[Mystic Dragon]

Hello all, I have a problem with my Dell desktop computer that I cannot solve on my own. It's quite baffling actually and none of the tech's at Dell can figure out why it's working the way it is.

First problem I had was one day I went to turn my computer on to get my email and I get an error on boot up. The error reads as follows: PXE - E61 Media Test Failure then on a second line it reads PXE M0F Exiting Broadcom PXE ROM and then it also reads NO BOOT DEVICE DETECTED, PLEASE PRESS F2 TO ENTER SETUP...

I put the Windows install disc into the computer and pressed F1 just like it told me to.. went into the setup menu and recovery console.. I then did a chkdsk and nothing.. no errors were found. I tried fixboot and it didn't help either... so I basically gave up on that hard drive as a boot drive and bought another one. Oh yah, the first HDD was a Seagate Baracuda ATA V 60GB drive (model# ST360015A) The other HDD that I bought is a Western Digital EIDI HDD 80GB (model# WD800JB-OOJJCO)

Now I installed the new drive following the instructions that came with the drive and I even downloaded that installation instructions that came with the old drive so that I would know the proper pin settings. I've tried all different types of sequences that Seagate Tech. told me... I also called WD tech and no help there either... I even went so far as to talk to Dell tech for almost two hours and not one of those people could help me figure out what the problem is!!! Needless to say I'm about pulling out my hair by now but, because I'm so dang stubborn I gotta figure out how to get the two drives working together.

Forgot to mention that when I disconnect the old HDD the new WD drive works great and I have no problems but when the SG drive is connected, whether by itself of as a slave the computer won't boot up and I always get the same error. Although I have on occasion been lucky and had the computer boot up with both drives connected and as long as I don't shut down the computer all is fine... I can restart it though when updating is done. This part makes no sense to me as I would figure either it's going to work or it's not... not sometimes it will and sometimes it won't. Any idea as to why it'll sometimes work and sometimes not?? Forgot to also mention that this only happens after I've gone through a number of instances of booting into the setup menu with the windows install disc in the CD drive.

All I want to be able to do is access the old seagate drive while using the new WD drive as the main "C" drive. Anyone out there run into this problem or know what problem might cause this and hopefully have a solution as to how I can connect both drives together in the same computer?? I have a lot of important programs on the old drive that I'd like to be able to access and I know it works because I've had it working over the last few months. It's just frustrating that it decides when it wants to work.

Any and all help would be appreciated... If I can't get the two to work together how can I go about getting the data and files off the old HDD?

ttfn
Mystic.

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Hi Mystic Dragon;

I was wondering if you set the jumpers on the hardrives right because they will not work if they are both on the same thing.

Make sure the one that has Windows installed is set to MASTER W/ Slave Present, and the second one is set to SLAVE.

Oh yeah and never call Dell Support because they never help, I know this because I have a Dell Laptop and I am very close to trashing it.

Edited by SOORENA, 06 October 2006 - 07:23 PM.

[SOORENA]

Hi Mystic Dragon;

I was wondering if you set the jumpers on the hardrives right because they will not work if they are both on the same thing.

Make sure the one that has Windows installed is set to MASTER W/ Slave Present, and the second one is set to SLAVE.

Oh yeah and never call Dell Support because they never help, I know this because I have a Dell Laptop and I am very close to trashing it.

Edited by SOORENA, 06 October 2006 - 07:23 PM.

[Mystic Dragon]

Hi Mystic Dragon;

I was wondering if you set the jumpers on the hardrives right because they will not work if they are both on the same thing.

Make sure the one that has Windows installed is set to MASTER W/ Slave Present, and the second one is set to SLAVE.

Oh yeah and never call Dell Support because they never help, I know this because I have a Dell Laptop and I am very close to trashing it.

Soorena, yes I made sure that I had the jumpers set correctly. I looked at the installation instructions for both of the HDD and made sure... as a matter of fact I double and triple checked the jumper settings because I was pretty sure that was the problem. I also made sure that I have the Master drive connected to the black cable connection and the slave drive is connected to the grey cable connection. I don't know what else to do to make them work together.. perhaps the two brands just don't mix? I dunno.

ttfn
Mystic.

[SOORENA]

When you start the computer try to tap DELETE or whatever button you have to press to enter the setup menu and then check to see if the computer actually detects the the Hard Drives and that they are set correctly.

Edited by SOORENA, 06 October 2006 - 08:13 PM.

[Mystic Dragon]

I've done that and most of the time it doesn't detect either drive... although if I turn off the quick boot and quiet boot then reboot the computer it will detect the WD drive. But still won't boot into windows.... and when I go back into setup and do the "auto detect" on the WD drive it says it's no longer there.

ttfn
Mystic.

[Mystic Dragon]

No other ideas on what the problem is? I've noticed that this seems to be quite a popular error and that my only other thought would be that the HDD is dead now. I'm hoping this is not the case as I have recently done some major file changes and saving onto the HDD that just died and I'd love to be able to get the data off there if nothing else.

I still don't understand how the fact that the one drive is dead/failing would affect the boot sequence of the entire computer. Why wouldn't it just boot into the new (good) drive like it's set up to do? And why would it work intermittently and only with the Windows install disc? All this makes no sense to me.

ttfn
Mystic.