Is this hard drive fried or what?

[pasully]

win 98 stopped loading...would lockup after startup screen or give "error reading drive" ...used a bootup disk to get into dos..while in dos it would let me look at config dir & open up files but in autoexe dir it won't let me open files or read them at all"error on drive c"..also list's dos autoexe files & others with 1 or 2 bites in file but most say 0. When I try to run scandisk in dos I just get "error reading drive c" also wont let me delete files in the c drive useing del or deltree command..don't understand this at all now..

 

[Edski]

Find out who makes the drive. Most drive manufactures have a diagnostic utility, download it from their website and test your drive.

 

[Souka]

Can you try the drive in a different computer...if problem persists, then it's the HD.

In that case, your're probably gonna have to FDISK and FORMAT the drive....if you're lucky, all will be fine..."if"

 

[AC]

check to see whether the BIOS is using the correct HDD translation method

also, you might have to perform a low-level format rather than fdisk and format with the above mentioned diagnostic utility
it will erase everything that you have on the drive so use this only if u don't need to recover anything

 

[pasully]

check this out...I used the lifguard program from WD..It said there were errors & it would fix them..ran repair..said drive was error free....checked to see if it would boot,still says error reading drive & now it won't find the floppy drives so I can't format or use startup disk...I'm thinking of putting it in my other pc as a slave & trying to format & install an os there...Good idea or what? or should keep working in the old pc to spare my system problems?

 

[Usul]

Prebably already tried, but what about scandisk?

 

[AC]

did it write 0s to the drive, meaning did it erase the drive?

if so, u don't have an operating system...

your floppy doesn't work anymore? what did u do?

your floppy should have nothing to do with the DLGT repairs...

just in case enter BIOS setup and load BIOS defaults or make sure that the floppy controller is enabled and the floppy is assigned...

else, could your motherboard have died?

 

[pasully]

I can't run scan disk because it won't read thr A drive...I did nothing different...I ran life guard from the A drive, fixed the errors on the drive...said the disk was error free, then rebooted & then in post it dosen't find the A drive on bootup!It was working fine.....Changed the cable just in case...reset the bios to default's still no A ...Set the date & shut everything down to check & see if the date would hold to make sure the battery wasn't faulty & it will hold the date! I was going to reformat & load an os but with no A!! I'm screwed.../////man this is kicking my ass...anymore suggestions? P.S didn't write o's to the drive..but even if I did shouldn't post up see the A drive?

 

[AC]

yes it should see the floppy regardless

wait, how do u know that the BIOS is not detecting the floppy?
are u trying to boot with a bad boot disk?

maybe coincidence damaged the floppy...
or maybe the motherboard is at fault for both the ide controller and floppy controller not working properly...

 

[pasully]

well I got a different floppy hooked it up & walla A drive works...wrote 0's to the drive to totally clean it off....reformatted & partitioned...loaded os fine then hung on startup screen when trying to bootup.....error reading drive c again...I'm sure it's the drive...pulled another drive out of a different system..hooked it up..Booted right into win..started loading drivers for newly detected hardware..what a day...thanks for the help.

 

[pasully]

think this is the right usumption?

 

[Bartman39]

Yep... Just run the WD diag once more and if its in warranty it sounds like an "RMA" to me...