PCA Forums

just about to install a new harddrive in my main computer. This was gonna be a HD that I could use to try to backup 120gigs off a failing harddrive


So i install the ata133 card and reboot. No problems. The other 5 drives are showing up alright. Install the new harddrive on the card boot up and windows finds it, so I format it

Then I go to hook up the failing harddrive to try to recover what I can......and the trouble starts rolling in.

I boot up and the windows boot screen takes extra long to actually get into windows. When it finally boots, the failing drive cant be found (i expected that somewhat.....) So i shutdown, unhook the failing drive and start back up. Now im getting a "cant find NFTSL, ctrl+alt+del to restart" message after the memory count screen in bios.

So i unhook all the drives except for the primary boot drive. Start up and now I just get a blank screen where it should be booting up,.......


i am half asleep and im not gonna screw around with this anymore tonite. But you guys got any ideas?>

should I just say it and take the new HD i just installed and turn it into a primary boot drive, then try to set the old primary to a slave and try to copy over what I can/need?


god...this is just so :ping frustrating. Im going to bed

Unless I'm missing something, since the hard drive is failing why not boot up with a floppy start up disk or an install disk from the hard drive maker, and use it to copy all the files from the failing hd that way (if it lets you). Both western digital and maxtor have a utility that fits on a floppy that will do that. Usually on the install floppy and it's very easy to use. I've used it many times to copy all the contents to a new drive and use that new drive as my main one. Or backup.

I'd have the new drive as master and the failing drive as slave. Unhook all other drives.


Once completed, turn the system off, keep the new one as master and so whatever to the old one. Sounds like you need to run the makers utility to check it out and possibly fix it, or rma it otherwise.

i will have to check that out then. The drives are maxtor, so I will have to find that utility.
Guess that means I gotta install a floppy drive again in that system, along with the system I am currently on. None of my systems have a floppy installed cause i never use them

thanks blade

i like using external USB enclosures for this type of thing....throw the failing drive into the USB enclosure and copy stuff off that way. i've done it for lappy and desktop drives with great success.

.02

If your running a nForce 2 chipset the latest version of Powermax does not detect harddrives off of the IDE channels. But yopu don't need PowerMax you need MaxBlast.

They have a bootable CD ISO for download from maxtor's site.

http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/downlo ... cd_iso.htm

You're welcome. I assumed you had a floppy. But like me, you don't either. Busby to da rescue.

Originally posted by blade
You're welcome. I assumed you had a floppy. But like me, you don't either. Busby to da rescue.

I can be of use sometime. I woulda replied earlier but had to reinstall the Windows cause weird freezes and joystick stop responding. crazy stuff.

Originally posted by Busby
If your running a nForce 2 chipset the latest version of Powermax does not detect harddrives off of the IDE channels.

i am in the world of via kt400

I will try the powermax first with a floppy, then if it dont work I will try the maxblast (which I have on cd already, came with the HD)

well...i tried the powermax and its got nothing to copy from a partition to another drive.

but the maxblast does
so I loaded it onto a floppy (temp put the failing drive on the secondary primary spot)

When I got into the program...it shows the drive, but it doesnt show it as having a partition, but shows that the drive has no free space

So right now I am trying the freezer trick (4 hours in the freezer) and see if I can find something on the second pass

I did run the powermax on it and it gave me an error code of y32s57 and it failed the SMART test

I really hope i can save the stuff on there.... some real important stuff was on it

Right, powermax only checks, repairs and low levels a drive. Maxblast installs and copies a drive.

You tried with the bad drive as slave? I'd try that with maxblast and if no go boot up with just the main drive as master and the bad drive as slave. You may be able to see it in windows and get the files from it.

If still no go try on another system, or like b-man suggested if you have a usb enclosure, or know anyone who does. That may work.

Well...so far...cant get it. Tried master on another channel, tried slave under my main harddrive. Tried it as both master and slave on the ata card thats installed. Tried the freezer trick. Nothing has worked. It recognizes the drive in the bios, and under the bios utilities, but it wont show it as having a portition and it doesnt show up in windows.

Originally posted by blade
or like b-man suggested if you have a usb enclosure, or know anyone who does. That may work.

right now, not sure who I know has one...
wheres a good place I could pick one up cheap?

It might not work so I hate to say buy one. If the drive is toast it may just be too late.

But this one for 31.45 shipped. It's a good one and can make a cdrw/dvd or a hard drive into a usb 2.0 external drive.