The following message keeps appearing while working on the computer: ?Windows No Disk. Exception processing message c0000013 parameter 75b6619c 4 756bf9c 75b6bf9c. Cancel, Try Again, Continue”. Clicking “Cancel? closes the message, but then it re-appears not long after. How can I stop this message from appearing? The computer is running Windows XP.

This message indicates that a program or process running on the computer is attempting to access a drive containing no disk. In other words, a program or process thinks there should be a disk within a particular drive (such as a floppy, CD-ROM, or removable media drive) but when no disk is found within that drive the error message is returned. As a first step, you need to determine which program or process is causing this error message. It is likely to be a program running in the Windows background, since the error occurs while using Windows. Therefore, the easiest way to determine which program or process is causing the problem is to close the background processes one-by-one to see whether the problem continues. As a starting point, we can try closing all non-essential background programs and processes to see whether the problem continues. If the problem stops, then we have determined one of these background processes is the root cause, and now need to determine which particular process is causing the problem.

To begin, close any applications which are currently running on the computer. Then, check the system tray for any programs which are running in the tray and can be closed. Once all such programs have been closed we need to commence closing the non-visible background processes, and also the system tray processes which cannot be closed through the normal methods. Press CTRL-ALT-DEL to open the Windows Task Manager. In the window that appears, click the “Processes” tab. Click the “User Name” heading to sort the table by user name (if this heading is not visible, go to the “View” menu > “Select Columns” > “User Name”. Find the grouping of processes running under your user name. Sequentially close these processes running under your user name by highlighting the process and then click the “End Process” button. Before closing any processes make sure you understand what the process does, to ensure it is not essential to the operation of the computer. If you are unsure as to the purpose of any processes, I suggest you search for the process name using Google or ProcessLibrary.com. Additionally, make sure you only close the processes which are running under your user name, as processes which are running under other user names are most likely system processes which will cause a large degree of grief if closed.

Once all the processes running under your user name have been closed, leave the computer idle for a period of time to check whether the problem occurs (i.e. the No Disk message appears on screen). If not, it seems that the problem is related to one of these processes running in the background. At this point, it is a matter of trial and error to narrow down and determine exactly which process is the root cause of the problem. While this is a cumbersome process, it is the only reliable method to know which process is causing the problem. Therefore, restart the computer so all the processes start as normal. Then, identify a process running in the system tray and write down the name of the process. Following this, close the process. Wait and see whether the No Disk message appears. If not, write down another running process and then close the process. Should you reach the point that all the system tray processes have been closed, move onto closing processes running under your user name using CTRL-ALT-DEL and the Windows Task Manager. Eventually closing a particular process will resolve the problem, at which point you know that is the process causing the problem.

Once you have determined the problem process there are a few options. The first step I suggest is searching Google for the process name together with keywords from the error which is appearing (such as “no disk” without the quotes). This should search for any references to the program with that error, in case other users have experienced the same problem or this is a known error with the software. In the event this does not provide any useful results, the next option is to check whether any updated versions of the software are available. Even if the problem being experienced is not a recognised issue with the software, an updated version of the software may resolve the issue. Check the software manufacturer’s website to see whether any updated versions are available.

As a last resort, if you are unable to resolve the problem through a search of the internet, and/or downloading an updated copy of the software, then decide whether you actually need the problematic software. If this is not essential, then you could uninstall the software which should resolve the problem once and for all. However, if this is not an option and you are out of ideas, then please contact me again with further details about the problem (in particular, the program or process causing the problem, and the steps you have taken thus far to remedy the issue) and I will try to provide further guidance on how to resolve the problem.