It is important to isolate the cause of the "PXE-E61 Media Test Failure, Check Cable" error and solve it. To do this, follow the steps below:
- A loose or improper hard disk cable connection can be the cause of the error. This typically happens if the hard disk has recently been installed or moved. Check all of the hard disk's cable connections before trying anything else to solve the error.
- Make sure that no other storage device is connected to the computer. If there is a storage device connected, remove it.
- When computer start up is being attempted, enter the BIOS to see if the hard disk has been set up correctly and detected in BIOS. To enter the BIOS, follow these steps:
a. The key that must be pressed to enter the BIOS varies depending on the computer model. The key is most likely the Del key or one of the F keys. Many computers refer to this as Entering Setup and Setup is just another term used for the BIOS.
b. Try setting one's BIOS to any safe default settings. That might fix the error.
- Verify that the boot options in CMOS are setup correctly. Follow these steps to do this:
a. Enter the CMOS by pressing one of the following keys: F1, F2, Del, Esc, or F10. Press one of these keys when trying to start up the computer. If these keys do not work, try holding one or more keys on the keyboard when the computer is booting. This may cause a Stuck Key Error, which should allow the user to enter the setup.
b. If the CMOS setup shows an option to boot from the LAN, disable this option.
c. Try to set the CMOS settings to any safe default settings, then save and exit. After changing any settings, reboot the computer.
- It is possible that physical failure caused the error if the hard disk cannot be detected. If this is the case, replace the hard disk and restore one's data if a good backup is available. If one does not have a good backup, contact a company that provides data recovery services. These companies perform hard disk recovery and securely retrieve one's valuable data.
Check that the drive is detected in BIOS:
- Press F2 during boot to enter BIOS Setup.
- Go to the Boot menu.
- Check the Boot Drive Order.
- Press F10 to exit BIOS Setup.
If Boot Drive Order shows
No Boot Drive:
- Check that the drive is properly installed in the computer.
- Try installing a different known good drive.
If PXE Boot is enabled in BIOSTo check the BIOS option:
- Press F2 during boot to enter BIOS Setup.
- Go to the Boot menu and check for Boot to Network.
- Press F10 to exit BIOS Setup.
If you do not plan to boot to a network, disable this option.
If you do want to boot to a network, check that the network cable connection is working properly.