Format and installation problem

[mach04]

Hi all,
I have a problem with the hard drive in my laptop. The problem is after I recently formatted the hard drive and installed the Windows XP home, were using the pc for two days. During these two days it received some updates from microsfot, and I only installed AVG antivirus, MS office plus the addition drivers such as for audio and video.
PC after this time suddenly got stuck and it was not possible to do anything at all with it (at this moment I was in the windows enviroment). After restarting the pc it didnt started normally as it used to. It showed whether I want to use it in safe mode or in the normal mode. After several unsuccesful attempts trying entering the pc in normal mode, I chose the safe mode but that didnt help at all.
I tried to repair the windows by choosing to repair windows. During the process it asked for several files that it needed to copy some certain dll files from the windows/system32. I tried to open those files manually from the cd drive but it appparently couldnt read those files even though I could see them. It kept on continuing the installation.
Finally I thought to reformat the drive in order to clean anything that might have caused the problem. Ever since it has been impossible to go through a new installation.
After ending the formatting it gives a message that your drive may be damaged.

My question is what do you think the problem could be? and what should I do? Could it be a damaged drive or other thing.

 

[Freestone]

It may be your hard drive has developed a problem or possibly faulty memory. Both can be checked.

Bootable CD memory diagnostics can be created from downloads at:

http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Diagnostics for the hard drive are usually available from the hard drive manufacturer's website, and possibly from the laptop maker's site too.

 

[mach04]

Thanks Freestone for the tips, I follow the instructions for the memory diagnose. As for the hard drive I havent looked inside the laptop for the exact kind of the drive, but its a Toshiba. As I mentioned earlier there are no operative systems installed on the pc, so I hope that can help to diagnose the drive.
I get back with the results ASAP.

 

[TomCologne]

There's a free collection of misc utilities incl manufacturer's HDD utilities on "Hiren's BootCD". Just google for ToC and downlaod.

TomCologne

 

[Freestone]

Toshiba does not seem to have any diagnostics, but Toshiba's may work. You've nothing to lose seeing that the drive has no operative OS:

http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT

I'm fairly confident Hiren's CD has copyright issues.

 

[mach04]

Freestone, I downloaded the Driver Fitness Test ISO image, but it seems to be missing some files, it cant unpack the files, have downloaded several times gives the same problem.
As for Hiren's CD it is not possible to download those packages. Those accessible programs, I cant use them to solve my problem.

As for the memory test the program at microsoft is an .exe program and have tried with Nero to make it bootable but not possible.
Anyway I can make it bootable on a cd, what to do to test the hard drive?

 

[mach04]

By the way the disc is a Toshiba MK4025GAS.

 

[TomCologne]

Did you read the instructions on MS's Windows Memory Diagnostic website?
The mtinst.exe will extract an ISO image that you need to burn.

I wasn't aware of legal issues with Hiren's BootCD so I did some research but results were ambiguous;-(

TomCologne

 

[Freestone]

The Toshiba ISO image does not get unpacked at all. It gets burned to a CD using a CD-burning package such as Nero. I downloaded it and was able to use it in a Virtual PC session with no problems.

The Microsoft Memory Tester has to be run in order to either create a bootable diskette, or as Tom pointed out, extract the ISO image that then gets burned to CD.

If you need assistance creating CDs from ISO images, let us know.

And Tom, as far as Hiren's CD, my research (read searching the Web) also gave ambiguous results, but inspecting the CD contents reveals packages that are not abandonware and certainly were not ever freeware. I did find this link interesting:

http://www.answers.com/topic/hiren-s-boot-cd,

and sure enough, I could not find a download for the CD on Hiren's page.

 

[TomCologne]

Freestone,
Thanks for the link. I found a discussion about the issue and one poster claimed that the proprietary programs were trial versions. But I agree, it's suspicious that a download is not available on their website.

TomCologne

 

[mach04]

Freestone,
The Driver Fitness Test software at that site is a winrar package. I tried to unpack the files and then make a bootable CD from it, but without luck. Do you mean that the winrar package should be burnd as bootable?

As for memory test, the file makes a bootable CD file, but not as an ISO image. It creates a WINDIAG winrar file! I tried to unpack this and there is only file calls WINDIAG in it.

I appreciate if you could assist me on making a botable CD.
Thanks in advance.

 

[mach04]

I did burn the WINDIAG.ISO with Nero. Nero asked that it should be placed on a floppy disc and after it burned it on a CD. After I inserted the CD in the lpatop, it didnt recognize it and asked for an installation CD for windows.

I am not sure whether I have burned it as a bootable CD. I am currently using my older pc, and after inserting the CD in this pc, it doesnt start automatically as a bootable should do.

 

[Freestone]

Something is definately amiss here. The Drive Fitness Test I download from the site is an EXE file (not a winrar package) named dft32_v410_b00.EXE that, when started, wants a diskette inserted to write to. The CD image link (CD image (2,714 K) ) downloads an ISO file (dft32_v410_b00.iso) that is burned directly to CD. Where are you getting WINRAR packages?

The WINDIAG.ISO file burns directly to CD too, not to a diskette at all. Once burned , you boot from the CD. I am confused why you say Nero "asked that it should be placed on a floppy disc".

When using ISO images, there is no need to try to create a bootable CD. An ISO image is a copy of a CD, and if that CD was bootable, as is the case for both ISO images we are concerned with, the resulting burned CD will be bootable too. So in your case, you basically want File, Open, browse to the ISO file (change file type box to all files or .iso if necessary) then click Burn. The exact steps vary with Nero versions but are basically the same - open the ISO file, click burn.

http://www.weethet.nl/english/cdrw_usingnero_iso.php

 

[mach04]

Freestone,
After I wrote the message I downloaded an ISO program MagicIso to make a copy of the file. But the files before installing this program were showing as a winrar file on my pc, and I could look inside the package including several files.
I finally made a bootable CD and tested the hard drive. It showed that there is a failure with the drive but didnt mention more prcise rather than an error code Device S.M.A.R.T error, due to that it is a non Hitachi disc.

I even made a bootable CD for killdisk program. I tried to erase all the datas on the drive in order to make a new fresh installation, but this program too indicated a failure on the disk and ment it is damaged.
I guess the drive is somehow damaged, but do you think its still possible to rescue it or should I replace it with a new one.

 

[Freestone]

One last try to erase the drive, if you are up to it, would be Darik's Boot and Nuke at

http://dban.sourceforge.net/

If this doesn't help, then I would replace the drive.

 

[mach04]

Freestone, I give it a try with the Darik's boot and nuke and see what happens and bring the result.
There are 2 parts on the hard drive, one is about 8 Mb (not sure whether is free as I havent partitioned the drive into 2 parts), and the other is 38 Gb which should be free. Does this explain the error??

 

[Freestone]

An 8MB unallocated portion of a drive usually is created when one creates an Extended partition on a drive versus a Primary partition.

It is difficult to say what is wrong with the drive as I am not seeing the wording of any error messages you are receiving, just that you are receiving errors.

I still wouldn't totally rule out memory. Did you try MagicISO to try to create the memory diagnostics CD?

 

[mach04]

I ran the memory test you mentioned and it didnt show any error.
I used MagicISO to create the bootable cd's for all the tests. Previously I was trying to make it with Isoburner a free program but its not good at all!
I am most interessted to know what has caused the problem in order to not experience the same failure again. The price of a new HDD is not much nowadays, but losing some datas can be very annoying.

 

[Freestone]

Yes, losing data is never fun, if not downright expensive for some. I was hoping the drive diagnostics would give you a better answer to the hard drive problem. Try the Boot and Nuke and see what happens. I am out of further ideas at the moment.

 

[mach04]

Thank you very much Freestones for all your help. Even though my drive seems to be dead and not recoverable but I sure did learn alot from this topic.
BTW, I did ran the Boot and Nuke and it didn't help either.