Messed up with the hard disk

I've read a post by Pianoman in the W2K forum (Windows 2000 setup can't detect hard disks ) similar to my problem but I think is better located here.

So I have an IBM Netvista p4(No HT)2.4GHz with 256MB and a 60GB MAXTOR HD, with a DVD.CDRW combo drive, Radeon 7000/VE graphics, etc (all standard IBM). My system performance was degrading during 1 month, ran Norton WinDoctor and fixed problems, ran NAV2005(I know) and didn't detect any virus, ran SpyBot and cleand up some spyware, but all this didn't make better my PC performance; it continued until it hanged up several times at day (well it was only one day).
So I reboot to continue my diagnostics (was about to test with sandra2002 -not installed yet- for hardware problems) but my system wouldn't start anymore. Not even in failure proof mode (F5).
Entered with the recovery console to my c: drive but when I've tried to access the c:\windows\system directory it couldn't be located. I've executed "dir" command and got something like "invalid directory structure ". Executed the chkdsk with the option for fixing bad sectors and directory structure and it ran OK until it got to 75% of the process, when it hanged up again, so after 30 mins I went Ctrl-C on it.

OK maybe the CD accesed the hard disk and I have virus in my RAM. I take the HD out and connect it to another PC (same configuration), make a data recovery with Easy recovery professional (everything OK), and try to format it from my pc. It freeze on 0% again. (didn't detect any virus with BitDefender 8 Pro).
Maybe the HD is damaged, or my PC got infected (I doubt it since Prevx ID didn't report any atempt to modify anything).

All right, maybe it was some strange Boot sector virus that got through Nav05 (maybe more than one) and messed up things there. Anyway I use the fdisk/mbr, and then reboot and access the recovery console again. Well I get the same error since the File Structure Table wasn't affected by the fdisk command (invalid directory structure). So I try to use format (with NTFS option) from the RConsole but it also freezes. I reboot and try again to format but with the (/q) option (and NTFS) and I succeed. I reboot and try to again format with de instalation CD but it hangs again (0%). So I insert the WinXPsp2 for a fresh install, take down the only partition (there's always 8MB unpartitioned), create a new one, begin to format, and my system freeze on 0% format.

I decide to install Win98 to see if it's a Win XP problem, and try to format from the recovery console the drive to FAT32 but it freezes again and after rebooting I use the "/q" option for FAT32. Big mistake. After rebooting I get some three letter error "XXX not present or damaged" wich obviously I didn't write down (maybe I better change my profile to beginner).

Anyway, I rebooted for 2 more ocasions and couldn't do anything to locate my quickly formated FAT32 hard disk. At the third booting, it didn't even recognized the hard disk. Not even the BIOS recognizes it.

I removed the HD and placed into my other system, but my PC just crashed and didn't boot up. Of course I connected it with the secondary IDE cable, , with the jumper in CS mode. Everything standard.

So, how can I recover my hard drive? Is there anyone who can read through my boring and unclear description and give me a hand with this?

Thank you very much for your time, I really appreciate it.

Tflags.

 

try reformatting the hard drive completely and then reinstall win2k using the ntfs file structure.

 

If you can get the bios to recognise it then do a Zero Fill on the drive to completely wipe it clean of everything, http://www.killdisk.com/downloadfree.htm then repartition and format it again.

If you can’t get the bios to see it then it’s worth trying the manufacture's diagnostic utilities to see if they can see and check the drive for faults. Look at what make the hard drive is and go to their web site and look for their hard drive utilities.

I’ve had hard drives that the bios could not see and it was because things were just so mixed up on them that the bios could not read them. Partition Manager has always managed to see and fix them for me.

 

Maybe not necessary.

Agree, agree...check it with the HDD manufacturer's utilities.

Partition Manager...can it be trialled?

McTavish...would be my recommendations apart from the above

Matt

 

I’d say by the sound of things that doing a zero fill and starting a fresh is the very least that he should do. That way it would be certain that any remaining problems would have to be hardware related, and not just corrupted partition tables or MBR or MFT or any virus problems etc. A zero fill does just that, writes zeros to every single sector on the hard drive so that it is completely clean. Then do the hardware checks with the disk utilities and chkdsk /r for bad sectors.

There is a demo of Partition Manager but it’s been a while since I last tried it so not sure just how much functionality it has now. It only comes with the Windows part so the drive would have to be a slave in a booting system to use it. The full version includes the boot CD that could do the job with just the bad drive in the machine.

I know it sounds strange that just corrupted data on a drive could stop the bios from recognising it. I would not have believed this myself unless I had seen it. I had given up on one drive as nothing I had could read it, not even Partition Magic. I came back to it once I had discovered Partition Manager and was amazed to find that it not only saw the drive but also listed corrupted partitions. I deleted them all and repartitioned and the drive was fine. I’ve seen and fixed two other similar drives since.

 

McTavish, thanks for the extra info.

My comment:
"Maybe not necessary" was just to say that I would run the utilities/tests before a zero/low-level format. The tests may say exactly what the problem is and so Tflags could avoid the same problem in the future. I know with Seagate and Maxtor utilities you can "format" the Boot Sector (and also back-up the Boot Sector), that may be a quicker and easier way out. I have had utilities alert me that the drive was not set correctly in the BIOS settings and also I have had Windows format the drive to an incorrect number of sectors, which was also identified by the utilities.

I have Partition Magic, sometimes it will identify a problem, most times it won't. Although I run it to see if it will test the drive.

Me, I would see if I could find the cause. No luck, then do a zero format.

Cheers
Matt

 

Options

Thank you Mattman, McTavish, Chuck_W for your advices. I think I'll go trhough Partition Manager manual to see how it can recognize my hard disk. Any way, the problem is not only that the original PC bios won't recognize the drive, but when installed as a secondary unit on another PC that PC won't boot anymore, not even a small sound comes out of it(how can that be?!). Since other PC won't even turn on, I cannot zero the hard disk. Maybe if I connect the drive to another PC that is newer (maybe older) with diferent BIOS that won't make the computer hang. I'll start with the MAXTOR UTILITY, and report back.

Thanks again for your time.

Tflags.

 

It seemed like your were able to startup and get to the BIOS settings when the drive was last in the Netvista machine. I would put it back there, set as it was before (primary master).
You will need to check that the BIOS/CMOS settings are set to boot from floppy disk BEFORE harddrive or CD drive, then startup to the MaxBlast or PowerMax floppy.

If you put it back into the Netvista and find that the machine starts up to a blank screen (nothing) I would say the drive is "gone ".

Matt

 

Try this..........

Regardless of your OS go to Gibson Research www.grc.com and take a look at SpinRite v6.0. I've been using SpinRite for years to recover drives (MFM, RLL, IDE, SCSI and ESDI...OK so I'm a old guy....) and unless you have a physical problem - verifiable via the manufacturers web site and their diagnostic routines - this should allow you to recover the drive will little of no effort. It might take some time depending on level of testing you want SpinRite to use...

I'd first dig out the drive diag disk (floppy or CD) and run their non-destructive tests on the drive and if there is a clean bill of health from their perspective then I'd use SpinRite next.

 

If it’s a similar problem to what I’ve experienced then I’m also at a loss to explain it. That is exactly the situation I’ve seen and the only option was to have the hard drive as the sole drive in a machine and boot from the floppy or CD, just as mattman detailed.

I’ve no experience of SpinRite but have only ever heard good things about it.

 

Delay

Just to say I had to delay the solution of this problem until August when that computer will return to my hands (long story).
Until then, I'll comment how it went.
Tflags.

 

Hi All: Just this morning (45 minutes ago) I had a similar problem. Something others might try before going the "0" route.

Previously I had seen an error message in Event Viewer system that a drive (Seagate 200 GB) had been removed from the system without proper preparation. Since the drive was present and working, I couldn't understand what the machine was telling me.

Then, on boot up, Windows would start, load the desktop, everything normal, except I could hear a very faint "Squeak, squeak, squeak" coming from the Seagate. Then I would hear a relay click a couple of times and machine would freeze.

A couple of repeats of this scenario.

Next reboot, BIOS would get to: "Detecting IDE Drives" and stop. Just sit there. BIOS would not allow me to get into setup. (DEL key no effect)

Several repeats of this scenario.

Even though this drive is "0" at "0" IDE Master, it is not the boot drive. I boot from onboard RAID controller.

I concluded that this drive was probably the problem. Disconnected Seagate drive, reboot. BIOS then detects all other IDE drives, allows me into setup, then machine boots normally. Hurray. No question, Seagate drive done for!

In order to confirm Seagate drive dead, shut down, plug drive back in, reboot, all working!! Seagate drive present and accounted for! No relay clicks, no freeze up, no "squeak, squeak, squeak "

Machine OK for now, I believe probable cause of problem: Loose power cable to drive.

Question: Why did the BIOS fail/freeze? That was the scary part, if I can't get the BIOS to the point of "Boot from CD" my drive images would be useless.

Take care,

Martin