Hard Drive Not Found

[isladonna]

I have a Gateway with Mellinimum.  Internet Explorer was running very slow last night so I proceeded to do a disc defragment.  While it was running, I was running other applications.  The computer locked up and I had to shut down to reboot.  When I did this I got black screen with message, HARD DRIVE NOT FOUND.
I did go to the BIOS Utility and one thing I did see is that the secondary IDE was disabled, along with the third, I think.  
I am on my work computer now, as mine will not give me anything but a black screen, obviously, with no hard drive!
I would appreciate any tips on how I might get this thing going again.  
I actually did put in the Recovery Disc and attempted to run it, but, my knowledge is limited on how to run that in DOS.  Didn't know what to put in at the D:/ prompt, etc.
Help Please!  Thanks you!  Donna

[MalikTous]

If the Gateway machine came with ME, consider an XP upgrade.

If it came with 98SE, ditch Millennium and go back.

Open the box and check the HD electrical connections. If they look OK, attempt to start the machine and enter BIOS (press Delete, ESC, Control, F1, F2, or F10, I don't know which BIOS you have, while booting). On the first page, try to find the hard drive auto ID and recover the physical drive specs. If this fails:

Shut off and unplug the machine. Disconnect and physically remove the hard drive, tap the side gently with a plastic screwdriver handle, and re-insert it upside down and remount it. Remember to flip the data cable over so the red stripe (pin 1) remains toward the power connector on the HD. Reconnect the power plug and reassemble.

You should now see the HD in your BIOS and/or summary screen when you restart after re-assembling. Order a new drive to replace that Quantum drive you just unstuck and repositioned to unload the damaged portion of its bearing, and make it a WD, Seagate, or IBM/Fuji.

[isladonna]

May I ask why I should ditch ME?  Yes it did come with ME and I have had computer for 2 years without any problem, what-so-ever.  Actually, every one I know with XP has had and seems to be very prone to viruses and once again, I have not had one virus.  Not sure if one has to do with other though.
Anyway, thanks for the advise.  Unfortunately, I now have another problem.  The keyboard came unplugged and although i plugged it back in, and shut power off/on., it is not recognizing the keyboard/mouse now.
AARRGG.  Thinking may need to take to a professional.
Thanks Again,
Donna

[merlin]

i am with on this one with winme have tried winxp home/pro and longhorn alfa beta version dont like em...imho..go back in the bios del key on boot and use the arrow keys to select  setup defaults f9 on phoenix bios ....award..save and exit...what recovery disk have you got a floppy or cd

[MalikTous]

I would unplug the keyboard and straighten the bent pin in the connector, I've seen this before. If the pin is broken, you can either try to get a keyboard (6-pin miniDIN) plug and rewire it, or you can replace the keyboard. If a pin is busted off in the MB connector, you'll have fun digging it out.

WinME has given me the least satisfactory performance since Win3.0. Both XP (home and pro) and Win98SE have run better for me.

[isladonna]

Ok, I will check the pins.  And I have recovery CD's, but, unless I get dang keyboard going, can't do anything, can I?  

[Joleen]

I'm going to step in with the XP vs ME debate.  I believe ME is the worst written hack job MS has done.  It's a moot point however since that's the disk you have and unless you're prepared to upgrade then you're stuck with it.

If bent pins are your only issue with the keyboard then it's an easy fix with a pair of needlenose pliers.  If the keyboard is unrepairable, it's a cheap fix as they're only 10 bucks (for a basic board).

For the missing hard drive, I'd call Gateway and they should be able to walk you through the recovery process.  It will be much easier with someone on the phone than message tag as we have in a forum.  Don't get me wrong.. the forum is a great thing and super for quick fixes but if your issues are ongoing then it's easier to have someone walk you through it.

[isladonna]

Hi All,
Well, get this.  Went home for lunch, plugged keyboard into another USB port, turned computer on, Windows loaded, Hard Drive Back!  )  
But, still said, no keyboard so plugged into usb port on front of computer, and it works! )
What in the world is going on?  
Anyway, now I have another issue, that has been ongoing, but I ignored.  When trying to run a scan disc, it runs for a few then get a pop up message that says,
"Scan Disc has restarted 10 times because windows or another program has been writing to this drive".  
So, I have not been able to do a scan disc for awhile, because it never finishes.  How do I find out what programs has been writing to this drive?
Also, since my hard drive problem began, the computer is making noises inside, like a clicking noise, not normal.
Any ideas on these issues?  
Thanks so much!
Donna

[Joleen]

w00t!

Try booting to safe mode then running your scandisk.  Some application running in the background is changing the structure of the hard drive and forcing scandisk to restart.  By booting to safe mode, your system will only load those applications it really needs.

btw.. I think you failed to mention the keyboard was USB but I'm glad things are working better for you now.

[merlin]

you could try this if you wish to help your pc run better>http://download.com.com/3000-2086-10147659.html and scan disk reason>http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;222469   maybe you have an irq problem with one of your usb ports or pnp post back if you need this port..

[isladonna]

AARRGG....Heard a rumor that clicking sound coming from inside the computer is a sign of a "fried" hard drive?

[Joleen]

Could be the beginnings of a nicely toasted controller (bad hard drive).  Back up your data.