Wierd HDD problem...

**Cris** · 11-10-2005, 08:27 PM

I have a 80Gb WD HDD, in a mobile rack, appart from the other one which suports the OS, and it run fine until yesterday...

Windows doesn't see it. I can see it in BIOS, and in Device manager under disk drives. When I click Properties, it says the device is running ok. I click populate and it says it's not initialized...

and cannot get the volumes out of it.
At first I though I may have done something to the rack, so I tried running it straight from an IDE cable. That didn't worked, so I tried using a USB-IDE adapter. It sees the drive connected trough the USB, but under My computer, still nothing...

I tried another HDD on the same system, and that runs just fine...

I mean...WTFf???

**roadhog** · 11-10-2005, 11:06 PM

Sounds like the drive can't read the disc at all, i.e. broken wire(s) between head and drive controller board. The drive controller initialises and reports back its BIOS info, but stalls when asked for partition info etc.
Something obscure but easily checkable would be the power connector. Is it definitely getting both 5+ and 12+ on the controller board, i.e. no dry joints?
Pure shot in the dark, just my 2 cents worth.

**Cris** · 11-11-2005, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by roadhog

Sounds like the drive can't read the disc at all, i.e. broken wire(s) between head and drive controller board. The drive controller initialises and reports back its BIOS info, but stalls when asked for partition info etc.
Something obscure but easily checkable would be the power connector. Is it definitely getting both 5+ and 12+ on the controller board, i.e. no dry joints?
Pure shot in the dark, just my 2 cents worth.

That's fine. I've checked all of this; the power connector, the IDE one. Tried it on another computer, and I still get this eror.
Actually this drive was from another computer, and it still had the OS on it from the old one. So I put it back on the old pc, and it gives me a disk boot failure...

**jcdillin** · 11-11-2005, 08:06 AM

What do you see when you go to disk management? you might have to right click on the drive and import it.

**Enak** · 11-11-2005, 08:19 AM

Sounds knackered.

**lez** · 11-11-2005, 10:26 AM

maybe lost data off track 0

**Cris** · 11-11-2005, 10:40 AM

Originally Posted by jcdillin

What do you see when you go to disk management? you might have to right click on the drive and import it.

That option is not available...

It seems that formatating it is necesary. In disk management the disk wasn't asigned, and I had to go through the same process now, as I did when I first bought it.
btw, what's the difference between a basic and a dynamic drive?

**Cris** · 11-11-2005, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by lez

maybe lost data off track 0

Yes, it seems that all of the data has been lost on it.

But my question is, why?

**madmartigan** · 11-11-2005, 11:44 PM

Yup, she's pooched. Sorry amigo.

**roadhog** · 11-13-2005, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by Cris

That's fine. I've checked all of this; the power connector, the IDE one. Tried it on another computer, and I still get this eror.
Actually this drive was from another computer, and it still had the OS on it from the old one. So I put it back on the old pc, and it gives me a disk boot failure...

I wondered if the joint between the socket and the drive PCB could be suspect, rather than the cable.