failure is a common issue encountered by a lot of users. When it happens, the screen will display:

Loading Operating System ...

Boot from CD/DVD :

DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER

This message tells you that your PC cannot start because it cannot find the operating system. The error “Loading operating system, disk boot failure” can be caused by various reasons:

• CD/DVD left in the disk reader

• New hard drive installed

• Faulty data cables

• Incorrect boot sequence

• Damaged hard drive

• Corrupted system files…

After getting reasons, the most important thing is to fix “disk boot failure, insert system disk and press enter” accordingly. You can learn six quick fixes in the next part.

How to resolve “loading operating system, disk boot failure” easily

According to the reasons, you may find some of them are very conventional. Thus, you need to conduct an initial screening with the first 3 fixes and then try others.

Fix 1: Check if there is a CD/DVD inserted to your computer

Open the optical disc drive on your computer to check if there is a CD/DVD. Remove the disk if you find one and try to boot your PC again.

Fix 2: Check if you have installed a new hard drive on your computer

Disk boot failure with a new hard drive is normal and can be repaired easily. Just insert the Windows installation CD into the PC, and then boot from the CD.

Fix 3: Check data cables and jumpers

Make sure the jumpers are properly set on the hard drive where Windows is installed. Re-plug the cables of the hard disk to see if it works. If it doesn’t work, you may replace the cables and try again.

Fix 4: Set your computer hard drive as the first boot device

1. Restart the computer and continuously press a specific key to get into BIOS. The key to open BIOS can be listed on the first screen that appears, before the Windows logo shows up. It is likely to be Esc, Del, F2, F8, F10 or F12.

2. Go to the Boot tab and move “Hard Drive” to the top of the boot order list by pressing “+” or “-”.

3. Press F10 to save changes and restart computer.

Tip: Since every BIOS setup utility is different, the menu option or configuration item might be called Boot, Boot Options, Boot Order, etc. The boot order option may even be located within a general menu option like Advanced Options, Advanced BIOS Features, or Other Options.

Fix 5: Check hard disk errors with the CHKDSK utility

1. Insert the Windows installation disc and boot from it.

2. Navigate to Repair Your Computer > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.

3. In the Command Prompt window, type chkdsk C: /r and press Enter. You may replace C: with the letter of the drive where Windows is installed.

4. Type exit and press Enter to exit Command Prompt. Restart your computer to see if disk boot failure is solved.

Fix 6: Restore system from a restore point recorded on your PC

1. Insert the Windows installation disc and boot from it.

2. Navigate to Repair Your Computer > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore. Follow the System Restore wizard to finish the recovery process.

Note: To perform system restore, you should have created system restore points before.

How to prevent data loss from disk boot failure again 

From the reasons of "loading operating system, disk boot failure”, you know the error may result in data loss and system crash. To further avoid data loss due to it or other boot errors like “Error loading operating system”, it's suggested to create a system backup after fixing it. With a system backup image, you can easily restore your computer to the previous working condition and all the data on the system will be restored as well.

AOMEI Backupper Standard provides all-around backup solutions for you.

💛 There are five types of backup available: System/Disk/Partition/File Backup and Cloud Backup. You can choose one by your purpose.
💛 It still provides the Schedule Backup feature to run backup task automatically at fixed intervals, from daily to monthly. It also enables you to do block level incremental backup or backup only used sectors of file system to improve the backup efficiency.
💛 In addition, it allows you to create bootable media (CD/DVD, USB or ISO file) to boot computer when it fails to boot. And it will include all the features of this software if you use Windows PE boot disc type during the creation process.

All Windows PC operating systems including Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP are supported. Just download this freeware to create a copy of your system to protect data. 

To fix disk boot failure in Windows 10/8/7, you should do two things in advance:

1. Create bootable media to boot your computer. During the process, you need to choose bootable disc type and bootable media.

• Bootable Disc Type - Windows PE or Linux: The first applies to Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista and include all of the features in this software. While for the second one, it's a bootable disc without installing any toolkits.
• Bootable Media - CD/DVD, USB, or ISO file: You can choose to create a bootable media with one of the supported media. If you don't have any of them, you can still try Recovery Environment in the following picture.

2. Perform system backup when the computer is in good condition. You need to pay attention to the following items:

• The system and boot partition(s) are selected by default.
• Multiple backup destinations: You can backup system to USB flash drive, external hard drive, network drive, cloud drive, etc as long as your computer recognizes it.
• USB plug in: If your backup disk is USB drive, the paid feature "USB plug in" will be an excellent option. Because it will backup system to USB drive automatically when it's plugged in.
• Advanced backup and cleanup methods: If you upgrade to the professional version, you can still enjoy advanced backup method (Differential Backup) and By quantity, By time, By daily/weekly/monthly, and By space cleanup methods.

Wrapping things up

There are six quick fixes to the issue of “loading operating system, disk boot failure” offered in this article. Hope one of them works for you. To further avoid data loss due to disk boot failure, the best way is to create a bootable drive and performed system backup with free backup software - AOMEI Backupper.

With it, you can easily get your computer back without downtime. Thus, if you still don't have a system backup, hurry up and download this software to create one! You will be more pleased to find it also enables you to clone SSD to another SSD with the "Disk Clone" feature.