1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Missing Hard Drive

Discussion in 'PC hardware help' started by jjslim, Sep 26, 2004.

  1. jjslim

    jjslim Member

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2004
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    I have two 80GB hard drives installed on my computer. I recently had to reinstall windows. Once I reinstalled windows xp sp2 my second drive does not show up under my comptuer. It shows up in the disk management but it is not assigned a drive letter and the option to assign it a letter is grayed out. I know the drive still works though. I downloaded a program called Stellar Pheonix FAT & NTFS scan and it can scan the drive.

    Any suggestions?

    Thanks,
    Jarrod
     
  2. baabaa

    baabaa Active member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2003
    Messages:
    1,768
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    66
    You probably did not make it active when you installed it initially........

    Go back into the disk management window and right click on your HD, it should give you that as an option to make the partition active.
     
  3. jjslim

    jjslim Member

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2004
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    that option is grayed out. it says it is healthy and active currently... just no drive letter.
     
  4. baabaa

    baabaa Active member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2003
    Messages:
    1,768
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    66
    Is it set at the back correctly (Master/slave etc for both drives)?
    Does the BIOS see the drive ok?
    Is the cable a 40 way or 80 way?
    And is it a good cable?
    Are there any system files on it, or is it just used as storage?
    Can you remember assigning a drive letter/name when you installed it originally?

    Are you in a position to reformat it through windows and making a new partition etc?

    Does it show up in device manager?
    If it does it maybe worthwhile uninstalling it and rebooting, let windows find it again, see if this helps.

    Also you could uninstall the IDE controller in device manager and reboot and see if this brings it back.
     
  5. ianski7

    ianski7 Guest

  6. ianski7

    ianski7 Guest

    Sorry, nervous finger!
     
  7. jjslim

    jjslim Member

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2004
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Is it set at the back correctly (Master/slave etc for both drives)? dunno... but it worked before the reinstall
    Does the BIOS see the drive ok? yes
    Is the cable a 40 way or 80 way? not sure
    And is it a good cable? should be, it was working fine.
    Are there any system files on it, or is it just used as storage? storage
    Can you remember assigning a drive letter/name when you installed it originally? i did not install it

    Are you in a position to reformat it through windows and making a new partition etc? i dont really want to if i dont have to.

    Does it show up in device manager? yes
    If it does it maybe worthwhile uninstalling it and rebooting, let windows find it again, see if this helps. tried that.

    Also you could uninstall the IDE controller in device manager and reboot and see if this brings it back. tried that also
     
  8. baabaa

    baabaa Active member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2003
    Messages:
    1,768
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    66
    So, even though it is all registering with device manager etc.

    It is not shown up in windows explorer.
    This is normally the case when the partition is not active, but as you say it displays healthy, active by it....................

    What happens if you right click on the drive in drive management, you should get a load of options including open and explore, what happens if you click on explore or open?
     
  9. CJC

    CJC Regular member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2004
    Messages:
    585
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    26
    Hey

    Try opening My Computer then going into Control Panel.
    Select Administrative Tools, then Computer Mangement.

    Now on the left hand side click on Disk Management, if the drive shows up in there, Right Click on it up the top, then Select Change Drive Letter / Path.

    Click Add and give it a drive letter... see if that works.

    CJC
     
  10. jjslim

    jjslim Member

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2004
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Thanks, but I've already tried that also...

    Any other suggestions?
     
  11. CJC

    CJC Regular member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2004
    Messages:
    585
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    26
    By any chance do you have anything like GoBack installed ?

    Does the 2nd hdd have any windows files on it, or is it just data?

    Make sure that the drive is set to 'Slave' and the Primary as 'Master' instead of 'Cable Select' if its on it.

    CJC
     
  12. jjslim

    jjslim Member

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2004
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    By any chance do you have anything like GoBack installed ? As a matter of fact, I had just got done installing Norton System Works on my system when it completely bombed. So i'm guess GoBack is still on the second drive.

    Does the 2nd hdd have any windows files on it, or is it just data? just data

    Make sure that the drive is set to 'Slave' and the Primary as 'Master' instead of 'Cable Select' if its on it. How do I do this w/o the manual to the drive?

    CJC
     
  13. baabaa

    baabaa Active member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2003
    Messages:
    1,768
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    66
     
  14. jjslim

    jjslim Member

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2004
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    sorry, missed that... those options are also grayed out. the only option that is available is "delete partition"

    Thanks,
    Jarrod
     
  15. baabaa

    baabaa Active member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2003
    Messages:
    1,768
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    66
    I have to be honest, I am not really sure what the problem is but a possibility is that the Master boot record is screwed, and this would actually mean that the HD cannot initially load up.

    I believe there is a fix within the recovery console (On your XP disc), which should not affect the files that are contained on it.

    However I have never actually used the feature.

    I think you should be able to go onto the Microsoft website OR google and pull off some information regarding it, as I believe it is a simple fix if the MBR of the HD is messed up.

    As I say, I have never used that feature so as to how good it is I don't really know.

    Have a look anyway, and if I can locate anything relevant I shall post it.................
     
  16. CJC

    CJC Regular member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2004
    Messages:
    585
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    26
    You can get a fresh copy of the MBR by booting onto a Windows Start-up Disc.

    then go 2 the letter of the drive eg D:/> and type fdisk /mbr

    Whilst you are on the start-up disc, go back to the A:/> and type fdisk, then go into Option 4, Parition Information or something like that, does it show both hard drives in there ?

    CJC
     
  17. jjslim

    jjslim Member

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2004
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Is there a way to make the start up discs on a CD... I dont have any floppys.

    Thanks,
    Jarrod
     
  18. CJC

    CJC Regular member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2004
    Messages:
    585
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    26
    Hey

    You can make a bootable CD

    http://www.bootdisk.com/nero.htm

    It should tell you all u need to know how to make a bootable CD then try the fdisk /mbr once you have booted from it.

    CJC
     
  19. kc8gaz

    kc8gaz Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2004
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    I have lost my second hard drive when I reinstalled my xp. Just the same thing as what im reading. Tried many of the same things and still nothing using the computer now but want my file off D if I can. Please if you get yours fixed can you tell me how you did it?
     
  20. jjslim

    jjslim Member

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2004
    Messages:
    11
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    well i fixed the problem... all i had to do was turn on "S.M.A.R.T. Hard Drives" on in my BIOS and it worked. So I dunno what exactlty hat does but it brought back my drive.
     

Share This Page