[chwhitecat]

Windows XP - clicked on my name - desktop came up and froze before any icons showed - nothing I tried worked so shut down computer and started back up - it would not reboot - all I get is a black screen with a white bar flashing in the upper left corner and in the right corner for a few seconds the word Analog in blue appears and then disappears. I have tried a rescue floppy but this doesn't work. I have tried F8 - doesn't work. When I try using it as a slave to my new HD the computer doesn't recognize it. Is there anything I can do - I have some info on it that I cannot get from anywhere else.

[Advertisements]

Hi and Welcome,

Hmm, ok. First thing we can try is, booting to the recovery console. For this you'll need your XP disk. Insert the Setup compact disc (CD) and restart the computer. If prompted, select any options required to boot from the CD. When the text-based part of Setup begins, follow the prompts; choose the repair or recover option by pressing R. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation that you need to access from the Recovery Console. When prompted, type the Administrator password(if you didn't set one, try just hitting enter). At the system prompt, type fixmbr then hit enter, then type, fixboot and hit enter. Then exit take the CD and reboot, and see if it boots up.

Also, another thing to check is, listen to the HDD and try to hear if it's spinning when you boot up. If not, the HDD may actually have failed.

Good luck!

B

[Besttechie]

Hi and Welcome,

Hmm, ok. First thing we can try is, booting to the recovery console. For this you'll need your XP disk. Insert the Setup compact disc (CD) and restart the computer. If prompted, select any options required to boot from the CD. When the text-based part of Setup begins, follow the prompts; choose the repair or recover option by pressing R. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation that you need to access from the Recovery Console. When prompted, type the Administrator password(if you didn't set one, try just hitting enter). At the system prompt, type fixmbr then hit enter, then type, fixboot and hit enter. Then exit take the CD and reboot, and see if it boots up.

Also, another thing to check is, listen to the HDD and try to hear if it's spinning when you boot up. If not, the HDD may actually have failed.

Good luck!

B

[Tyger]

This sounds like a worst case hard drive fail, completely without warning, and on boot up. If you put your hand on it can you tell if it is spinning? If it doesn't spin there's isn't really anything you can do. You could take/send it to a facility that puts the platters in a drive assy and reads the data from them.

If it spins you could download the drive software from the drive mfrs website to your working unit, install it and see if it can detect the drive. Or if you're getting a new drive anyway it will probably have the software included. Then you can either make a drive to drive copy, usually easiest on the old drive, or just copy the files over.

All this is assuming that you have a drive failure and not some malware that has damaged the partition or boot sector.

[chwhitecat]

I can't tell if it is spinning but it clicks for awhile and then the clicking stops. I put in the restoration CD and I either didn't see the beginning because I was trying to check if the drive was spinning but when I looked the screen was on A>_ . I didn't know what to type so I tried several things and it kept saying incorrect command. I typed in scandisk and it said there were no errors in A drive so I did a surface scan and it said it could not repair it so I turned it off and plugged back into my new drive.
Thanks to all who have and are trying to help me
Stupid me I just reread your instruction and you told me what to type in - I printed it out and then got so nervous I forgot to read it. Will try again Thanks

Well I may have really messed up - tried again and it wouldn't boot to system retest cd - must give up for tonight am too tired and can't concentrate will try again after work tomorrow
Thanks Carol

Edited by chwhitecat, 04 July 2005 - 06:59 PM.

[peterm]

ok when you put the drive in as a slave did you change the drive jumpers
to be 1 a master with a slave and 2 a slave drive?

[chwhitecat]

I didn't put int in as a slave I unhooked my good drive and put it in as a master both times - should I try it as a slave/

[peterm]

yes
change the jumpers on both , your new disc as master with slave
and the old disc as slave. you don't want to use cable select it is very iffy

[chwhitecat]

Ok will try that as soon as I get home from work tomorrow and will post then if I have any luck or not. Thanks

[chwhitecat]

OK my last post of the night for real - I tried it set as a slave with my good drive as master and my computer wouldn't boot - it just stayed on the windows beginning screen and the little dashes kept moving but nothing else happened so I shut it off unhooked the bad drive and am quitting for this evening. Any suggestions for tomorrow will be welcomed. Thank you Carol

[chwhitecat]

Well I can't get it to boot with old drive set as master it appears to keep searching for operating system on old drive and since it can't find it it won't boot up. I am going to try it as master and put the recovery cd in again and see if I can get to DOS

[peterm]

Do both old and new disc have xp

[chwhitecat]

YYes they both have XP

[peterm]

can you tell me what make and model of hard drives. Something does not seem right that they would go in a loop. When you connect both drives
new as master with slave and old as slave can you see both drives in cmos?

[chwhitecat]

Yes I could see both drives - the old one is a Western Digital WD400 and New one is a Seagate 120gb. What I was wondering is if Windows was trying to recognize the Operating system on the old one and instead of booting it kept trying to access the old one - don't know if that makes sense or not

[peterm]

no if cmos can see it, it should boot from the 1st drive, I suggest you check the jumper settings it seems like one of them is not set right