HDD NOT SHOWING, CANT BE ACCESSED

[CandyX]

I tried to create a system restore via a 2gb SD card, connected via USB so that if I am not happy with the OS, I can go back.

Now all of a sudden after creating this in my desktop pc one of my HDD’s, a Seagate 320GB (Slave Drive) does not show in Vista?

Under disk management it shows as unallocated.
Assigning a drive letter to it still does not fix the problem. Vista now ask me to reformat the drive, I do not want to do this as it is full of family photo’s, video and music.

It’s evident my Bootsector on the Hdd has become corrupt. Every time Vista asks to format the drive. Any ideas??

Any idea how I can try and repair the Boot sector?

 

[Stickfigure]

OMG CAPSLOCK ON!!1!

 

[ponder]

Dunno if Vista is the same but with XP you could insert the install cd, select repair and use the FIXMBR command to restore.

Btw. What model Seagate do you have? If a 7200.11 have you flashed the firmware yet before it dies?

 

[CandyX]

Stickfigure....
oops, sorry... Guess it's the brain working overtime. Anyway, do you have any ideas or answers for me???

 

[CandyX]

Dunno if Vista is the same but with XP you could insert the install cd, select repair and use the FIXMBR command to restore.

Btw. What model Seagate do you have? If a 7200.11 have you flashed the firmware yet before it dies?

It's a 7200.10. Nope, firmware not flashed. Drive was active till about 2 hours ago when I picked up this problem.

 

[Tommygun]

I believe firmware sd15 on the segates is dodgy....

 

[ponder]

Try this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392
and http://www.lancelhoff.com/how-to-fix-vista-mbr-repair-broken-vista/

 

[ponder]

It's a 7200.10.

7200.10 is fine so don't worry about firmware.

 

[LazyLion]

boot up with a boot disk and use Ranish partition manager to reload the standard IPL.

 

[CandyX]

Try this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927392
and http://www.lancelhoff.com/how-to-fix-vista-mbr-repair-broken-vista/

I can boot into vista, so it's not my primary hdd that has vista on that can't boot. It's a slave drive in my pc that's unallocated. When using the repair it only gives me the C drive to repair, not the slaves. Will keep trying to figure something out here. something's gotta give.

 

[Drake2007]

fixmbr from xp has changed with vista it's now bootsect /fixmbr.

 

[Sackboy]

Tell us what you did to organise the USB (SD card) and the restore. Did you mess with the BIOS?

 

[CandyX]

Tell us what you did to organise the USB (SD card) and the restore. Did you mess with the BIOS?

Changed the order of the USB for it to be 1st priority on the time of install, but changed back to Default settings in the BIOS.

 

[CandyX]

boot up with a boot disk and use Ranish partition manager to reload the standard IPL.

Thanx alot. Will see if I can download quick and give it a go.

 

[CandyX]

boot up with a boot disk and use Ranish partition manager to reload the standard IPL.

Found Ranish, but it's not compatible with VISTA. Only works on XP, Windows 2000 etc. Thanx anyway...

 

[Drake2007]

Have you tried the drive on other cables and ide channel, another system etc?

 

[CandyX]

Have not tried in another system yet. (Don't have another desktop at the moment. Building not complete), alternatively going to put it in a 3 1/2" SATA enclosure and plugging it into the Laptop to test it.

 

[Drake2007]

ok other sata channel, check cabling while you're at it.

 

[CandyX]

ok other sata channel, check cabling while you're at it.

Will do thanx. It (320 hdd) is showing in DOS and the BIOS, but I just can't access it, so I doubt that it's cabling.

 

[Drake2007]

showing in DOS ?

If the cabling isn't the problem try booting a live linux cd or run recovery software against the drive to get your data back.