A disk read error occurred. Press ctrl+alt+del to restart
By jonnifc
@jonnifc (1017)
Philippines
September 23, 2010 4:43am CST
I'm using a Dell Inspiron 1440 and that message keeps appearing everytime I start my laptop up. But ctrl+alt+del doesn't work. My sister says my hard drive may be the problem. There might be bad sectors. Or it might be a virus. But she's not really sure. Does anyone know how I can solve this problem without having my laptop professionally serviced? I'm not really tech-y so if any of you have suggestions, if you don't mind, please explain it like I'm stupid or something. 
1 person likes this
2 responses
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
23 Sep 10
This almost certainly indicates that you have bad sectors on your hard disk. The safest option would be to:
1) Back up your data
2) Make sure that you have the installation disks/software of all the programs you use
3) Reformat the hard disk, choosing to repair/lock bad sectors if the option appears
4) Reinstall Windows
5) Reinstall your other programs
6) Restore your data.
Most laptops (and most PCs) have a 'Restore' disc and/or a hidden partition on the hard disk which will do (3) and (4) for you relatively easily. On a laptop, the program is usually accessed at start up by holding down a key while you switch on or by pressing a function key immediately after switching on and before the Windows start screen appears. On most Dell laptops, you should press F8 repeatedly immediately after switching on. This should bring up a Restore/Repair menu.
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
23 Sep 10
I agree that that is somewhat tricky!
What I would try first would be to repeatedly press F8 immediately after switching on to see if you can get the Dell Restore/Repair program to start. You should get a menu in white on black (very basic text) with several options.
If you can get this menu and one of the options is to 'Repair Windows', try this first but if it offers to format your disk, don't allow it. This option doesn't destroy any of your data (as 'Restore to Factory Settings' would) and might, at least, allow you to start Windows so that you can back up your data.
If that doesn't work, then I'm afraid the only option is to take it to a repair centre and discuss what needs doing with them. You will have to consider what data (word processing, spreadsheets, photos, music, for example) you have stored and what of it is really essential to save. Even if a hard disk has bad sectors and won't boot into Windows, most of it is still very likely readable and, if it were put into another PC as a secondary drive, it would be possible to save most (if not all) of your work. This is time-consuming and therefore expensive. Most engineers would simply reformat the drive and restore the PC to the condition it was in when it was new. Whatever you had added since then would have to be reinstalled and whatever data files were on it would be lost unless you had saved them elsewhere.
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
23 Sep 10
Note: I say the "only option" meaning the most sensible option from your point of view. It isn't, of course, the ONLY option but I suspect that taking the hard disk out of the machine in order to recover data would not be 'your thing'.
If you can possibly afford to lose what data you have and can access the Dell Restore menu, then you could very likely do that yourself. It is normally quite automatic and just a matter of saying 'Yes' to menu options.
If you can't access a menu using F8 (as above), then you have to use the 'Restore' disc which may or may not have been supplied with the PC. Using this should be simple. Just insert the CD in the drive (you will probably have to switch on the PC to do this). Turn off the PC and then turn it on again. It should then boot from the CD (not from the hard drive) and take you through the process of restoring it back to the state it was in when it left the factory.
@opportunity2u (247)
• Malaysia
23 Sep 10
Your sister could be right. Anyway, there are others possibilities as well to generate such error message. It also can be your system files corrupted, in this case you have to reinstall your OS...
