Undetectable Hard Drive

[bodeanadams]

Hello all!  I'm at my wit's end, wondering if anybody can help me out and give some input.  My computer crashed a while back, so I used an Ubuntu Live boot disc to back up my files to an external drive.  I then ordered the Sony Vaio recovery disc set, and tried to use the restore feature on there.  The complete system restore, (which said it was supposed to wipe out everything on the drive, and reinstall Windows, and factory installed software) froze up 2% through the process, and came up with an error... and I forget what it said... something to the effect of "unable to execute application", and then an error code.  I've done some research and came across a site that said during a chkdsk process, if something goes wrong and it freezes, or the user stops it in the middle of the scan, it can render the hard drive undetectable.  So I'm wondering if during the complete system restore, maybe it could have formatted part of the HD, and rendered it useless in some unreadable format?  I tried the Ubuntu CD again, and I no longer have the "mount hard drive" option, none of the tools on the recovery cds work, I've tried using gparted on the Ubuntu CD but it says there is no drive and no partitions available.  The only place I can find that the HD shows up is on the recovery disc option to wipe the drive clean... which I've tried, also to no avail.  Is there any SUPER SOFTWARE or some trick I can use that will dig out this hidden hard drive and format it?  Or am I, for lack of a better word, screwed?  Sorry I'm rambling, just frustrated!   

[patio]

Your HDD is failing...
Repeated attempts at installing an OS are an exercise in futility...
To confirm this you can DLoad and run the Free diagnostics from the HDD manuf. site.

[Geek-9pm]

To help you better, it helps a lot if you include the model number of the computer.  Also, some information about the hard drive.

My computer crashed a while back, so I used an Ubuntu Live boot disc to back up my files to an external drive.

You did the right thing. Good move. Also, Ununtu live boot has a tool you can use on the original disk to fix it.

Sorry I can't explain it right now. But here are the essential links on how to do this. The disk ID has been damaged. (You may have a failing drive.)

http://www.fsckin.com/2007/10/21/partitioning-or-resizing-drives-in-ubuntu-using-gparted/
http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/hardy/man8/gpart.8.html
http://www.mohdshakir.net/2008/01/03/recover-lost-partition-table-using-ubuntu-live-cd-gpart

This was not your fault. The recovery disks fro the maker are not the same as the retail Windows install DVD. The install DVD would normally recover fromm most errors and continue.

FYI The disk ID has been damaged. (You may have a failing drive. This has happened to me more that two or three times. Even if you can salvage the drive, you ought to consider getting a compatible replacement Avoid the temptation to get a better drive, you want a good replacement drive very close to the one that failed.)

EDIT: This is not meant to contradict Patio. He is right. Go get a good drive.

[Computer_Commando]

If the Sony Vaio Recovery disks work anything like Dell or HP, they duplicate the Recovery Partition located on the hard drive (F10 at Vaio splash screen).  The Recovery disks don't wipe the hard drive, only the OS partition, which is most of the drive.  Can Ubuntu see the Recover Partition, it's usually formatted FAT32 and is less than 10GB.

Could also be the hard drive is failing, as Patio suggests.  Get the diagnostics here:  http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287

An Error Code Occurs During A System Recovery:  http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&externalId=C1000995&fes=true

[bodeanadams]

Ok, quick update.  I tried using the terminal window for GParted on Ubuntu Live, but none of the commands worked.  Said the location didn't exist.  So I downloaded the SeaTools drive diagnostics tool, and ran the long test.  The results say:  "The drive is not responding to commands.  Check cables and drive power connection."  Not sure what this means.  I don't think there are any loose cables, but is it something worth checking?  If the cables were loose, the test wouldn't pick up the drive at all, right?  By the way, I have a Sony Vaio VPCCW17FX, with the 500gb Toshiba MK5055GSX drive.  Thanks for the help so far.

[Geek-9pm]

Got get a new drive.
Some techs, like myself, might get the drive back up with tricks we use. Don't try that yet. Just get a new drive. Later on you can play with the old drive. If GPart can not read it, there is a major issue with the drive.

[bodeanadams]

I think that's what I'm going to do.  I found a replacement for 85 bucks online.  I'm pretty computer savvy and would love to learn some new tricks...  If you have a chance sometime, could you post me some links with some info that I can play around with for the old drive?  Or maybe just a few tips of your own.  I'm pretty computer savvy, just not when it comes to the hardware... lol.  I'm much better with malware removal and such.  Thanks for everyone's input, and thanks for following up "Geek."

[Computer_Commando]

...So I downloaded the SeaTools drive diagnostics tool, and ran the long test.  The results say:  "The drive is not responding to commands.  Check cables and drive power connection."  Not sure what this means.  I don't think there are any loose cables, but is it something worth checking?  If the cables were loose, the test wouldn't pick up the drive at all, right?  By the way, I have a Sony Vaio VPCCW17FX, with the 500gb Toshiba MK5055GSX drive...

It's a Toshiba drive with Seagate tools, you can't expect the diagnostics to run perfectly.  If you're going to get a replacement, it doesn't have to be a Toshiba drive, any capacity 2.5" 5400rpm SATA drive will work.  These are all 500GB, you can save a bit of money if 320GB is enough.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007605%20600003459%20600003341%20600030594&IsNodeId=1&name=500GB