[rshaffer61]

NTFS is a lot better at keepting your hd straightened up but depending on what you do as far as adding and uninstalling software it might not be a bad ideal to do this once a week.
I would also suggest running TFC as it will keep your temp files, cache and internet history cleaned up also.
Download TFC by OldTimer to your desktop

• Please double-click TFC.exe to run it. (Note: If you are running on Vista, right-click on the file and choose Run As Administrator).
• It will close all programs when run, so make sure you have saved all your work before you begin.
• Click the Start button to begin the process. Depending on how often you clean temp files, execution time should be anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or two. Let it run uninterrupted to completion.
• Once it's finished it should reboot your machine. If it does not, please manually reboot the machine yourself to ensure a complete clean.

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I defragmented the 500GB HD with no problem. BUT, while trying to run the "Error Checking" thing, this message pops up: "Windows was unable to complete the disk check". Is this some kind of Clue as to what might be wrong with that HD? Any ideas/solutions?

You said that NTFS is alot better, where can I get that?

[Master Spade]

I defragmented the 500GB HD with no problem. BUT, while trying to run the "Error Checking" thing, this message pops up: "Windows was unable to complete the disk check". Is this some kind of Clue as to what might be wrong with that HD? Any ideas/solutions?

You said that NTFS is alot better, where can I get that?

[rshaffer61]

Go to Start then to Run
Type in compmgmt.msc and click Enter
On left side click on Disk Management
On right side you will see you hard drive.
Now I need you to take a screenshot and attach it to your next reply. Do the following to take a screenshot while the above is open and showing on your desktop.

To do a screenshot please have click on your Print Screen on your keyboard. It is normally the key above your number pad between the F12 key and the Scroll Lock key
Now go to Start and then to All Programs
Scroll to Accessories and then click on Paint
In the Empty White Area click and hold the CTRL key and then click the V
Go to the File option at the top and click on Save as
Save as file type JPEG and save it to your Desktop


Attach it to your next reply

[Master Spade]

I think I uploaded the Picture. Hope I did it right.








Also, when I try to start the PC with the 500GB HD as the Main HD, this message pops up: "Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem. Could not read from the selected Boot disk. Check both Path and disk hardware." Any idea what that means?

Thanks.

[rshaffer61]

C drive is already set at NTFS
That other unknown partition is weird. Do you have Linux on a partition?
The 500 gig is the second drive in the system and looks to be data and not the OS?
This is probably what is causing the error you mentioned just now.

[Master Spade]

C drive is already set at NTFS
That other unknown partition is weird. Do you have Linux on a partition?
The 500 gig is the second drive in the system and looks to be data and not the OS?
This is probably what is causing the error you mentioned just now.

Right now I have the 320GB HD as the Main one, and the 500GB HD as the secondary/slave. When I try to Start the PC with the 500GB as the Main one and the 320GB HD second, the PC bypasses the 500GB HD and uses the 320GB HD to start up. When I just use the 500GB HD by itself, that is when that Message comes out. The PC won't start. Something is wrong with that 500GB HD.



And when you ask "Do you have Linux on a partition?", what do mean by that? I have no idea what a Partition is.

Any idea of how I can find out what that "Unknown Partition" is? Where can I look that up?



Thanks.

Edited by Master Spade, 18 March 2010 - 10:06 PM.

[Master Spade]

After some research on Google, it seems that the "4.64GB Unknown Partition" is one of three things:

1. Dell computers have that as their PC Restore Partition. They supposedly use about 4GB for that. That 320GB HD is the one that came with my Dell, so it might just be that.

2. Some third-party software create an unknown partition to image the operating system. You cannot delete such partition because it is currently in use by the software.

3. Windows-based computer systems get corrupted due to virus attack. The next time, when you boot the computer, it doesn't boot and Fdisk displays the partitions with 'Unknown' type.



Hopefully in my case, it's #1. It most likely is. Besides, the 320GB HD is the one that is working. It's slow on start up, but it works.

The 500GB HD is the one that won't boot up the PC.

[rshaffer61]

When I just use the 500GB HD by itself, that is when that Message comes out. The PC won't start. Something is wrong with that 500GB HD.

There is nothing wrong with the 500 as there is no OS on the that drive. It won't start cause it is a data drive and not a system drive.
The 320 is your boot drive and the partitions as you described are setup exactly as they should.

[Master Spade]

When I just use the 500GB HD by itself, that is when that Message comes out. The PC won't start. Something is wrong with that 500GB HD.

There is nothing wrong with the 500 as there is no OS on the that drive. It won't start cause it is a data drive and not a system drive.
The 320 is your boot drive and the partitions as you described are setup exactly as they should.

The thing is, that 500GB HD is the one I was using as the Primary HD for a long time with no Problems. It had Windows XP on it, and it started fast and easy. If I remember correctly, the problem started when I had a seizure, fell off the bed, and hit the PC when it was on and the 500GB HD has had problems starting the PC ever since.

Since I've tried just about everything, should I just try to perform a repair installation of Windows XP on that 500GB HD? The only thing that scares me about that, is On the Microsoft website it contradicts itself. On one page it says to back everything up because you will lose everything. But on another page it says that I shouldn't lose any important documents, but will only lose settings and have to update the OS. Do you know which one is true, and should I just try this?

[rshaffer61]

If you look at the picture you supplied the C drive shows SYSTEM
D drive shows Healthy but no SYSTEM
D drive is also setup with NTFS
Open My Computer and then open the D drive and is there a Windows directory on it?

[Master Spade]

Update, after Months and trying everything for the 10th time again, nothing seemed to work. Then......ready to give up.....I tried to start that 500GB HD with the OS CD that the PC came with AGAIN....I tried to Reformat the drive...and it worked! I've tried this many times, thinking: Well I've tried to repair and everything else only to come up with errors. I tried to reformat before only to get some error. I knew that if reformatting worked it would erase everything from the drive, but I figured...the PC is not letting me use the info anyway, so I might as well reformat and at least use that Drive to start over.

Well, today I tried to reformat again....AND THIS TIME THE PC ALLOWED IT!!?? Why this time?? Why are PC'S like this?? All these Months it would not allow it, then Whala!

Now the 500GB HD is fully reformatted. Everything is clean on that HD. My question now is:

I have most of the info from that 500GB HD backed up on that 1TB External HD. What is the Easiest way to now transfer all that info back onto the 500GB HD?



Thanks for all the help! We're making progress!

[rshaffer61]

Copy and paste.
Open two window explorer windows. One with 500 gig hd and the other with 1 tb drive
Drag the stuff from 1tb to the 500 and put it where you want it.

[Master Spade]

Copy and paste.
Open two window explorer windows. One with 500 gig hd and the other with 1 tb drive
Drag the stuff from 1tb to the 500 and put it where you want it.

Could I just Open My Computer, Right-Click the 1TB HD, copy it, and just past it into the 500GB HD instead of Dragging and Dropping? If so, by right clicking, copying, and pasting it, would it come out exactly as it is/was before? With all the folders being where they were before, therefor making an exact duplicate of the 500GB as it was before?

Thanks.

EDIT: Oh, and I should probably erase that Windows folder that I have backed up on that 1TB HD right? The one that was copied from the 500gb HD, since I already installed Windows XP from the CD onto this formatted 500GB HD? There is obviously something wrong with that folder since it didn't want to start the PC.

Am I right about that?

Edited by Master Spade, 03 April 2010 - 04:30 PM.

[rshaffer61]

OK are you trying to copy the OS itself?
If you erase the windows folder on the 1tb drive then the windows will not work.
What exactly are you trying to move to the 500 gig drive?
Is it data or programs?

[Master Spade]

OK are you trying to copy the OS itself?
If you erase the windows folder on the 1tb drive then the windows will not work.
What exactly are you trying to move to the 500 gig drive?
Is it data or programs?

Now that the 500GB HD is Empty, I installed Windows XP from the CD that came with the PC when I purchased it. So the 500GB HD doesn't need that corrupt folder that was copied to the 1TB EHD.

So now that the 500GB HD has Windows XP already installed, I want to put Everything back onto it that was there before, except of course that WINDOWS folder.

I'm thinking what I have to do is just Erase that WINDOWS folder. Then go to My Computer, Open the 1TB HD, click on the Folder I called "500GB HD Backup", Right-Click that, click Copy. Then go back to My Computer, Right-Click on C:500GB HD, and click Paste...right? That should make an exact duplicate of that HD before the problems started.

Does this sound right? Oh, and should I make a Restore point before I do ANY of this?

Thanks.

Edited by Master Spade, 03 April 2010 - 04:42 PM.