Drive disappeared

[dratul]

I am using Windows XP. I am using two hard disk for storage. It was partitioned as Drive C, D & E. Yesterday when I started my computer after 10 days of gap the Drive E disappeared from the computer. I want to retrieve all data & drive which has suddenly disappeared from the computer. So please help to do so.

The other problem is that when computer starts it prompts to go thro set up by pressing F4. Why is it so?
 

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

Do you know what Setup F4 brings you to? Is it the BIOS?

If you're using two hard disks, can you clarify that the second Hard Disk is plugged in properly.

Do you remember installing/downloading/running anything before this happened (despite the fact it happened 10 days ago).

[dratul]

Ya Setup brings  to BIOS.

Shall i open the cabinet & see the connections & secuire properly?

the last time all was working properly. i hadn't installed anything.

[Spoiler]

Sounds like your battery may have died. If you go though the BIOS setup does it see 2 drives?

[dratul]

i think the battery is OK. I searched for drives in BIOS utility. but where to locate it?

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

but where to locate it?

Locate what? The battery?

It's on the motherboard. (a flat disc shaped battery)

[rebel214]

maybe u mean where to find the HDD configuration in the BIOS....it varies on the BIOS Manufacturer of your motherboard...
Is there any error messages on your screen during POST? It could indicate the cause of the problem...

[dratul]

I mean to say where to locate drive c,d,e in BIOS setup. i opened the cabinet removed the connection of both hard disks & secured again. but same problem exits. every time it prompts me to go thro BIOS setup utility. no error message comes. when i try to system restore it says drive E is not included in restore point. please help.

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

I'm not an expert in this but I know that if you put a Flash Drive in the computer and try a System Restore, there will be a message saying something like what Dratul said (drive E is not included in restore point).

i opened the cabinet removed the connection of both hard disks

So there are two Hard Drives? If so, it would most likely be C and D on one Hard Disk and E on the other one.

when i try to system restore it says

You managed to get into Windows?

[rebel214]

Normally you can't see any drives that indicates C: D: or E:, only the drives being detected by your BIOS and its model (Example: Maxtor 6E040L0 and so on..)

I'm not expert with this but I think Drive E: is not included in the System Restore
because its on a separate drive (or partition).. System Restore is used for restoring working state of your System where Windows is installed, not on Drive E:,which is your storage drive....

try unplugging your second drive (Drive E:) and power up your system, see if it will still prompts you to press F4..If it successfully loads your OS without Drive E: bring installed,
maybe it has a problem..Did u try to install it on different system (known good)?
if your drive still cannot be detected on that system, I'm afraid, maybe your drive really had a problem....

hope this helps, Goodluck!

[BC_Programmer]

ALL drives will be monitored by System restore. Even storage drives for some reason. Is it not possible that somehow the drive simply "lost it's letter" from disk management?


1. Start->Run "Diskmgmt.msc"

2. Look at the bottom pane. What items are present?

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

ALL drives will be monitored by System restore. Even storage drives for some reason.

Not if you didn't save a restore point with the drive in the computer.

[BC_Programmer]

ALL drives will be monitored by System restore. Even storage drives for some reason.

Not if you didn't save a restore point with the drive in the computer.

sorry, I should have mentioned I didn't mean thumb drives- just Internal Hard Drives. And what about automatic checkpoints?

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

Yeah, Automatic checkpoints work the same as making your own checkpoints.

[dratul]

i want to clarify some points.

Actually C & D drive is part of one hard disk & E drive is on another hard disk (2 hard disk). Thats why i am able to open the windows as it is installed on C drive.

I will try to unplug the other disk will see what happens.

the disk management shows drive Helathy C & D. But also show Disk 0 Basic (37.26 GB) online. But not disk E.