My pavilion dv5000 says on startup media test failure check cable

Computers can start-up ("boot") from many different devices:
* 3.5" diskette,
* CD-ROM,
* USB memory-stick,
* disk-drive,
* network,
* external USB CD-ROM

and so on.

Your computer is trying to use the network adapter to download a bootable image through a connection with a network-cable to a "network-boot-server" computer.

In your case, "check cable" means that your computer's network-port is either *NOT* connected to a network, or that no "network-boot-server" responded to the request to download to your computer.

First, check the "boot-order", i.e., the priority of each of the bootable devices, to ensure that "boot from network" has a LOWER priority than booting from your diskette, your CD-ROM, and your disk-drive.

Second, check that your disk-drive *IS* one of the bootable devices.

Is there any bootable media in the diskette?
Is there any bootable disk in the CD-ROM?

If not, then your computer has *TRIED* and *FAILED* to boot from your disk-drive, and then tried and failed to boot from the network.

So, it's possible that your disk-drive has failed.

Take the computer to a qualified technician, and get them to remove the disk-drive from your computer, and to connect it to another computer, to see if the disk-drive still is in working-order.