Author Topic: HDD has identity crisis (Read 5447 times)

ras58396 · « **on:** January 04, 2009, 07:23:21 PM »

I have a Dell Dimension 8100 running WXP with SP3. It has two HDDs. I just did a successful clean install of the OS. The computer OS runs fine on the c: drive, but the F: HDD indicates that it is a removeable disk and, when I am in Windows Explorer, it wants a media inserted. How do I get it to look like the HDD that it is? I have all my backup data from prior to the clean install on it.

patio · « **Reply #1 on:** January 04, 2009, 07:43:21 PM »

Right click My Computer and select Manage...then Disk Management...
Find the F: drive right click it and select Properties...
Report back with your findings.

ras58396 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 04, 2009, 08:18:23 PM »

It says that it is an EPSON Stylus Storage USB Device. It is in location 0. It is removable and has no media. Sure doesn't look like my Maxtor ST380013A!

patio · « **Reply #3 on:** January 04, 2009, 08:24:23 PM »

That is either your printer or a card reader...
How are your drives being seen in Device Manager...
BTW are these hard drives both internal ? ? both SATA or IDE or a combination of the 2 ? ?

ras58396 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 04, 2009, 08:35:36 PM »

I don't have a card reader, but I do have an Epson printer. Before the OS install the printer never showed up as a drive.

Device manager sees the Epson, my ZIP drive, and two HDs: a Seagate ST3120026A (location 0) and the Maxtor ST380013A (location 1).

Both are IDE.

patio · « **Reply #5 on:** January 04, 2009, 08:41:45 PM »

But the Maxtor is not listed in Disk Management ? ?
You may want to unplug/unhook the printer and re-boot and double-check everything...
It may just be a drive letter hiccup...was Maxtor always F: ?

ras58396 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 04, 2009, 08:47:39 PM »

Yes, it was listed.

I will try the unplug approach.

Maxtor was always F:, but oddly enough the Seagate was E: before the clean install that changed it to C:

patio · « **Reply #7 on:** January 04, 2009, 08:57:56 PM »

A clean Windows install will always choose C: if it can...

Quote

BTW are these hard drives both internal ? ? both SATA or IDE or a combination of the 2 ? ?

ras58396 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 04, 2009, 08:59:18 PM »

Ok, I unplugged the Epson and it does not show up in the Device Manager and the Maxtor does.
In disk management the Maxtor does not show up at all.

patio · « **Reply #9 on:** January 04, 2009, 09:30:44 PM »

Ouch.
Re-boot a few more times and try again...

JJ 3000 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 04, 2009, 10:40:33 PM »

Does the drive show up in BIOS?
These are PATA drives right?
Have you checked your jumpers?
Does the E drive show up in disk management?

Is it possible that when you installed windows you may have deleted the partition(s) on the E drive?

ras58396 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 05, 2009, 04:12:51 AM »

I very well may have deleted the partitions on the Maxtor, which was the F: drive before the new OS install.

ras58396 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 05, 2009, 04:21:02 AM »

The Maxtor does show up in bios. It shows both HDDs.

patio · « **Reply #13 on:** January 05, 2009, 05:57:56 AM »

Quote from: ras58396 on January 05, 2009, 04:21:02 AM

The Maxtor does show up in bios. It shows both HDDs.

This is getting confusing because you don't answer everything when asked...

Quote

I have a Dell Dimension 8100 running WXP with SP3. It has two HDDs.

You say it shows in the BIOS but it doesn't...

Quote

BTW are these hard drives both internal ? ? both SATA or IDE or a combination of the 2 ? ?

This has been asked 3 times now...

ras58396 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 05, 2009, 06:50:59 AM »

You have got me confused. Here it is:

Both HDD show up in bios.
Both drives show up in WXP Device manger.
The Maxtor does not show up in Drive Management
Both drives are IDE
The jumpers are correct since they have not changed and it ran correctly for several years.

Sorry, I have tried to be consistant and complete. I went through the whole thread and see no inconsistency. What do you think that I missed?

ras58396 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 05, 2009, 06:04:00 PM »

Maybe a fresh approach will help here. I wonder if I disconnect the printer (F:) and disconnect (uncable) the non-recognized Maxtor internal HDD, and then redo the WXP install. When that is complete, reconnect the Maxtor and go from there. Maybe it will recognize the Maxtor drive.

JJ 3000 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 05, 2009, 09:38:54 PM »

Quote from: ras58396 on January 05, 2009, 04:12:51 AM

I very well may have deleted the partitions on the Maxtor, which was the F: drive before the new OS install.

Well, stick your XP CD back in and get to the partition screen and see if the E drive has an active partition.
If the drive space shows up as raw, then you deleted that partition.

ras58396 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 06, 2009, 06:24:52 PM »

JJ 3000, I tried it...bad JuJu! The drive is there but it is unpartitioned. Since I am the problem, I will ask for advice before acting.
The HDD had data that I did not want to lose...so sad. Can I repartition it with the XP install CD or

other method, then use PhotoRec or some other utility to recover the data?

JJ 3000 · « **Reply #18 on:** January 06, 2009, 07:39:17 PM »

If you highlight the raw space and press C to create a new partition, you may be able to access your data when you boot back into XP.
If that doesn't work, then http://www.recuva.com/ should help you get your data back. It's a free program

Good Luck.

BC_Programmer · « **Reply #19 on:** January 06, 2009, 08:10:27 PM »

RAW space is an unpartitioned drive.

you create partitions in unallocated space.

unallocated space <> RAW .

deleting a partition deletes it from the Partition Table. Even if one was to recreate a partition of the same size, whatever program is used to create that partition will overwrite the Volume Boot record.

but a recovery tool should be able to get some important stuff back.

ras58396 · « **Reply #20 on:** January 06, 2009, 09:08:55 PM »

Good JuJu, JJ and BC!!!! I repartitioned the "F:" drive and it now is visible to WXP. I will attempt the reccommended the recovery tool(s) tomorrow. Thanks to both of you!

BC_Programmer · « **Reply #21 on:** January 06, 2009, 09:13:55 PM »

just JJ. I didn't really do anything.

ras58396 · « **Reply #22 on:** January 06, 2009, 09:19:48 PM »

Okay JJ gave me the key earlier, but you did add to the confidence factor. Neither of you, or Patio, are short of experience. I appreciate your efforts.

ras58396 · « **Reply #23 on:** January 07, 2009, 07:37:48 PM »

Tried to run http://www.recuva.com/ on the G: drive, but it came back saying "Unable to read boot sector".
When I go through the XP install procedure it sees this drive as D:. It is partitioned but not formatted.
Windows Explorer sees it as not formatted. Should I format it then try to recover?

JJ 3000 · « **Reply #24 on:** January 07, 2009, 08:51:21 PM »

NO!!
do not format!
format=erase
try this
http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

patio · « **Reply #25 on:** January 08, 2009, 07:02:42 AM »

So this drive had XP installed on it as well ? ?
You dould try booting to the XP CD and press R to enter the Recovery Console...
At the prompt type fixboot and hit Enter...
Remove the XP CD and re-boot.

ras58396 · « **Reply #26 on:** January 08, 2009, 06:55:52 PM »

Patio,

XP not on this drive. I am going to try cgsecurity.

ras58396 · « **Reply #27 on:** March 15, 2009, 05:30:13 PM »

Well this is for closure! After all the recommended options failed, I took the HDD into the mass storage lab at work. The engineers there were able to use some of their proprietary software to recover all my files. Thanks for all your help, I appreciate the effort.

patio · « **Reply #28 on:** March 18, 2009, 08:48:55 AM »

Wish i had a lab like that...

Good ending to an ordeal though.
Stop by Anytime !

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