Installing a new hard drive

[Richie Fuller]

This isn't good. I bought an 80 GB. hard drive to add as a slave drive to my old computer. I tried installing it and it didnt work but when I put my computer back to its original setting (ie. cords plugged in the same way as before) it doesnt start.  The bios recognizes the drive but it has an error right after that that says "Drive Not Readt. Insert BOOT Diskette in A:/" and so ill do that and it doesnt do anything but put it in DOS which I dont know what to do from there. Please help me get my computer back to normal! Oh, and information on how to get my new hard drive working would be greatly appreciated also. Thank you.

information on the computer:
packard bell force 101cd (i told you it was old)
40 mb. of ram
200 mhz. processor

i only really use this computer for instant messanging and email but I do have some very important photos and other files stored on it.

[Richie Fuller]

This really isnt good   I need files from that computer very soon

[gussery]

Sounds like your cable is hooked up backwards, or the power is not seated, or you configured the bios and haven't changed it back.

Would be surprised if that computer would accept an 80 GB drive.  (But I've been surprised before)

[Richie Fuller]

ill check the cables and everything but how could i use that hard drive to its maximum, i need as much space as possible

[Richie Fuller]

well im gonna forget about adding the second hard drive right now, what can i do about the "Drive not ready. Insert Book Diskette" error? i have a boot disk, what programs should i run from it?

[Cary_GRant]

you should try to make sure the cables are properly seated all the way in the original harddrive, then if it still gives you that error, then pop in the floppy, and at the command prompt type this:  C: /chkdsk

then hit enter, IF your hardrive is being recognized, it will go through a series of checks to make sure the data is not corrupted and boot you to windows.

As far as adding a second harddrive, they normally come preconfigured from the factory as 'Cable Select' on the jumpers, and so all you do is add it to the second ide connector found on the cable that plugs in to your existing harddrive, if you moved the jumpers on the original and DID NOT properly return it to master OR cable select, that may be your problem.