Won't boot up having probs detecting hDs

[kaiotes]

I had a dual boot, with Xp and ME.
Both running fine but all of a sudden when i did a reboot from my XP OS i get error of file at c:\windows\system\config\system is correupted or missing.
so i switched to my ME except the comptuer booted up as XP to my surprise with my ME desktop setting, i dunno why.
I figured maybe if i copy my system file to the directory where i'm having probs.
that didn't fix it...
i was going to back up all the stuff on that hd where i couldn't boot up to as i was still able to access files from my second boot up supposedly XP but i was a min too late.
so the next day (yesterday) i tried to boot it to me/xp (as it did last time) it woudn't boot up at all.
so i gave up, i didn't want to lose all the files...
I went and put in new Hd and installed XP on it and was able to view the stuff on the ME boot up hd and xfer it but the hd that had the XP that caused the initial prob no longer work.
I can't get it to load, i have doubled checked jumper setting for master/slave setting but at the bios screen first screen when u turn it on, most of the times it'd displays the 2 hds, but takes like 10 min to boot up, but the harddrive wouldn't be there, just the new hard disk.
HOw do i fix this prob?
any advice would be appreciated.
pls email
kguo@myrealbox.com

 

[Rosedaddy]

had the same problem, harddrive just crapped out on me, if harddrive is really lagging and not loading its probably shot, get same one from best buy, install, return broken one

 

[kaiotes]

this hd is barely 2 years old.
neve had probs western digital 120.
all of a sudden after boot up get something about missing file/corrupt file.


i tried booting up to reinstall os on that 'corrupt' hd, except it wants do new partition meanings lose EVEYRTHING.
when i exit to dos, i can see some of the stuff, it has 3 partitions on it.
but when i use my newly installed XP hd, i can't see hd, although i see the hd during bootup

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Rosedaddy
had the same problem, harddrive just crapped out on me, if harddrive is really lagging and not loading its probably shot, get same one from best buy, install, return broken one

If I understand your advice correctly, you are suggesting fraud, Rosedaddy. Not cool. Why don't you suggest warrantying the drive to Western Digital next time. A word to the wise... yeah.

kaiotes, if the hard drive will no longer be recognized by the motherboard, then your only way of getting the files off of it is to send it to a data-recovery service. If the hard drive is recognized by the motherboard at POST, but not by the Windows installation, then go into Computer Management > Disk Management and see if the drive is listed in Disk Management. If it is, right-click on it and try to give it drive letters for its partitions/volumes, so you can access them in the way you're expecting (through My Computer).

 

[kaiotes]

i can see the 'bad hd' in dos although not the entire 120. the hd is shown during postlike, i will try what you suggested when i go home tonight. **crosses fingers**
thanks

 

[kaiotes]

still no go, i don't see anything after "go into Computer Management > Disk Management and see if the drive is listed in Disk Management. "
any suggestions
it does post though

 

[ScrapSilicon]

you could try here ..but it sounds like its dead.. gl

 

[kaiotes]

Update
by some miracle, i was able to back up my stuff onto DVDs.
I first formated the small hd of 40G (still have probs w/ that, showing 2 partitions one 8mb w/ rest 39.x gigs) no clue why, even used partition magic on it and still like but, don't care.

i kept on trying to install new copy of XP onto the corrupt hd's partition, managed to do so, do not know how, probably got lucky and thus backed everything onto dvds...
i don't think there is an issue w/ hte HD, except the 40g one, but would you still use the 120g hd? i don't see probs w/ it..