Hard Drive problem

Ok Im using windows XP however have tryed everything on vista as well.

The hard drive im having issues with is a Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB.

It worked when I first used it and I used an external network drive casing (dont know the manufacturer its just called "lan.storage ") to format it to fat 32 (the only file system it works with). It was working fine untill and one day just stopped working. After that whenever I plugged it into USB it would crash explorer.exe. and on network it just wouldnt register.

I took the hard drive out of the casing and tryed it in the computer... When the system is loading and going through the start up checks, it crashes. The computer wont load past the point it checks the IDE thing.

The hard drive doesnt clunk or anything when it powers up, although after about 45 seconds of the computer crashing on the IDE it powers down. This makes me believe its not the disk being damaged (especially as it wasnt dropped).

Iv left it for a few months hoping it would magically work again... and a further kick in the teeth is now I can only get the external casing to work on USB (i tryed another drive)... the network part of it no longer seems to show up so i cant access the control panel.

Please someone help as im baffled and have alot of important files and photos on the hard drive and i dont have the money for a professional recovery.

 

I cant run the diagnostic software as the computer doesnt boot into windows with the drive connected as it stops on the IDE checks in start up.

It really confuses me as iv had hard drives brake before but it never stops the computer like this.

And when the USB mode of the external case is used... the non working drive doesnt show up in my computer and I cant access it.

 

Thats the only trouble. Its before it checks the CDs... and I can even get into bios without it crashing if the hard drive is connected. It is seriousely the most confusing thing iv ever seen.

 

Put it in a different computer that already has an operating system installed and jumper it as slave if the System drive is jumpered master or jumper it as CS if the system drive is jumpered CS. Go to disk management - is the drive recognized? If yes, initailize it and save your data to another drive if its readable. If its not recognized, sell your car and send the drive out for data retrieval if the information on it is that valuable to you.

 

Ah im getting the idea that it is just ****ed then seeming as in any computer it wont even load past the IDE check (so i cant even get into bios let alone windows) if its connected :S.

Thanks anyway. Unless anyone else has some amaizing ideas of how to get it to work lol... i refuse to listen to the usual "freeze it for half an hour" etc tho.

 

Hi Craig

I only have few minutes as I am at a customers site and while working on something else decided to check in.

I agree the HD is not going to work.

But a possible solution I have used sucessfully when the data is valuable enough.

Find an identical drive, EBAY perhaps someone on this BBS or a local Computer repair shop, has one or buy a new one sounds like you would like to have the external back. Even a failed one as it may have a good controller.

Or perhaps find a controller for this exact model.

If you get a used one from one of the above you must hope that the disk on these drives is what failed and the controller is OK which is usually the case.

Then remove the controller from the other drive put it on this one and if the actual disk is OK you will be able to get your data back.

If you do this with a new drive then after you get the data back you put controller back on new drive.

To remove the controller is a couple of small screws and unplug.

As I said it depends on how valuable the data is on it!

Mike

 

Hi Mike ..........

Very good suggestion and symptomatically, this problem as described, points to the controller as a strong possibility. Craig, as Mike points out, you want to get the identical controller so its important to look for exacting specs. Not all identically branded drives match up. If possible look for matching country of origin, close mfg date and close or exact firmware revision. There are used drive websites that specialize in this type of transaction.

 

Ok... I shal give it a try when Im paid. Thanks for your help.

Craig