HELP! cannot figure this one out..

[ulysses32]

When I try and setup Windows 2000 I get an "inaccessible boot device" error.
Now, I've disabled the bios virus checker, I've run a mcafee virus scan[this scanner is a few months old though]
It didn't detect anything.When I run scandisk[surface/thorough scan] it keeps restarting and eventually says
"ScanDisk has restarted 10 times because Windows or another program has been writing to this drive". But this is only the astart of the
problem.

I've formatted this drive before, installed a new operating system[winME--current config] and STILL the same problems occur.
I've had problems with this hdrive before.[Quantum 10gig fireball 7200] Unfortunately, even the technician at the place
where I bought the computer from couldn't figure it out[not that that means a 'lot'] and since he couldn't detect anything
he couldn't give me a new drive. Can SOMEONE please offer some advice.. or perhaps previous experience with such a problem.
There is clearly a problem with this drive, but until I can come to a conclusion as to EXACTLY what it is...I am stuck with this drive.


Perhaps something else that I can test out????
be6-ii
p550-e
128 pci100
creative 52x

any help GREATLY appreciated

 

[DAM]

have you tried norton scandisk or any other type of disk utility other than the crap MS ships with their os'es? just a though.




dam()

 

[ulysses32]

tried a number of different scanners...
but not nortons..will try that, but i have a funny feeling that won't detect it either...

either way, thanks for the tip...
and any and ALL other help would be appreciated...
this is STARTING to annoy me

 

[IonBlade]

Is your drive hooked up to the IDE connectors on your motherboard or on a pci/isa addon card?

BTW, try this to be able to run scandisk all the way through without interruptions:
Go to start, run, and type msconfig. Uncheck the box that says load startup group icons. This'll get rid of not only the things in startup on the start menu that are in the background, but also everything that starts on startup that you can't see (even in ctrl, alt, delete). Restart and then try to run scandisk (without having opened anything else). I think this'll allow you to run scandisk without interruptions so it can finish.

Also, boot to dos with a boot disk that has at least command.com and fdisk and try typing this:

fdisk /mbr

Hopefully this can help.

 

[ulysses32]

ide


mmmmm...will try the fdisk command
thanks

 

[Henry Kuo]

hmm... I am not sure, but try fdisk

just in case, when you format the hdd, you do

format c: /s

right?

 

[DAM]

or

format c: /s/v



dam()

 

[IonBlade]

Hmm. . . thoguht that the problem might be caused by an addon card, but this obviously isn't the case. I don't know what to do if fdisk /mbr doesn't help, but I second DAM's recommendation for Norton Scandisk - it's found many things on my drive that windows scandisk hasn't.

 

[ulysses32]

thanks very much guys

will take all that advice in and try and see if i can solve this little puppy...
it's been annoying me for ages....somethins' gotta detect it

 

[pylorns]

the fdisk /mbr is killing the master boot record... which can get corrupt, and then windows nt or me will create a new one. If you didnt want to take that stuff out of your startup, just load up into safe mode at startup by pressing f8 as soon as the prompt says starting windows... or a little before.

 

[pylorns]

I just thought of another thing, when installing windows 2000 are you using ther boot disks? Cause i could never get them to work, the best way to install win2k is to copy the i386 directory to the hard drive and then boot with a win98 boot disk, load smartdrv, then go into the i386 directory and type "winnt" this is the setup command.

 

[ulysses32]

tried safe mode ...
in numerous operating systems
same result

even tried sitting on my head while screaming abusive remarks at the computer..for some reason that didn't work either..seems to work fine with everything else in life though.

can't believe i didn't try the mbr before though, really like that sugguestion..will do that asap



as always, all tips/help appreciated..gotta sort this thing out within the next millenium

 

[ulysses32]

ohhh...and also

nope, not using systems bootup disks..
creatin' them myself


in the process of p-p-purchasing nortons as we speak..err type