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#1
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how to revive my drive
Windows XP pro WD SATA hdd
One day when I attempted to start my PC, it shut itself off. Retried to start in safe mode and screen went black and scrolled several lines, then stopped. Took the drive out and put it in a docking station on another PC.. The drive was recognized and and I am able to see contents. ran Chkdsk /F and there were problems but chkdsk says they're fixed. But when I put the drive back in the PC still can't boot off the drive. Being able to open the drive and copy all the stuff off it is pretty good, but to be able to repair the issue would be best. Any tips as to how to isolate problems and exorcise them? thanks |
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#2
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how to revive my drive
If it can't boot off the drive but you can read the drive in another pc
indicates that likely the startup files required by the OS (presumably Windows but any OS) have been damaged, "Chkdsk/f" while using a second pc wouldn't care about the files and would simply correct anything it interpreted as an error, e.g. it may have truncated a file basically erasing part of it, file or part thereof may have already been suspect before Chkdsk, etc. etc. No way of really knowing now. First order of business is to take it back to friends and get off the drive anything and everything of a personal nature you might care to keep. That includes, photos, emails, docs, login settings for your internet connection, a host of others I won't elaborate on here. The big issue is are you prepared to start over clean or would you rather save what's already installed and keep using a hard disk that may be failing (depends on circumstance of what happened to it prior to trouble personally). A clean install means repartitioning and reformatting the hard disk, starting over, reinstall every app, update etc. etc. The second way is try to repair what's more or less there now, presumably intact. To that end, do a google search on using the Recovery Console when booting to an XP cd (or presumably Vista, Win 7 also) and I'd also be doing a search on "FixMbr" in google (a command when using Recovery Console) which I suspect might get system to boot again. "timOleary" wrote in message ... Windows XP pro WD SATA hdd One day when I attempted to start my PC, it shut itself off. Retried to start in safe mode and screen went black and scrolled several lines, then stopped. Took the drive out and put it in a docking station on another PC.. The drive was recognized and and I am able to see contents. ran Chkdsk /F and there were problems but chkdsk says they're fixed. But when I put the drive back in the PC still can't boot off the drive. Being able to open the drive and copy all the stuff off it is pretty good, but to be able to repair the issue would be best. Any tips as to how to isolate problems and exorcise them? thanks |
#3
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how to revive my drive
On Aug 7, 2:08*am, "pjp"
wrote: If it can't boot off the drive but you can read the drive in another pc indicates that likely the startup files required by the OS (presumably Windows but any OS) have been damaged, "Chkdsk/f" while using a second pc wouldn't care about the files and would simply correct anything it interpreted as an error, e.g. it may have truncated a file basically erasing part of it, file or part thereof may have already been suspect before Chkdsk, etc. etc. No way of really knowing now. First order of business is to take it back to friends and get off the drive anything and everything of a personal nature you might care to keep. That includes, photos, emails, docs, login settings for your internet connection, a host of others I won't elaborate on here. The big issue is are you prepared to start over clean or would you rather save what's already installed and keep using a hard disk that may be failing (depends on circumstance of what happened to it prior to trouble personally). A clean install means repartitioning and reformatting the hard disk, starting over, reinstall every app, update etc. etc. The second way is try to repair what's more or less there now, presumably intact. To that end, do a google search on using the Recovery Console when booting to an XP cd (or presumably Vista, Win 7 also) and I'd also be doing a search on "FixMbr" in google (a command when using Recovery Console) which I suspect might get system to boot again. "timOleary" wrote in message ... Windows XP pro WD SATA hdd One day when I *attempted to start my PC, it shut itself off. Retried to start in safe mode and screen went black and scrolled several lines, then stopped. Took the drive out and put it in a docking station on another PC.. The drive was recognized and and I am able to see contents. ran Chkdsk /F and there were problems but chkdsk says they're fixed. But when I put the drive back in the PC still can't boot off the drive. Being able to open the drive and copy all the stuff off it is pretty good, but to be able to repair the issue would be best. Any tips as to how to isolate problems and exorcise them? thanks Thanks for your comments and suggestions. You re-affirmed some things and gave me fresh ideas. BTW: All my PCs are XP pro and I got the OS CD I hope it is possible to repair the MBR on a drive that is not running the system. It would seem it would be easier since these diagnostics all want you to exit Windows to use them. Before the system finally quit, I had been trying to repair the MBR because I was getting an error message during boot that related to a Acronis install/uninstall. I was also getting a message about the system not being able to load Hive files. I never did a fresh install but maybe the time has finally come to learn. v/r timO' |
#4
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how to revive my drive
"timOleary" wrote in message ... On Aug 7, 2:08 am, "pjp" wrote: If it can't boot off the drive but you can read the drive in another pc indicates that likely the startup files required by the OS (presumably Windows but any OS) have been damaged, "Chkdsk/f" while using a second pc wouldn't care about the files and would simply correct anything it interpreted as an error, e.g. it may have truncated a file basically erasing part of it, file or part thereof may have already been suspect before Chkdsk, etc. etc. No way of really knowing now. First order of business is to take it back to friends and get off the drive anything and everything of a personal nature you might care to keep. That includes, photos, emails, docs, login settings for your internet connection, a host of others I won't elaborate on here. The big issue is are you prepared to start over clean or would you rather save what's already installed and keep using a hard disk that may be failing (depends on circumstance of what happened to it prior to trouble personally). A clean install means repartitioning and reformatting the hard disk, starting over, reinstall every app, update etc. etc. The second way is try to repair what's more or less there now, presumably intact. To that end, do a google search on using the Recovery Console when booting to an XP cd (or presumably Vista, Win 7 also) and I'd also be doing a search on "FixMbr" in google (a command when using Recovery Console) which I suspect might get system to boot again. "timOleary" wrote in message ... Windows XP pro WD SATA hdd One day when I attempted to start my PC, it shut itself off. Retried to start in safe mode and screen went black and scrolled several lines, then stopped. Took the drive out and put it in a docking station on another PC.. The drive was recognized and and I am able to see contents. ran Chkdsk /F and there were problems but chkdsk says they're fixed. But when I put the drive back in the PC still can't boot off the drive. Being able to open the drive and copy all the stuff off it is pretty good, but to be able to repair the issue would be best. Any tips as to how to isolate problems and exorcise them? thanks Thanks for your comments and suggestions. You re-affirmed some things and gave me fresh ideas. BTW: All my PCs are XP pro and I got the OS CD I hope it is possible to repair the MBR on a drive that is not running the system. It would seem it would be easier since these diagnostics all want you to exit Windows to use them. Before the system finally quit, I had been trying to repair the MBR because I was getting an error message during boot that related to a Acronis install/uninstall. I was also getting a message about the system not being able to load Hive files. I never did a fresh install but maybe the time has finally come to learn. v/r timO' If you boot with the XP cd there's a Recovery Console option. That provides an old style "command prompt", e.g. 'C:\' followed by a blinking cursor. Believe FixMBR is a command can then be run, try "FIXMBR /?" first to see if/what it says. Google, read, learn and hopefully it ends well. If nothing's on it you care about clean install can't hurt. Might as well insure go whole hog then and erase and repartition the hard disk in the process just to start from scratch there also. The big "if" is 'Is the hard disk starting to fail?', try to run whatever manufacturer of hard disks diagnostic program they provide, e.g. WD is Data LifeGuard (me thinks. Although I've had good luck using Acronis numerous times, I do remember it mucking things up once when it rebooted system to finish install but particulars are forgotten. |
#5
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how to revive my drive
On Aug 7, 8:00*pm, "pjp"
wrote: "timOleary" wrote in message ... On Aug 7, 2:08 am, "pjp" wrote: If it can't boot off the drive but you can read the drive in another pc indicates that likely the startup files required by the OS (presumably Windows but any OS) have been damaged, "Chkdsk/f" while using a second pc wouldn't care about the files and would simply correct anything it interpreted as an error, e.g. it may have truncated a file basically erasing part of it, file or part thereof may have already been suspect before Chkdsk, etc. etc. No way of really knowing now. First order of business is to take it back to friends and get off the drive anything and everything of a personal nature you might care to keep. That includes, photos, emails, docs, login settings for your internet connection, a host of others I won't elaborate on here. The big issue is are you prepared to start over clean or would you rather save what's already installed and keep using a hard disk that may be failing (depends on circumstance of what happened to it prior to trouble personally). A clean install means repartitioning and reformatting the hard disk, starting over, reinstall every app, update etc. etc. The second way is try to repair what's more or less there now, presumably intact. To that end, do a google search on using the Recovery Console when booting to an XP cd (or presumably Vista, Win 7 also) and I'd also be doing a search on "FixMbr" in google (a command when using Recovery Console) which I suspect might get system to boot again. "timOleary" wrote in message .... Windows XP pro WD SATA hdd One day when I attempted to start my PC, it shut itself off. Retried to start in safe mode and screen went black and scrolled several lines, then stopped. Took the drive out and put it in a docking station on another PC.. The drive was recognized and and I am able to see contents. ran Chkdsk /F and there were problems but chkdsk says they're fixed. But when I put the drive back in the PC still can't boot off the drive. Being able to open the drive and copy all the stuff off it is pretty good, but to be able to repair the issue would be best. Any tips as to how to isolate problems and exorcise them? thanks Thanks for your comments and suggestions. You re-affirmed some things and gave me fresh ideas. BTW: All my PCs are XP pro and I got the OS CD I hope it is possible to repair the MBR on a drive that is not running the system. It would seem it would be easier since these diagnostics all want you to exit Windows to use them. Before the system finally quit, I had been trying to repair the MBR because I was getting an error message during boot that related to a Acronis install/uninstall. I was also getting a message about the system not being able to load Hive files. I never did a fresh install but maybe the time has finally come to learn. v/r timO' If you boot with the XP cd there's a Recovery Console option. That provides an old style "command prompt", e.g. 'C:\' followed by a blinking cursor. Believe FixMBR is a command can then be run, try "FIXMBR /?" first to see if/what it says. Google, read, learn and hopefully it ends well. If nothing's on it you care about clean install can't hurt. Might as well insure go whole hog then and erase and repartition the hard disk in the process just to start from scratch there also. The big "if" is 'Is the hard disk starting to fail?', try to run whatever manufacturer of hard disks diagnostic program they provide, e.g. WD is Data LifeGuard (me thinks. Although I've had good luck using Acronis numerous times, I do remember it mucking things up once when it rebooted system to finish install but particulars are forgotten. I used xxclone to make an iso image of the problem drive onto another drive I have available. reinstalled the problem drive in the original PC and ran fixmbr and chkdsk /F on the problem drive. Still no go when i boot it reaches a certain point (The Windows splash screen) and goes black and reboots. I guess the only thing left is clean install. I wonder what data off the iso image I can move back over. maybe there are other routines within recovery console i could try. Its a WD 250 Gb, and i got two at the same time when I assembled the PC. I'm think the problem hdd is flakey. I got the WD diagnostic utility and will run it and check warranty status Maybe I should test the problem drive using the WD diagnostics before reloading windows. They're cheap compared to the time I lost when the thing crashed, and the time I am spending troubleshooting, but it is an investment, and time well spent. when io created the iso image, xxclone had an option to make the drive bootable, but had a bunch of options to select or not, and i was clueless as to what they did, so I didn't make it bootable. I am not planning to use the backup for booting anyway. i figure what ever is wrong just got copied over to the backup drive anyway. Chkdsk reports the drive is 'OK' after I run the chkdsk thanks for the followup |
#6
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how to revive my drive
Took the drive out and put it in a docking station on another PC.. The drive was recognized and and I am able to see contents. ran Chkdsk /F and there were problems but chkdsk says they're fixed. But when I put the drive back in the PC still can't boot off the drive. Being able to open the drive and copy all the stuff off it is pretty good, but to be able to repair the issue would be best. Any tips as to how to isolate problems and exorcise them? thanks Thanks for your comments and suggestions. You re-affirmed some things and gave me fresh ideas. BTW: All my PCs are XP pro and I got the OS CD I hope it is possible to repair the MBR on a drive that is not running the system. It would seem it would be easier since these diagnostics all want you to exit Windows to use them. Before the system finally quit, I had been trying to repair the MBR because I was getting an error message during boot that related to a Acronis install/uninstall. I was also getting a message about the system not being able to load Hive files. I never did a fresh install but maybe the time has finally come to learn. v/r timO' If you boot with the XP cd there's a Recovery Console option. That provides an old style "command prompt", e.g. 'C:\' followed by a blinking cursor. Believe FixMBR is a command can then be run, try "FIXMBR /?" first to see if/what it says. Google, read, learn and hopefully it ends well. If nothing's on it you care about clean install can't hurt. Might as well insure go whole hog then and erase and repartition the hard disk in the process just to start from scratch there also. The big "if" is 'Is the hard disk starting to fail?', try to run whatever manufacturer of hard disks diagnostic program they provide, e.g. WD is Data LifeGuard (me thinks. Although I've had good luck using Acronis numerous times, I do remember it mucking things up once when it rebooted system to finish install but particulars are forgotten. I used xxclone to make an iso image of the problem drive onto another drive I have available. reinstalled the problem drive in the original PC and ran fixmbr and chkdsk /F on the problem drive. Still no go when i boot it reaches a certain point (The Windows splash screen) and goes black and reboots. I guess the only thing left is clean install. I wonder what data off the iso image I can move back over. maybe there are other routines within recovery console i could try. snip You could try a repair install first |
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