Help? Mysteriously Missing Harddrive

[bradc]

I swear I had the worst luck with my PC this year.

1) Power Supply died and replaced
2) Secondary DVD Drive died and gotten replaced recently.

Wonderful now I have One Mysteriously Missing Harddrive...

Now I don't know what's WRONG with it again.

I put in the new DVD Drive and it works, then I pulled it out and put back in the old one. Then one 80 GB from my 120/160 GB goes missing that winds up undetected that is not showing up either Disk Management or My Computers, but it's there. I think it might be the BIOS. A friend suggest it might be the wiring and I check it wasn't the wiring.

He also suggest it might be the IDE cable??? :fpalm

[Saffire]

I don't understand exactly what's wrong. Most likely it's a BIOS setting, but I can't quite understand how your hard drive(s?) are configured. Since it sounds like it worked before, it may also be the way you plugged the IDE cable back in. Make sure the hard drive is plugged into the master slot on the cable and the DVD drive into the slave (the slave part is the end of the cable).

If you think the IDE cable is fine, give me some details on how your computer is set up and I'll try to work through it.

Edit: I'm wrong, master is on the end of the cable.

[bradc]

I don't understand exactly what's wrong. Most likely it's a BIOS setting, but I can't quite understand how your hard drive(s?) are configured. Since it sounds like it worked before, it may also be the way you plugged the IDE cable back in. Make sure the hard drive is plugged into the master slot on the cable and the DVD drive into the slave (the slave part is the end of the cable).

If you think the IDE cable is fine, give me some details on how your computer is set up and I'll try to work through it.

My friend suggest I get new IDE cable but everything boots up fine and I am too chicken shit to get into BIOS without instruction of sort to help me :oops

[Saffire]

That doesn't quite answer my questions. :p

I've had similar troubles so I think I can walk you through the BIOS config if necessary, but I need to know how your drive(s) are set up. Connection type, masters/slaves, IDE/SATA, that sort of the thing.

[bradc]

That doesn't quite answer my questions. :p

I've had similar troubles so I think I can walk you through the BIOS config if necessary, but I need to know how your drive(s) are set up. Connection type, masters/slaves, IDE/SATA, that sort of the thing.

I don't even know how my BIOS and setting are set up :oops

Another friend I just manage to contact suggest to listen for the harddrive spinning, and it pretty much booted up for it not to spin. think I am back to the faulty IDE Cable again need to be replaced. :yell :cry :crazy

I think I will have re-check for the nth time with IDE cable connection tomorrow

Thank you :hug

[Saffire]

It's highly unusual for a cable to stop working just from switching a drive, unless you did it while the computer was running. >.>

I'll leave some instructions for you, if you want to try it then by all means:
- Enter the BIOS section
- You should have an option like "Standard CMOS Options". Enter that.
- You should see some slots for your IDE ports. If you look at your motherboard (a diagram of your particular model might be better, if you can find one either online or in a manual), the IDE ports should be numbered.
- Figure out which slot your hard drive is plugged into, then make sure that slot is active. It might have been toggled to disabled while switching drives around. If it's disabled, you should be able to hit enter and reach an auto-detect prompt. If the drive is working, pushing that should cause the BIOS to set it back up again without any help.
- As long as you don't touch anything besides the IDE slot settings, you shouldn't be able to screw anything up.

Also, kinda obvious, but make sure the power cable is firmly plugged in. :) Had trouble with that once...

[bradc]

It's highly unusual for a cable to stop working just from switching a drive, unless you did it while the computer was running. >.>

I'll leave some instructions for you, if you want to try it then by all means:
- Enter the BIOS section
- You should have an option like "Standard CMOS Options". Enter that.
- You should see some slots for your IDE ports. If you look at your motherboard (a diagram of your particular model might be better, if you can find one either online or in a manual), the IDE ports should be numbered.
- Figure out which slot your hard drive is plugged into, then make sure that slot is active. It might have been toggled to disabled while switching drives around. If it's disabled, you should be able to hit enter and reach an auto-detect prompt. If the drive is working, pushing that should cause the BIOS to set it back up again without any help.
- As long as you don't touch anything besides the IDE slot settings, you shouldn't be able to screw anything up.

Also, kinda obvious, but make sure the power cable is firmly plugged in. :) Had trouble with that once...

I am on Window XP SP 2; what button do I push enter the BIOS? What I don't get why the computer is still running while the IDE cable is still intact with running harddrive and one of them goes missing :nuts

I think I head to bed :facepalm

Been trying to fix the problem without another thing dying on me :oops

:cry :hug

[Saffire]

You can't enter the BIOS from within Windows. You have to restart your computer, and then as soon as it starts booting up (before Windows starts loading), hit a certain key. Unfortunately, the key varies from computer to computer, so you'll have to read the boot screen fast and figure out which one it is.

[bradc]

Round... I don't know how many fights now?

Just replug in the new DVD Driver and checked the wiring and the missing driver is still not showing up. So is either the faulty IDE Cable or the dreaded BIOS. :sleepy

[emoloz]

SO basically yeah you just plugged in a new drive and then the space has gone missing. Hmmm i'd go witht he wire thing first and if that fails then go for BIOS. Sounds like it obviously has got your HDD mistaken for another HDD :S Computers are such strange creatures.

[CeriaHalcyon]

I just purchased a new computer, and it has a backup harddrive built into it, and yet when i try to do a backup it doesnt recognize the other drive.

[Dante86]

Your backup harddrive is unrecognizable because its not a separate hard drive...its a Partition of your main hard drive. Partition is a piece or partial use of your hard drive that is set aside.

Your partition has a backup of the computer's default factory settings.

I suggest that you backup your files onto either DVDs or invest in a external Hard drive.

[bradc]

IDE Cable replaced and wires checked second time now.

Two DVD Drives and All 3 Harddrive are OK GO and functional! :thumbs


Anymore dead hardware with this thing, I am going to flip :yell

[emoloz]

^ good to hear ^^. Wires die like crap so I wasn't suprised.