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my pc won't bott when both my harddrives are wonnected

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bifterwmd

Programmer
Apr 14, 2005
5
GB
they were working fine yesterday i tryand start it it makes noise then goes off they both work fine seperatly it's just when they both connected and yes one is master and one is slave (not using cable select can anybody help me ????
 
So to recap - 2 drives (both with operating systems?), machine working fine until yesterday with both drives connected.

You do nothing (no changes to software/hardware etc?), then today machine just makes a noise and then shuts down if both drives are connected. But machine is ok with each drive connected separately.

Very strange. If this really is the full story, its hard to give any advice, as you appear to have 2 working drives and a working machine, and no changes which could have caused the problem.

Run chkdsk (or scandisk if win9x/ME)? Run drive manufacturer's diagnostics? Swap the drives round (master/slave reversal, put one on secondary IDE with CD/DVD as slave...)
 
bifterwmd,

I would try what Wolluf has mentioned as well.

Also, you may have a failing power supply and 2 drives together may be the load that is making it appearant.

Maybe a jumper on one of the drives was not in all the way to begin with and has now fallen off?

Any other users of this PC?

 
i have worked out it is something to do with a drive i think is actually shorting out cause it did it when just that drive was plugged in any reccomendations and my power supply is 550w btw
 
From reading this i can say i am a bit confused.
I have a plan. Can you tell us the mfgr and a bit of info on each hard drive. Which one is set to master and which to slave or are they both cable select? Are they ide or sata and a bit of info on your computer as well wouldnt hurt.
What does bios say about each hard drive?
What does disk management say about each hard drive?
Are there any obvious signs of discoloration on the pcb board on any of the drives?
Any loose pins or jumpers on any drive?


Good advice + great people = tek-tips
 
Just to try another angle, how old is the PSU and have you a lot of add ons card and have a busy system?

Even though it's a 550w supply, if its a cheaper version it could be a sign it's giving out?
 
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