I am getting an error when I start my Toshiba Satellite that says PXE E61 Media Test Failure, check cable. Then it says Exiting PXE ROM. At this point it just cycles back to the Safe Mode/normal mode, etc. Does the same thing in all modes.

The DVD/CD ROM stopped working a few months ago and I never replaced it so I cannot boot from a CD to see if it is the operating system, but this sounds like something else.

Could it really be a cable? Anyone have directions on how to safely get in an check things out if that is the next step?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

Hello and welcome back to the forum.

What is the exact error your are receiving?

Marked as "Open" ready for the Tech Team and great members to help you with this issue.

JB.

Try making the HD the first boot device in the BIOS (as opposed to CD-Drive)

Hey, can you go in to the BIOS by pressing F2 on boot-up, then press F9 to return to default settings, save the new settings and try again

Thanks for the help. The specific error message is what I listed in the post. Media Test Failure, check cable. I have tried resetting the defaults and it is booting from the hard drive now. I am trying to determine if it is a bad disk or just needs to have windows reinstalled. I don't have a recovery disk (did not realize I did not have one originally so I did not burn a set when I got the computer).

Guess I will send this one back and have it fixed by Acer. It is still under warranty. I was just hoping to not be without my PC for however long that takes.

This issue is often caused by either an incorrect setting in BIOS or a bad boot device, such as a bad hard disk drive.

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.

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

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.

1. Try to boot from 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.

If you have attempted all above suggestion 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.