HDD detected in bios, UNABLE to access through DOS utility

[denodave]

HDD: 20gb Western Digital 5400rpm, a little over one year old, suddenly started experiencing boot problems after installation of AOL dsl software and several online games.

STICKY PROBLEM:

(1) bios correctly identifies the drive, but fails it on boot; must press F1 to continue boot process, and every machine I have tried it in completes bootup and OS continues on it's merry way...but it is unrecognized in DOS.

(2) windows 98 and 2000 are able to freely access the entire drive as a slave...

(3) ** NO dos utilities can touch it, hence I cannot low-level format...**

(4) BUT, and get this, BUT I was able to format and partition it using W.D.'s proprietary setup disk -- EXCEPT that it would only format the drive as a 2.1gb unit !!

(5) then I put it into a windows2000 machine and used the system's disk management to FULLY partition and format the drive w/FAT32, which worked fine.

(6) I have run virus scans on it three times using different software; found nothing.

(7) sadly we have no backup of the MBR

(8) DOES ANYONE HAVE A UTILITY THAT WILL LOW-LEVEL THIS THING UNDER WINDOWS?

(9) COULD I REPLACE THE MBR WITH A COPY OF ANOTHER 20GB DRIVE'S MBR?? Email me! denodave@yahoo.com
Real men pray...especially techies!

 

[gargouille]

I noticed some time ago, when facing a similar issue, that this machine's BIOS has a low-level format routine, and mentioned it and was told that it might/probably wouldn't work. Have a machine like that around there?
This one is an Epox P2-112A motherboard, probably more importantly has Award Bios 4.51PG, dated 12/03/98.
Would be d__n interested to know if this works.
'Scuse me, I know you're sounding desperate, but I don't think Windows would ever allow you to low level format a drive under its nose.
Buuut, I've been wrong before.

 

[wolluf]

You can use fixmbr from 2k’s recovery console to write new mbr if that’s problem (boot from 2k CD, choose repair using recovery console, need administrator password). Partition table’s obviously ok (fro m2k partitioning & use). Have you scanned for boot sector viruses?

Note: You can use diskprobe (use with care!) in win2k for low(ish!) level access (don’t know about mass wiping off drive, but can edit mbr). Downloadable from M$ (support tool) – haven’t got url to hand & can’t get on M$ from here tonight (mind you this is 3rd time I’ve tried to post to this thread!) – try a Google if you want it.

 

[wolluf]

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tr...prodtechnol/winxppro/reskit/prkd_tro_kvfn.asp

 

[gp0114]

ok...here goes
have numerous dell computers in use as scada system.
put 2000 on client with 1 hard drive. worked fine.
have development computers with 2 18g mirrored hard drives,
bios recongnizes both hard drives, but when installing nt or 2000, it doesn't see hard drives. says no disk in drive. ask for storage files or any scsi storage files. put in what i have , but still won't recognize.
can put 95, 98, or me on it fine, but no nt,2000, or xp.

doesn't show partioned drives or any thing else.

 

[denodave]

gargouille, congrats on being a top tipster, but you are confusing...what machine are you referring to when you say "this machine's BIOS has a low-level format routine, and mentioned it and was told that it might/probably wouldn't work." And who told you, and what were they referring to?

I had to return the machine to it's owner so I can't check the bios right now anyway.

Thanks to wollouf for the link...I probably wouldn't have spotted it under XP info. You folks think it'll work if I backup the MBR from a fully functional drive and try to replace it on the other drive? They are identical drives except for rotational speed (5400 vs. 7200 rpm). Email me! denodave@yahoo.com
Real men pray...especially techies!

 

[gargouille]

Hi denodave:

I meant to say the machine I'm on right now...and that's why I included the BIOS version.
I felt like you were posting from a shop, and perhaps had a computer with a BIOS like the one I'm using.

I mentioned that the BIOS had it one late-night early-morning session in a thread with ed and wolluf ganging up on me. ('Course it was going to work time where they are)
I just injected it in a discussion of low-level formatting and they gave me their forthright insight (as always).
(said nowayjosewouldn'tworkmaybe...or something like that)
Consistent to my contrary nature, I've since been thrust into changing the hard drive on this one...and guess what? I'm gonna' test the low-level format! LOL

Thanks for the compliment, about which I can only say that compared to the rest of these guys I'm just a beginner.
There's a lot of talent 'round here...participating has really helped my diagnostic skills immensely.

As for whether it'll work, I'd trust wolluf (he said, deftly passing the noose around wolluf's neck) ROFL

 

[denodave]

Gargouille, I'll see if by chance I have a machine with that feature. Where in the bios menu was it? I'd be really interested to see if it works too! Can you please post back on that? Email me! denodave@yahoo.com
Real men pray...especially techies!