tassiechat.com Forum Index

Email login

tassiechat.com
Tasmanian Discussion Forum - "discussions on anything and everything!"
Reply to topic




Lost my MBR, or my hard drive....
Flirkann
Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil

Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 112
Reply with quote
I needed to download .NET v2 for a tool I wanted to try out (nLite) so thought while I was there (Windows Update) I'd see if there were any updates I should install as well...
36 "local" system updates (i.e. ones a good firewall won't help with and don't involve IE or Outlook) and a few applicable reliability patches later I reboot, and Windows locks while processing the 3rd party startup apps.
Hmm...
A few reboots and chkdsk fires, finds a few indices with errors, does its thing and reboots - same result.
Thinking it's an update causing me grief, I try a few previous successful boot configs - all lock before starting windows.
Uh Oh - time to try safe mode - "Dun Dun Dun" - "Disk read error - press Ctrl+Alt+Del to Restart"
Out of curiosity I restart and get the BIOS no bootable drive msg
Not good methinks - in goes spinrite ..... the drive doesn't show any partition information but I run the scan anyway, nada - though the # of seek errors seemed unusual.

So I've XPd a spare drive for now and am running this tool I found called TestDisk to see if it can sucessfuly rebuild my MBR, anyone else got any tips I should consider before I seriously consider RMAing the drive?
Grant
Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil

Joined: 25 Apr 2006
Posts: 597
Location: Sorell
Reply with quote
Sounds like you've got a dead HD.

Put your windows XP cd in, and boot into the recovery console. Think it says "press R" to go into repair console.

Once your in. Type in the command fixmbr


Is your HD clicking at all??

Turning the power off completely then then turning it on will sometimes help with dead HD's. Gives them a bit of a kick.

Goodluck.
Flirkann
Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil

Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 112
Reply with quote
nah, no clicking - SpinRite took 2 hrs w/o a peep.
I've since got a copy of Seagate's DIY recovery software to get my important bits off the drive in the mean time - not a bad piece of kit, rather more effective than my other tools.

Gave the recovery console a whirl, no dice - still getting a BIOS read error msg.
I'll play more tomorrow night...
Once I've verified the recovered data I think I'll DBAN it and see how an Ubuntu install copes on it

Thanks Grant
Flirkann
Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil

Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 112
Reply with quote
yep, dead drive - Ubuntu installed and wouldn't boot, whilst the same version worked perfectly on another drive in the same PC+i/o bus.
tassiechat
Site Monitor

Joined: 22 Apr 2006
Posts: 82
Reply with quote
Flirkann wrote:
yep, dead drive - Ubuntu installed and wouldn't boot, whilst the same version worked perfectly on another drive in the same PC+i/o bus.


Sad sorry to hear.

Maybe Santa can buy you a new harddrive for chrissy
Flirkann
Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil

Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 112
Reply with quote
It's only 3mths old, so I'll be having a chat to Synnex about an exchange - the drive was an eBay purchase so the seller won't have any thing to do with non-DOA, at least it was a brand new drive covered by Seagate's 5yr warranty.
Lost my MBR, or my hard drive....
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
All times are GMT + 10 Hours  
Page 1 of 1  

  
  
 Reply to topic  






Free random games courtesy of TassieDevil.net Games. This is not an AD.

Buy Flowers Online
Say it with flowers... and you've said it all! Buy flowers online, choose beautiful flowers from the UK's leading flower vendors.
Turkey Weather
Check Turkey Weather before you travel. We provide information on Turkey including weather, flights and accommodation.
Cheap flights to Fuerteventura
Holiday Hypermarket is the place to find cheap flights to Fuerteventura! Organise your next holiday with us and book everything online!
Chicago Hotels
Chicago Hotels. Where to find them and what to expect. Airport hotels, budget hotels and much more. See our guides to help you find the right one.
waterman pens
Great waterman pens from this fantastic online pen retailer. Prices and outstanding and they sure do love there stylish fountain pens to aid your creative writing. Check out the store.
Hayes And Jarvis Holidays
Find Hayes And Jarvis Holidays at Holiday Hypermarket. We have a selection of Hayes and Jarvis holidays to choose from. Book your holiday online.
Fancy dress costumes...
Be blown away with the variety of fancy dress costumes available on this site!
Comedy Clubs London
Qype has listings and reviews for you to check out... Check out the comedy clubs in London!