Hard drive not detected by OS/bios reports wrong size.

[mory999]

I am new to the forums.


I recently attempted a linux install on a compaq presario 5000/5wv294 (holds a compaq propriety load of windows ME). I get to the first part of the installation where you are shown what partitions already exist and are asked where you would like to install. I realize that the compaq proprietary image leaves nothing unallocated on the disk and decided not to go forward with the installation. I backed out of the installation, removed the linux install cd and rebooted the box. I am unable to boot up on windows. I receive a message saying "cannot access hard drive". I boot off a boot disk. Fdisk cannot detect the hard drive at all. I reboot and enter the bios. The bios shows the hard drive as a rather venerable Western Digital WD75AA when in fact the disk is a still rather venerable Western Digital WD450AA 45 gig drive.

System recovery via compaq's "recovery cd" won't work because their cd contains nothing more than a couple of batch jobs that recover the system from data stored on the
D:\ extended does partion (on the now defunct hard drive).
Ouch!

Does anyone out there have any ideas what exactly has happeneded here or how to recover the disk?

Your guidance and advice are appreciated.


Mory.

 

[Jontmke]

I'll bet Partition magic would help. I'll bet the Linux install changed the MBR and did not undo it when you stopped the install.

Jon

There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge. (Bertrand Russell)

 

[wolluf]

fdisk can't detect drive at all? Linux install shouldn't have changed anything if you stopped BEFORE it starts partitioning.

Can you install drive as slave in another machine & see if you can get any sort of access to it (eg, with a data recovery app - like free one here -

http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/UK/welcome.htm).

Also - try this partitioning tool from a boot floppy -

http://www.lpacomputers.telinco.co.uk/PD.zip

(to see if it can see any partitions - and if so, what sort of partitions it reports).

(drive is still set to auto detect in the bios?)