I keep getting PXE-E61 Media test failure error on laptop start up
I’m having a problem with my Toshiba Satelite P20.
I believe that my HDD has finally worn out. Over the past few months, it used to take several attempts to boot up windows XP. Sometimes, the hard drive failed to load and sometimes the HDD light used to hang on, and I would receive a disk-read error has occurred. The message which I also used to get, and which I keep getting now is:
PXE-E61 Media test failure, check cable
Exiting PXE ROM
I tried booting up from a CD, and it failed to detect the hard drive.
I’m almost positive that you have a bad hard drive. PXE means Pre-Boot Execution Environment. You see this message when the laptop trying to boot from a remote server using the network card. If you didn’t see the PXE-E61 message before, it means that the network card was listed after the hard drive in the boot order (you can set the order in BIOS) and the laptop booted directly from the hard drive. Now, when the hard drive has failed, the laptop cannot detect it and tries to boot from the next available device – the network card. Your laptop is not configured to boot from a remote server using the network card, that’s why you are getting PXE-E61 Media test failure error. You have to replace the hard drive and reinstall the operating system.
Do you need spare parts for your laptop? Search here by the laptop model and part description.
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:25 am
I had the same problem. When I open the BIOS I cant see the hard disk on info screen. there is no specified on master or slave.
January 25th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
You have 2 problems, first remove the battery and try to work conected only to A/C, if that does not correct the problem you will need to change the battery and the hard disk
January 23rd, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Dennis,
You see this message because the hard drive is blank and has no operating system installed. Find a new DVD drive and run the recovery disc. Install Windows on the hard drive.
January 22nd, 2010 at 4:58 pm
I have an older Toshiba Satellite M35X that repeatedly displays the following message when I turn the laptop on:
For Realtek RTL 8139(X) / 8130 / 810X PCI Fast Ethernet Controller
PXE-E61: Media Test Failure, Check Cable
PXE-M0F: Exiting PXE ROM
This message only started happening when I put a new HDD in (the last one crashed). My BIOS reads the new HDD and my DVD-ROM drive, but I cannot even boot my system off the DVD-ROM and install Windows. Is it possible that I have a bad connection with the HDD or DVD-ROM (the message does indicate Check Cable), or could this be from a bad controller on the mobo? I seriously doubt that my brand-new hard drive is bad.
December 27th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
One day my Toshiba Satellite SA50-522 with WinXP SP3 worked fine and the next day it just started with the message:
PXE-E61: Media Test Failure. check cable.
PXE-MOF: Exiting Intel Boot Agent
I got to know that the trouble had nothing to do with the HDD because I was able to run UBUNTU and another MS-XP version on it, but not the OEM version that came with my laptop.
I did also check the battery and the HDD but the error message remained.
Here it is what I did to finally fix up the system:
1. Use UBCD4WIN (or UBUNTU Live CD) to save all the information on an external drive.
2. From the Windows Recovery Console of UBCD4WIN:
- format the HHD.
- run the fixboot command.
- run the fixmbr command.
3. Restart the computer and reset the BIOS.
4. Install the OS from the OEM version.
Hope this will be useful for somebody.
Thank you very much to everybody for their pieces of advice.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
PMIJJ,
Enter the BIOS menu, set your hard drive as a first bootable device, safe settings and restart the laptop. Will it boot now?
November 10th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Ok I too have the dreaded PXE-E61. Here’s my dilema: I just changed out my hard drive on my Panasonic CF-Y2. I reloaded windows XP and can see all of the files on my hard drive when I use a Linux CD Rom operating disk,so I know the drive works, but I cannot boot XP from my hard drive. I continue to get the “media test failure” message at start-up.
October 27th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Tami,
Can you boot from the CD-ROM when the hard drive is removed? Maybe the CD-ROM is not working properly.
Is your hard drive plugged directly into the connector on motherboard, or there is a cable between the hard drive connector and motherboard?
October 26th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
I also am having this problem only I have replaced the hard drive and the motherboard and I am still getting same error. I am getting very frustrated as all these forums say its a bad hard drive, it may have been before it didnt recognize it at all but now it recognizes the hard drive but still will not boot to hard drive or cd rom I have changed the settings in bios, I have disabled my network boot even and still same thing over and over I will try the battery deal but i wont hold my breath if anyone has any other suggestions please reply, it will be much appreciated! Thanks
October 24th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Bo,
Could be:
1. Bad connection between HDD and motherboard.
2. Failed hard drive.
3. Failed hard drive controller on the motherboard.
I posted your question and some suggestion here.
October 24th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
I am having the same prob with pxe-e61 and pxe-m0f on startup with a toshiba. When I go to the Bios it shows nothing for the HDD. Does that mean the drive needs to be replaced? I cant tell if the drive is working or not. I have tried everything I have read in all the posts.
Thanks
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Boy, I wish I had visited this site earlier. Removing the battery, waited five minutes and booted off of A/C worked fine. I had purchased a new HD and still have it. So, does this point to an inherent battery problem (mine was the original Toshiba battery) and I need to get a new battery?
July 27th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
I replaced the HDD when my Toshiba laptop gave me the error that my harddrive was failing. I keep getting PXE-E61 Media test failure error on laptop start up. Now I can’t get it to recognize the any source including the recovery disc. I tried to changing the boot order HDD – CD- LAN, etc..but it will not work. It recognizes the new hard drive. I dont know what to do now!!! Help!!
June 22nd, 2009 at 4:42 am
I have the same recurring problem. A temporary fix which works for a few weeks is to remove the laptop battery and mains lead (if connected) and leave overnight then reconnect the lead and switch on. Mine always boots fine after this and the battery can then be reconnected. I got this fix from another forum and the prob seems quite common with Tosh laptops so it may be an inherent fault rather than the drive?
June 16th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
I had the same problem in Toshiba M35X-S349
I bought a 250 GB HDD and after setting it ,it works now.
June 14th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I agree with the first comment, Check your connections to the motherboard and if everything is secure, your hard drive is probaly bad, I have the same problem with my laptop, I am going to get a new hard drive soon, I’ll post my results later