Has my PC died?

North-East_Quine

Went to switch on my trusty old PC (Windows 98) this morning but got a message saying "Cannot find operating system". Tried to load MS-DOS 6.2 Disks but just getting a message saying "Your computer does not have a hard disk, is not functioning correctly, or require a special device driver".

I've had it since 1997 and it is only used as a back-up PC. Is it the end of the road for my friendly PC and is it now time to lay it to rest?

Sadly, I spent out quite a bit of money on it in early 2004, getting a new power supply and more memory fitted.

smcicr

couple of relatively simple fixes might apply here:

check all ide cables are properly connected (between hard drive and motherboard etc)
try putting in a new CMOS battery - round watch style one on the motherboard - i've seen that cause this error a couple of times and if it's been in there since 1997 it probably has a right to be a bit tired

(i'm assuming that you haven't noticed any unpleasant noises coming from the hard drive recently??)

North-East_Quine

Thanks for the suggestions. I will carry out the checks you suggest. I hadn't noticed any strange noises, however, I did notice that someone in my house had moved the PC to get in to an electric socket, so they may very well have loosened something.