New Hard drive

[trishbabes]

Hi all

I installed a new 160gb hard drive into my dell dimension desktop PC. After formatting and partitioning the new hard drive, i then tried to install Windows XP but got stuck with the error code Unknown Hard Error C000021.  Help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also got the message No IDE device, under drive 1. What does this mean? Plus my hard and floppy drives are showing up as Drive 0

[Joleen]

Check your cables then check the BIOS.  Your hard drive should be 0.

[patio]

Hook up only the new HDD set as master on the end of the cable on IDE 1...
Then hook up only one CDRom the same way on IDE 2...
Re-boot with the XP cd in and it should run setup for you.

patio.  

[trishbabes]

I still get unknown hard drive error C000021 when i try to install windows XP. Help!!!!!!!

[royphil345]

Is the new hard drive info coming up in the BIOS? Sometimes you have to select automatic and hit another button to detect the drive (might be some little help prompts in the BIOS).

Are you using a Windows XP full install disk or a factory restore disk that came with the computer? A factory restore disk won't work when hardware is changed. Just loads all the Windows files and drivers for how the computer is configured when sold. Lacks the hardware detecting functions of a Windows XP full install disk.

[trishbabes]

Its a windows XP disk which refuses to install and comes up with the error message c000021

[Mac]

How did you prepare the hard drive? Did you use the manufacturer's prep diskette. If so delete all the partitions and ONLY use the XP CD to make a new C: drive Primary partition and FULL format it.

(Quick formatting is no use for setting up new partitions.)

"Usually get this stop error message when installing XP.

Try to delete the partitions, recreate them and FULL format them. If you get this same error message run the diagnostics on the hard drive.

If the hard drives passes the test the Xindows XP CD is bad or any file mentioned along with the stop error is corrupt.

Use a different Windows XP CD and try again."

[royphil345]

Drive 0 is OK. That's usually the main IDE channel.

I would try to use whatever disk you used to format the drive  just to set the partition (or delete all partitions) and try to let the Windows install disk format the drive. Did you use the NTFS file system? This XP disk didn't come with the computer?

[trishbabes]

I tried again to install windows XPon my new drive and still got the same Hard disc error C000021 message. Helppppppppppppp :-/

[patio]

trishbabes you've been given some good suggestions here.
But here is what we don't know...
Which suggestion if any have you tried ? ?
What questions that we've posed have you answered ? ?

We can't help if you don't want to participate.

patio.  

[trishbabes]

Sorry


I have tried all the suggestions. And i have now just re formatted and re partioned the new hard drive. I'm still getting the c000021 hard drive error which i cannot understand because its the same error message i got with my old hard drive. I'm at a TOTAL loss at what to do now

[Fed]

I have tried all the suggestions.

Including a different XP disk?

If so, try setting your bios to the failsafe option and re-install XP.

[trishbabes]

I tried that too and it didn't work. My old hard drive was a Maxtor 80gb and i had the same problem with it. This new hard is a Maxtor 160gb hard drive and i'm having the same problem. Has anyone else had problems with maxtor drives???

[GX1_Man]

Googled to other forums and found these (and a few thousand others!)

the several times i have seen this, it is usually a damaged installation disk OR an illegal copy of the installation cd.


Try to delete the partitions,create them and format them manually.If again you get this same error message. Run the diagnostics on the hard drive. If the hard drives passes the test.The windows xp cd is bad/the file mentioned along with the stop error is corrupt. Use and different windows xp cd and try.

Stop: c000021 {Bad Image Checksum}
The image user32.dll is possibly corrupt. The header checksum does not
match the computed checksum.

[trishbabes]

I ran the diagnostics test for the hard drive and it passed. I also tested the Windows XP CD in my laptop and it worked ok there. It was the one that came with my desktop PC. I also just tested another hard drive in the pc and tried to install windows XP and still got the same hard disc error message (Hard error c000021)
I'm at  a total loss what to do now. I tried resetting the bios but couldn't remove the battery :-/