Cannot boot windows 10 after cleaning out PC.

[one_adam12]

I think I screwed up either the hdd, RAM, or MOBO. I Removed dust, applied new thermal paste, and R&I RAM sticks (just to get their info, since they don't match). when I powered it on I got a disk read error. I thought maybe the arm in the HDD was hung up since I laid it on its side, so I lightly shook the tower. After that, It booted up but ran really slow. After restarting a couple times, the disk read error came back. Now it has a blue screen error IO1 INITIALIZATION FAILED and it tries automatic repair when starting. I've tried the following:

I have 2 RAM slots. 1 with a 2GB stick and 1 with a 4GB stick (bought it like that). I've tried swapping them and using just the 4GB in each slot with no change. I guess that means either the RAM is okay or, the 4GB stick is bad?

When I open CMD from the repair menu, it says, "not enough memory resources are available to process this command" below the windows version. I can enter C: but when I try to check the directory, it says:
volume in drive C is system reserved
volume serial number...
Directory of c:\
file not found
Does this indicate a bad HDD or RAM?

I also have 2 hard drives. a 250GB Samsung with the OS on it and a Hitachi from an old laptop just for storage. When I checked the bios for the boot order, it only showed the Hitachi and the DVD drive. I plugged in the Samsung where the Hitachi was and selected it first in the boot order, but still having the same problem. I plugged both hard drives back in the way they were and now it doesn't show the Hitachi in the boot order list??? MOBO?

Just looking for a way to pinpoint the problem

 

[pctech2005]

With the information provided, it seems like you have a failing hard drive. I suggest connecting to another pc and back up the data if possible.

 

[one_adam12]

Thanks pctech2005. Reformatting the hdd and doing a clean install of windows 10 got it running like new!

I did as you suggested and had no issues when backing up the hdd on my other computer. I ran chkdsk and defragmented without any issues either. I put the hdd back in the original computer and booted up from an ubuntu disc. It ran fine, so the RAM and motherboard were not likely the cause. I still checked the RAM with memtest86 and ran their hdd diagnostic and checked the SMART info, all passed with flying colors. I feel pretty good about giving the hdd a second chance.

In hind sight, I should have used the ubuntu disc first. I didn't realize its diagnostic capability.