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?

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.

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

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.

sorry to hear.

Maybe Santa can buy you a new harddrive for chrissy

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.