Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question
Solved

Cannot access Hard Disk!

Tags:
  • Western Digital
  • Tom's Hardware
  • Hard Drives
  • Storage
Last response: in Storage
Share
April 6, 2013 12:04:42 PM

Hi all,

I am having a problem with an IDE Hard Disk and I decided to register with tom's HARDWARE to ask for help because I could see that there are a lot of experts on this forum.

The Hard Disk is detected in BIOS correctly as Western Digital and 40GB Capacity.

However, when I run a Windows XP CD in the boot to format the Hard Disk and install Windows XP on the Hard Disk, after loading the 'Windows Setup blue screen' and going through several processes, the screen freezes at the stage where there is the message 'Setup is starting Windows' at the bottom left! Setup does not even reach the stage where it asks the user to format the Hard Disk...

I also have a USB enclosure for IDE Hard Disk and when I insert the Western Digital Hard Disk in the enclosure and power it on and connect the USB of the enclosure to my PC, Windows detects that a USB has been inserted since I can see the icon 'Safely Remove Hardware' at the bottom right in the Desktop tray. However, I cannot see the drive in My Computer. I can only see the usual Local Disk and Optical Disk.

Could somebody please tell me what is the problem with my Western Digital Hard Disk and what should I do to be able to use the Hard Disk?

Thanks for reading

Regards
Jean Luc

More about : access hard disk

a b G Storage
April 6, 2013 12:06:54 PM

Hi :) 

Run a hard drive test in DOS... HIRENS BOOT CD etc, it sounds like a failing hard drive... do NOT do this if you have an SSD...

All the best Brett :) 
m
0
l
April 6, 2013 12:15:13 PM

Hi Brett,

Thanks for ur reply.

How can I run a hard drive test in DOS?

BIOS does detect the Hard Disk but Windows does not...
m
0
l
Related resources
a b G Storage
April 6, 2013 12:39:44 PM

attal said:
Hi Brett,

Thanks for ur reply.

How can I run a hard drive test in DOS?

BIOS does detect the Hard Disk but Windows does not...


Hi :) 

You BOOT from the HIRENS cd...well before Windows...

All the best Brett :) 
m
0
l
April 6, 2013 11:05:04 PM

Brett,

I have run a program in HIREN called "Darik's Boot and Nuke (Hard Disk Eraser)" and it could not format the hard drive because the program says that there are bad sectors....

Also, when I ran a couple of other a couple of other programs, I got the error: Error 15: File not found

Could you please tell me what I should do to remove the bad sectors?
m
0
l

Best solution

a b G Storage
April 7, 2013 5:37:28 AM

attal said:
Brett,

I have run a program in HIREN called "Darik's Boot and Nuke (Hard Disk Eraser)" and it could not format the hard drive because the program says that there are bad sectors....

Also, when I ran a couple of other a couple of other programs, I got the error: Error 15: File not found

Could you please tell me what I should do to remove the bad sectors?


Hi :) 

BAD SECTORS = drop drive in nearest bin...

Its dead...

NEW drive time as bad sectors are NOT fixable...

All the best Brett :) 
Share
April 7, 2013 10:21:23 AM

Brett928S2 said:
attal said:
Brett,

I have run a program in HIREN called "Darik's Boot and Nuke (Hard Disk Eraser)" and it could not format the hard drive because the program says that there are bad sectors....

Also, when I ran a couple of other a couple of other programs, I got the error: Error 15: File not found

Could you please tell me what I should do to remove the bad sectors?


Hi :) 

BAD SECTORS = drop drive in nearest bin...

Its dead...

NEW drive time as bad sectors are NOT fixable...

All the best Brett :) 


Thanks dude
m
0
l
!