hard drive failure of WinXP lock up harddrive?

[Kicket]

i bought a harddrive w/ winXP on it
i was suppose to format it first for installation
but i accidentally boot up used the winXP in that harddrive
it asked me to register
i didn't do it.

then i tried to create new partition into this harddrive
it return an error, can not access harddrive.
I checked my bio, the harddrive was identified by the BIO.
So right now:

1. I can't formatt or fdisk this harddrive.
2. I still can view this harddrive in BIO.
3. No access to this harddrive from anywhere else.

I think i read some article said that WinXp will lock up ur harddrive somehow, something like that.
If so, is there some kind jumper i can clean my harddrive?
can't remember now
Anyone knows?


ff

 

[gargouille]

Boot to the WinXP CD by 1st resetting the boot devices in the BIOS to use the CD then the floppy then the hard drive...then you can partition and format and install it.
You have 30 days to register, unless you get in a hurry and download/install SP1. Then it'll want you to register it right away. (this is of course assuming you'll install XP)

IF XP is already on the drive...the installer will see this and offer to repair it...or give you a chance to install over what's there.
Perhaps you were trying to do the partition and format in Windows?
It won't let you do that...you cannot format boot partition from inside Windows...and you get the access denied message.

 

[Accessdabbler]

What are you using to partition and format the drive?

You should be booting to a floppy disk (startup disk for WinXP or Win98).

If you boot to a Win98 floppy disk and you are having problems, it could be because the XP hard drive has an NTFS file system. FDISK won't "see" the NTFS partition

 

[Kicket]

hmmmm, fdisk won't "see" the NTFS partition?
i doubt it.
nah, this is not helping.
the thing is, after i boot from floppy disk
the system won't recognize hard drive. C: is set to a virtual drive loaded with tools from floppy disk.
D: is my cd-rom
but in bio setting. it can detect my IDE primary is a harddrive

i think either the harddrive is damaged or somehow when i trying to format an unregistered winXP, it locks the harddrive, somehow
ff

 

[Accessdabbler]

No, XP cannot lock out your HD. If you do not get a drive letter for your HD then the boot OS doesn't see it. Drive letters are assigned by the OS.

It doesn't make sense that the CMOS can see the drive but the OS doesn't. Check in the CMOS again.

 

[wolluf]

are you sure fdisk can't see the partition? (option 4, view partitions).

try this utility (run from dos after booting from floppy) -

http://www.lpacomputers.telinco.co.uk/pdisk.exe

 

[Kicket]

okay.
i aldready said i can see HD in bios
but after boot w/ win98 start up disk, there's no letter asigned to HD.

and i m pretty sure i know how to use FDISK.

what i think is more like a harddrive defects..
ff

 

[wolluf]

did u try pdisk?