[bobthegeek]

I had a scary experience with my home brew computer system. Somehow it was configured to swap the boot drive from my C: drive to my D: drive. This computer runs 24/7 and was unattended when this happened. The original C: drive is a 500G WD sata and the original D: drive is a 250G WD sata. The D: drive did have a working version of the OS, but did not have many of my devices nor did it have many applications or data files. When I explored the drives, I found all applications and data, with current dates on the “new” D: drive. Also, my “new” C: drive had shrunk to 250G. I used my BIOS setup to swap the sata drive designation - sata master 1 became sata master 2 and vice versa. When I restarted, everything was back to normal! I don’t want this computer to restart automatically so I don’t allow windows update to restart and I have protected my system with a TrippLite UPS. Based on the lack of flashing clocks in the house I don’t believe I had a power hit. Are their any explanations for this behavior? Can you recommend some logs that I might investigate to see if I can find some tracks? I would really like to prevent this from happening in the future. Any input is greatly appreciated.

Antec 180 Case, AMD Athlon X2 4200+Dual Core Processor, Antec TRUEPOWER 2.0 550W PS, ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Motherboard, 2048M Corsair Twinx X2 3200C2 matched memory, eGeForce 7800 GT Graphics Card, Viewsonic VX922 LCD Display, WD 250G, WD 500G hard drives, LiteOn DVDRW, Plextor DVDRW

[Advertisements]

Hello Bobthegeek,

Sorry for the late reply. I am afraid I need more info otherwise I am just going to send you off to the malware thread and that may not solve your problem. So to get that can you answer the basic troubleshooting questions. I have taken out the ones that do not apply/ you have already answered.

1. When did the problem first start?
3. What was the last thing done (to the system) prior to the failure?
5. Have you had any error messages? If so, what is/are the specific error messages?
6. Has any (new) hardware been added to the system?
7. Has any (new) software been added to the system (including downloads from the Internet)?
8. Has anything changed with the system (e.g., has it been moved) since the issue presented itself?
9. Has anyone else had access to the system?
10. Are there any environmental factors that could be causing the issue?
11. Have you done any trouble shooting on the system on your own?
12. Have you checked all the cables/connections for a tight fit?

[anzenketh]

Hello Bobthegeek,

Sorry for the late reply. I am afraid I need more info otherwise I am just going to send you off to the malware thread and that may not solve your problem. So to get that can you answer the basic troubleshooting questions. I have taken out the ones that do not apply/ you have already answered.

1. When did the problem first start?
3. What was the last thing done (to the system) prior to the failure?
5. Have you had any error messages? If so, what is/are the specific error messages?
6. Has any (new) hardware been added to the system?
7. Has any (new) software been added to the system (including downloads from the Internet)?
8. Has anything changed with the system (e.g., has it been moved) since the issue presented itself?
9. Has anyone else had access to the system?
10. Are there any environmental factors that could be causing the issue?
11. Have you done any trouble shooting on the system on your own?
12. Have you checked all the cables/connections for a tight fit?

[bobthegeek]

Thanks for your help. Here are the answers to your questions:

1. When did the problem first start?
It occurred one time only on the afternoon of June 15th. The system has been completely stable since I swapped the SATA drives in BIOS.
3. What was the last thing done (to the system) prior to the failure?
It is hard to say. I use my computer frequently. However, I have not installed anything other than Windows updates and ZoneAlarm Suite updates in weeks. Prior to leaving the house I did my routine email and web browsing.
5. Have you had any error messages? If so, what is/are the specific error messages?
None displayed. Are there any logs I can check for system events that may have occurred?
6. Has any (new) hardware been added to the system?
No
7. Has any (new) software been added to the system (including downloads from the Internet)?
See response to item 2
8. Has anything changed with the system (e.g., has it been moved) since the issue presented itself?
The system has been in the same location for 4 months
9. Has anyone else had access to the system?
Yes, family members have occasional access. However, this problem occurred in a locked, unoccupied house.
10. Are there any environmental factors that could be causing the issue?
I described the power environment in my original post. The house is cooled and high temperature was not an issue.
11. Have you done any trouble shooting on the system on your own?
Only as described in my original post
12. Have you checked all the cables/connections for a tight fit?
No, I have not done that. I will do it soon.

I appreciate your disciplined focus on "the usual suspects"

[anzenketh]

You should not expereance this issue again the problem accured mostlikely becouse you swaped the drives in the BIOS.

[bobthegeek]

I swapped the drives in the BIOS to restore my system's functionality. I solved the problem by switching drives in the BIOS. I am trying to figure out how they got swapped in the first place.

[anzenketh]

I can think of a few things that could cause this.

I would at this time flash your BIOS with a updated version. That may prevent it from happening again.