I had the same problem w/ the seek failure message, got the answer here, but had trouble finding the step-by-step instructions on the "how to" so here they are - at least for Dell Inspirons...
TO CHANGE 1ST BOOT DEVICE TO HARD DISK...
At Startup press "F2" to enter setup;
Arrow down to select "Boot device configuration" - press enter;
Arrow down to select "1st boot device" - press enter;
Arrow cursor to select "Hard disk" - press enter;
Press "F10" to save changes;
Select "Y" for yes to confirm saving changes;
Press "esc" to go to main menu;
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TO DISABLE FDC CONTROLLER....
Arrow down to select "Integrated peripherals" - press enter;
Arrow down to select "Onboard FDC controller" - press enter;
Arrow cursor to select "disabled" - press enter;
Press F10 to save changes;
Select "Y" for yes to confirm saving changes;
Hope this helps the non-experts like me.
good luck
cheers
Back up you data and re-install your OS. If it's still crashing it could be a hardware fault. Then it's off to the PC doctor!
PERFECT! THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.