Software action causing unrecoverable disk crash ?

[Grunt2002]

Hello,

I've a problem with a disk. The computer is a Dell Latitude 840. The basic installation was a Windows 2000 on the primary partition. I had a second partition which was free for collecting data. I installed a second Windows 2000 on that partition, like I've already done on other systems to make them multiboot. I worked and tested both os's during several hours and finally shut down the pc after having finished its setup. Then, the day after, when I powered the system up, I've got a bios error message indicating that there was no hdd nor fixed cd-drive mounted on the machine.
Browsing the bios setup did confim the machine was not finding those devices anymore. The error message was not 'Non-system disk or disk error' as one gets when crashing a disk's content (I simulated a boot from a blank floppy and got that message so there is no doubt it's not a software crash I was facing with the hdd).
I have got vendor support... the hard disk is unrecoverable. Inserting a blank new hard disk in my machine causes the usual 'Non-system disk or disk error' error to be shown and the cd-drive to be recognized.

What I think I've done between the last working boot and the last shut down of my machine is deleting a hidden system file on the first partition named something like $WT-#######$ and created at the very time I've setup the second os. This surely is not smart, but is it imaginable it can cause a hard disk to crash that way. Would it be possible that something like the mbr was located there (and does a master boot record loss physically destroy the disk ???).

Any help welcome...

Grunt

 

[wolluf]

the mbr is located on track0 - which is not part of the normal filestore (so said file has nothing to do with it). Wiping out mbr does not physically destroy/damage the disk.

Sounds like your disk just died - but have you tried it in another machine, checked the IDE cable (properly attached, not broken), checked the jumpers (possibly loose, fallen off). Is the CD on separate IDE cable? The fact that bios detected neither hard drive nor CD, but detects both when you put another drive in I find a little odd.

 

[Grunt2002]

Thank you.

Yes it's odd. The cables aren't the cause.

My proper immediate diagnostic was a crap ide controller, and that of my support technician too (we're talking about a company pc where i am just a user - altough I'm granted administrative privileges Nice guys my techies

When the vendor's technician came, we first replaced the mobo by a new one, with no change to the problem. Second, we put my crap hd into another computer (very same model) and the same problem appeared. Third, putting a working hdd into my laptop's case caused it to run booting normally.

I guess Dell's proprietary bios or connectivity on the Latitude C840 implies there's no way to detect -let's say- the primary slave when the primary master is dead. And they don't provide device detection utilities within the cmos like one gets with asus products for sample.

In general, can I suppose I can't physically destroy a hard disk by doing a mistake like deleting system files ???(that's what I always thought, and I don't make that much mistakes: I'm sure the folder I deleted was that of the temporary setup files of Win2K).

Many thanks for reading me this 'till here

Grunt

 

[wolluf]

In general, can I suppose I can't physically destroy a hard disk by doing a mistake like deleting system files ???

YES!

 

[Grunt2002]

NICE, I'M INNOCENT !