[obsidiousrise]

I had just recently received a used computer from a friend that is an step up from the system I was currently running.

The main feature was an M4A78TE ASUS Motherboard with Phenom X4 processor.

So I go about my usual work of switching the parts out (not hard this time, as most of the parts I wanted were in the new case) and got my hard drives hooked up. My main drive (1TB WD Blue SATA), storage (600 GB Seagate SATA), and an old laptop drive I had been backing up (TOSHIBA 250GB SATA).

That last drive was probably a mistake because when I started the computer, Windows booted up, but it was the OS on the laptop drive! So I powered down the computer (was fairly impatient to get started and that old drive was so slow, I did a hard shutdown holding the power button) and pulled out the laptop drive.

When I tried to start again, I couldn't see my main drive. Turns out that I unhooked the data cable to it when unplugging the laptop drive. And here's where things turn sour. The drive won't boot. Says insert bootable media.

So I put in my Windows 7 (64 bit) disk and try a repair. Unfortunately it can't see the OS on my main drive to repair it! I've tried loading advanced drive controllers but no luck, it will not appear on the list.

Anybody have any idea what I did to sabotage my new setup?

[Advertisements]

Gday obsidiousrise,

Anybody have any idea what I did to sabotage my new setup?

Any of theses things may not have been done, giving you a problem. When you power down correctly Windows , locks the paging file, records information for the next startup (i.e. desktop icon order, etc.), and dismounts all storage volumes and media readers. If the HDD is writing data, that will be interrupted, leaving room for corrupt data, or in some cases, a completely corrupted hard drive, At next boot you get the message the "NTLDR is missing.The correct sequence for removing power to devices is not carried out correctly.

I have a couple of suggestions, other members will have more.

With the PSU switched off, take anti static measures.
Disconnect all drives except for the Boot drive, (I prefer using the lowest number SATA port for the Boot Drive.) Remove any USB flash sticks, any backup drives.
Clear the CMOS using the jumper.
Switch on the PSU, > power up, > enter the BIOS.
Check that AHCI mode is selected.
Select Fail Safe or Default setting, (not performance)
Save Setting, > Exit.

If no luck.
Restart, > press F8, select Last Known Good. > Press enter.

Good luck.

[iammykyl]

Gday obsidiousrise,

Anybody have any idea what I did to sabotage my new setup?

Any of theses things may not have been done, giving you a problem. When you power down correctly Windows , locks the paging file, records information for the next startup (i.e. desktop icon order, etc.), and dismounts all storage volumes and media readers. If the HDD is writing data, that will be interrupted, leaving room for corrupt data, or in some cases, a completely corrupted hard drive, At next boot you get the message the "NTLDR is missing.The correct sequence for removing power to devices is not carried out correctly.

I have a couple of suggestions, other members will have more.

With the PSU switched off, take anti static measures.
Disconnect all drives except for the Boot drive, (I prefer using the lowest number SATA port for the Boot Drive.) Remove any USB flash sticks, any backup drives.
Clear the CMOS using the jumper.
Switch on the PSU, > power up, > enter the BIOS.
Check that AHCI mode is selected.
Select Fail Safe or Default setting, (not performance)
Save Setting, > Exit.

If no luck.
Restart, > press F8, select Last Known Good. > Press enter.

Good luck.

[SleepyDude]

Hi,

Make sure the BIOS can detect the WD Hard Drive and the Boot sequence is correct, on some BIOS the boot sequence says only Hard Drive and there is another option to select which is the first Hard Disk drive. Sometimes removing a Hard Drive doesn't change the disk order.

Another problem if you try to boot your installed OS on a different motherboard most likely windows will fail to boot due to references to the old hardware.

[obsidiousrise]

I'm seriously hoping it isn't the old hardware issue. Wouldn't that result in a BSOD instead of not even detecting the OS? Also, yes. The BIOS does show both hard drives and I checked boot order and ensured the main one was the first.

Attempting the first solution soon.

[iammykyl]

Gday.
Re. SleepyDude's point.
Was the HDD you are using as the Boot drive now, used originally with a different MB?

[obsidiousrise]

Yes, the new hard drive I am using for booting was once in an HP Laptop. It boots up just fine under the new setup.

However, your solution would not allow my old hard drive to boot within the new system. So I switched it back to the old system. It doesn't boot there either! I believe my impatience indeed damaged the hard drive. However, the drive still functions as a secondary drive and I am able to access all my files.

Why would this be? It would be way simpler for me to be able to use the drive as a boot drive than set up a new one.

[iammykyl]

Gday.
I don't believe the machanism of the drives are damaged, there is just a problem with booting.

Sory but I am a little confused with new/old system, new/old HDD.

1. Is the new system with the M4A78TE ASUS Motherboard and Phenom X4 processor. ?
2. Which Model HDD do you want to use for the OS Boot drive? Has it been used on a different system? As a boot drive or a storage drive?
3. Which Model HDD do you want to use as the storage drive? Has it been used in a different system? As a boot drove of a storage drive?

[obsidiousrise]

The motherboard of the new system is the M4A78T-E ASUS motherboard with Phenom X4 CPU. My old system is an ASUS motherboard as well with an Athlon X3 CPU.

The hard drive I WANTED to use as the main boot drive is from my old system. It is a Western Digital 1 TB Blue SATA hard drive.

The storage drives are many. But the one that caused issue in the new system by booting first was a Toshiba 320 GB SATA laptop hard drive. It is now the main boot drive of the new system as I perform backups of the old hard drive.

Interesting development however, I can't boot the computer with the Western Digital hooked up, even if the laptop Toshiba drive is hooked up and designated as the main boot drive. It gives me the "Insert bootable media and restart" message. I have to hook the
Western Digital drive up after the Toshiba has booted up if I want to access my old files.

[iammykyl]

Gday.
For any HDD used on a system as the Boot drive, ( call it system A) has drivers selected and loaded by the OS, dependent on the hardware and the BIOS ver. When you put the HDD into a different system, (system B, different MB Hardware, BIOS) The OS can't find a match. Most often does not boot, may boot but would be unstable.

When you have All Data backed up from the WD.
Shut down, > disconnect the Toshiba, > connect the WD to the lowest number SATA Port (maybe #0.. connect the Optical drive to the last numbered SATA port) Ensure there are no other backup drives or USB sticks connected.
> Perform a clean install of the OS, MB Drivers/utilities, > GPU Drivers/software, > required Updates. Shutdown..
> connect whichever HDD you want for storage (miss one port out from the Boot drive, install to the next one)
Use the OS disk management to format the storage drive.
Create a drive image and recovery media.