Formating, Windows 7, windows xp

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dodron1324

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Jun 8, 2013
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So I had windows 7 on a 250 gig hd, and xp on a 50g, I decided to re install windows 7 fresh on the 250 and afterwards had the idiotic idea of formatting the other hard drive witrh xp on it, now when i turn my computer on its just a black screen, nothing else no noises fans starts but nothing else is there. the 50 gig was set to master or the first slot, does this mean I should switch the 50 with the 250 or did I screw the computer completaly?
 
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kenrivers

kenrivers

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Dec 29, 2010
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Remove the 50GB drive, set the 250GB drive as the master drive. Reinstall Windows 7 and then put the 50GB drive back in the computer as a slave drive. You may need to check the jumpers on the drives to make sure they are set correctly. I have read many times in the threads here that if you have two drives in a system and want to reinstall Windows 7 that you should remove the secondary drive before installing Windows 7 and add it back after the installation is complete.
 
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Paperdoc

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WAIT! You don't have to do a whole re-install of Win 7 on the 250 GB unit.

kenrivers is right - you should remove the 50 GB unit so that the machine has only one HDD in it - the one that already has Win 7. Then put your Win 7 Install CD in the optical drive and boot from it. Do NOT do a regular Install. Instead look for the option to do a Repair Install. The problem you have is that the regular Install process you did with 2 HDD units in the machine put some semi-hidden backup files on the second drive. Now the machine won't boot unless that drive is available AND contains those files. But you wiped them out! Removing it and doing the Repair Install will cause it to put those backups on your only HDD present - the 250 GB unit - so that it can boot all by itself, and it will NOT look for them on the other drive. This process will NOT damage any other files you already have on that 250 GB unit.

Once you get it working just fine on ONE drive - the 250 GB unit - you can re-install the older 50 GB unit and use it as a second drive with no trouble.
 
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kenrivers

kenrivers

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Great answer! I wish I had thought of that. Excellent advice.
 
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dodron1324

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I'm starting to think it might be screwed, the fans turn on but monitor shows nothing it doesn't beep or boot up or anything. Monitor keyboard or mouse, none works doesn't boot to bios with and without it connected. Would it have messed the Bios up some how?
 
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dodron1324

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It doesn't boot in to Bos or anything nothing turns on monitor keyboard mouse, cd drive etc. just the fans.
 
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Paperdoc

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Simply removing one HDD certainly should NOT make the system fail everything. At least it should appear to start to boot by completing the POST process with on-screen messages, and it should allow you to enter the BIOS Setup process with the appropriate key (often by holding down the "Del" key).

BUT if you have nothing on your monitor screen at all, consider this. IF you have been using a video card plugged into your PCI bus, AND IF you mobo also contains a video chip with an output connector on the back of the mobo, MAYBE the mobo has reverted to using its on-board video output, rather than the add-on card. If you think this has happened, try connecting the monitor to the mobo video output, rather than to the video card connector.
 
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dodron1324

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Monitor cable isnt same size as mobo output, and the monitor light just blinks now cd drive lights up won't open, fans running other then that nothing. I'm just baffled that formatting would even do that.
 
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Paperdoc

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Formatting did not do this. Something else has gone wrong and needs to be found/fixed. Try these preliminary steps.

1. Disconnect the cables to the 50 GB unit - both power and data.

2. You say the 50 GB was set to "Master". Does this mean that both your HDD's were on an IDE (PATA) port with an 80-conductor ribbon cable from the mobo? If so, once the 50 GB unit is disconnected, reset the jumper on the 250 GB unit to be the Master, and then plug the END (Black) connector of the ribbon cable into it. Now try to boot.

3. Since you had both Win 7 and Win XP installed in your system on separate HDD's, did you have it set up in a dual boot configuration? That is, did it used to give you a menu at boot time to ask which OS you wanted to boot into? If you did, maybe you wiped out the dual boot system when you Formatted the 50 GB unit. HOWEVER, that should not prevent you from getting though the initial POST process and at least some error messages.

4. You say the mobo (Video) output is there but different. My guess is that the mobo output connector is the common 9-pin VGA connector, and you have been using something like a DV cable from your vid card. Take a close look at the back of your monitor AND its manual. Many such monitors also have a VGA input connector. You can get a common VGA cable and connect from that to the mobo VGA output. Then you probably have to set your monitor (hence reading the manual) to use that input source. Try getting that working to see if you do get video that way.

If none of that works, you will need to follow a systematic diagnosis plan, OR get someone with more technical knowledge to help you. For a thorough troubleshooting guide, look here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-post-boot-video-problems

That covers much more than you may need, so you may find yourself skipping steps. But it did remind me of something. Check inside your case for loose connectors. Sometime when you work inside you bump something and loosen it without realizing.
 
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