PC does not detect manufacturers name for HDD

[chiew]

My PC does not detect the manufacturers name for my HDD, and sometimes when i restart my comp, it asks to insert a boot disk/ or the windows xp cd to load. i assume my HDD does not detect XP.
I went to hardware and the name for my HDD says "Promise 1+0/Stripe Raid0 SCSI Disk Device". It use to say WD120...etc WD=Western Digital.

Help me out thanks

 

[Lienori]

You'll need to give us more information, but assuming that this is not a build, and it has been working for a while now, it sounds like your hard drive is on the way out.

Not being detected in BIOS, and/or being asked for a boot disk (it cannot see the data on the HD so it cannot boot from it) is a common indicator of a drive failing.

If it works sometimes when you turn the machine on, it will be because the drive is being re-initialized; it's unlikely it will last too much longer. That said, more information would be good.

 

[chiew]

The hard drive works when the computer is on. Sometimes when i reboot, it will ask for a boot disk, so i instert the XP cd. And in the BIOS it is recognised as "Promise 1+0..." not "WD120...".

At the start, my PC could not detect the HDD at all so i installed a SATA driver from the Asus website, and after installing it all happen to be like that.

 

[Lienori]

RAID 1+0. You are definitely using just one drive in your machine?

 

[chiew]

yeah i only have one hard drive

 

[Lienori]

Well assuming that the drive is not plugged into a RAID SATA connection, and that the drive is not configured for RAID, I would guess that it's a driver problem (no duh, I'm sure you'll say).

So when you are asked for the windows CD, it will boot normally? Can you remember the exact message you receive when it asks for the CD?

 

[chiew]

Hmm not sure, something like "Insert Disk to boot from, then press any key..." So i insert XP cd.
Then it says something like, "Press any key to boot xp cd..." ... i dont press anything, then it runs normally.

 

[Lienori]

Ok, then it sounds like your hard drive is taking longer than usual to initialize. Entering the CD probably buys it more time.

Do you use the BIOS's 'fast boot' feature? Then it doesn't slowly count up every bit of the memory and is basically... quicker.

Might be worth turning that off to confirm the problem.

 

[chiew]

wheres the fast boot feature. il check it out

 

[Lienori]

It'll be in the BIOS somewhere. There are so many BIOS variations, I couldn't tell you exactly!

 

[wolluf]

download and run western digital's diagnostic utility - it will tell you if the drive is failing or not.

btw - on a more basic level - have you checked all the cables and connections. This sort of issue can also be cause by loose or damaged cables.