Dude! Big Problems: 2nd H.d. Is Missing -

[brotherdoobie]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234@16 October 2003 - 06:31

Computers are funny. Sometimes by unplugging/plugging back in & or wiggling a cable around will fix a problem.

That's a very good point. Perhaps the cable is loose or faulty. That's a lot cheaper to fix than if the drive is gone. In any case... The test I offered you would let you know if it's in fact the cable or the drive.

The advice you are being offered is sound troubleshooting procedure.
I would follow it,and then we can talk after that if it does not work.

Virtual and Zapjp are knowledgeable users that are trying to help,at least give there advice a try.

I know that pc's can be frustrating but start with the simple and obvious choices first,most of the times it something as simple as a cable with hardware problems
and something as simple as a uninstall and reinstall with software.

Good luck!


Peace brotherdoobie

[Roosh]

Sorry guys, I wasn't trying to seem stubborn, I just was hoping that you might have been aware of a method to search for the disk & re-enable it before opening up the tower and discerning what the problem is, something I'm not experienced with. I do value the input...

Anyway, I opened it up & saw that all cables were still firmly attached (did some wiggling, unplugging & plugging, too).
Then,

unplug everything from the IDE and connect the "faulty" drive to the 'Primary' IDE all by itself on the end (Master) connector and set the jumper to CS (Cable Select). Then power up and go right to the CMOS setup and do a detection of drives.

I connected the "faulty" C-Drive(30gb) to [where the OS-carrying E-Drive(7gb) was plugged in - is that the "IDE"?] and connected the E-Drive to where the C-Drive used to plug in. I am writing this reply with that setup.
The OS still does not recognize the large drive.
->VirtualBody, are you saying that I should have only plugged in the faulty drive?
->"set the jumper to CS (Cable Select)" - I don't know what that means.
->"go right to the CMOS setup and do a detection of drives" - what is the CMOS setup & how do you get there? How do I do the detection of drives?

Thanks.

[Roosh]

brotherdoobie,
I was replying as you posted that. Those sentiments are addressed...
Thanks.

[Virtualbody1234]

VirtualBody, are you saying that I should have only plugged in the faulty drive?
->"set the jumper to CS (Cable Select)" - I don't know what that means.
->"go right to the CMOS setup and do a detection of drives" - what is the CMOS setup & how do you get there? How do I do the detection of drives?

Yes, I was saying to eliminate all other variables and possible conflicts to connect only the "faulty" drive. Unpulg all others including CD drives.

If you look at the diagrams printed on the sticker on your drives you will see CS or Cable Select and you will find matching jumpers on the drive near the power connector.

CMOS is another term used for BIOS (usually pressing [del] at bootup). In the BIOS settings you should be able to find drive detection.

[Roosh]

Ok. I'll be away from my PC until late Monday or Tuesday, so I'll try unplugging everything but the faulty drive and doing a detection of drives when I get back -- I'll give some feedback around that time.
Cheers
- Roosh.

[Roosh]

Ok, I'm back.

I unplugged everything but the faulty drive, restarted and got a couple of invalid disk errors, one asking me to insert a boot diskette. So, apparently the C drive even on it's own doesn't show up.
I've reattached everything in normal fashion & that's how I'm writing this post.
I'll be contacting Dell to see what they can advise, but if any others have some more ideas, please let me know.
Thanks.

[Roosh]

Originally posted by Roosh@15 October 2003 - 17:13
Just did another inspection in the BIOS:

IDE Configuration

IDE Controller..................[BOTH]

>Primary IDE Master.........[WDC WD75AA-75AA0  ]

>Primary IDE Slave..........[Not installed]

>Secondary IDE Master......[Maxtor RIGEL    ]

>Secondary IDE Slave........[LG CD-RW CED-8080B    ]


BOOT ORDER
>1st BOOT DEVICE.............[ATAPI CD-ROM]
>2nd BOOT DEVICE............[IDE-HDD]
>3rd BOOT DEVICE............[DISABLED]


BOOT CONFIG
>Plug & Play O/S...............[NO]
>Reset Config Data...........[NO]
>Numlock.........................[ON]

Does this explain anything for you?
Additional info at this thread if you feel like it:
http://www.xtremepccentral.com/forums/show...=&threadid=7615

Thanks again.

I went back into the BIOS and noticed again that the "Primary IDE Slave", where the Maxtor C-Drive should appear (but shows up as the Secondary Master) is not installed (if you select it, it has "type" listed as "auto".) I still think this is where the problem lies.
Anyone know what tweaking to perform in the BIOS to show the drive as installed? (the wires are definitely securely plugged in.)

[Virtualbody1234]

I unplugged everything but the faulty drive,

When you had the drive all by itself, did you connect it as Primary Master? And did you do a drive detection in the bios?


Are all 4 IDEs set to 'auto' on the first page of the BIOS? And do you have the drive mode set to LBA?

One other thing that I am wondering about is, did you find the other 'drive detection' screen in your BIOS?

[Roosh]

VirtualBody & others,

Just spoke to Dell and described my situatuion and the assessment wasn't good. It seems that after running a "90-90" scan with the system restore disk and not detecting the C drive that way, that the disk has 'bad sectors' and has basically failed. The data is apparently irrecoverable. I was advised to contact the drive manufacturer (Maxtor) and to contact "Drive Savers" as well.

When you had the drive all by itself, did you connect it as Primary Master? And did you do a drive detection in the bios?

Are all 4 IDEs set to 'auto' on the first page of the BIOS? And do you have the drive mode set to LBA?

One other thing that I am wondering about is, did you find the other 'drive detection' screen in your BIOS?

Yes, all of those points were checked prior to the tests & scans.

If there's any other feedback or suggestions before I make some drastic decisions, please let me know. Thanks.

[Virtualbody1234]

Well based on the information so far... I believe that the drive is faulty.

Do you have another spare drive ?