PXE-61: Media Test Failure, Check Cable?

Question

My laptop has a newly replaced hard drive but when I start it up, all it shows is:

For Realtek RTL8139(X)/8130/810X PCL Fast Ethernet Controller v2.2.13 (020326)
PXE-E61: Media Test Failure, Check Cable
PXE-E61: Exiting PXE-ROM

What's wrong?

Answer 1

Nothing is wrong. That's exactly what a computer will do when it has no software to run.

Answer 2

Nothing is wrong at all. PXE booting is what people (like myself) tend to do when you work in a large environment of computers. Basically it allows the computer to "boot" to a server.



For example - I use a program known as FOG (Linux based cloning utility which works nicely on Windows systems). What I do is I PXE boot the systems to the network. Also on the network is my FOG server. The computers then receive instructions from the FOG server that I pre-defined, which in turn starts the imaging process, which basically duplicates all of the Windows installs so they are identical.



What you could do is boot into the BIOS setup menu and look for your boot order. Switch your boot order around so the hard disk boots before the network. That way you'll never see that message again unless your hard drive completely dies and isn't accessible. The BIOS tries each thing in line until it finds something. What this means is your hard drive is simply behind the PXE boot.



But like I said, just swap it around to network booting is lower priority than hard disks and you'll be good.

Answer 3

There is no operating system on the hard drive so it is looking for a network drive to boot from

The PXE-ROM loads a network environment

It did not find a network so it exited

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preboot_Execution_Environment





Boot with an Operating System Disk in the CD/DVD drive and install it

Answer 4

This usually means the hard drive has failed, make sure it is the correct hard drive and installed properly or that it has no operating system installed on it for the system to load. After installing a new hard drive then you have to install the operating system using the recovery disc set made for your lap top or the original installation disc set. New hard drives come blank, no operating system installed.

Answer 5

Nothing wrong with leaving it on for a month. If you're lucky, you left a CD or DVD in the drive, or a flash drive plugged in to a USB port. Take it out. If you're not lucky, your hard drive picked this moment to fail.