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Thread ID: 57841	2005-05-14 05:10:00	Hard disk crash?	l0gic (6781)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
354944	2005-05-14 05:10:00	Hi all.. I was in the process of copying a Debian DVD to my second HDD lastnight (WD 200GB) in order to set up an FTP for a network install on another machine. However, after copying the files across, I noticed that things started going weird. - Firefox was using 180MB of RAM. - Winamp was skipping and closing itself when it played certain songs (stored on the 200GB drive) - And windows in general was REALLY SLOW. I shut down the computer and turned it on, thinking that'd free up some RAM and everything would be back to normal.. But no, it wasn't. Windows wouldn't boot at all.. At first I thought it was the primary drive that I installed windows on.. So I took that drive out and put it in another PC.. It worked fine. Then time stood still as the thought of my 200GB drive being lost came into my mind.. The computer only boots into Windows now if I unplug the 200GB drive.. I've tried various linux LiveCDs and they can see there's a drive there, but they cannot access it. Does this sound like a crashed HDD? It's only a fairly new drive, maybe five months old.. But the worst thing is that I had all my work, and files stored on the drive. Any ideas or suggestions?	l0gic (6781)
354945	2005-05-14 05:27:00	It might not be your hard drive and might be a flakey PSU. Have you installed any new/additional hardware into your computer that might be causing an additional drain on the power? As you already have a Live CD on hand, I would unplug the primary HD and plug the 200GB HD in and see if you can see or access that via the Live CD. HTH	Simply_Si (354)
354946	2005-05-14 05:45:00	Use the manufacturers diagnostic tools to verify the drive is dead (if you can't detect it in your motherboard bios then it probably is). ultimate boot cd (http://ubcd.sourceforge.net/) has nay of the hard drive diagnostic tools. Ideally you want to try it on another motherboard (I assume you have tried cables) first and then test it (and if it is failing then try to get the data off pronto). Backup, backup, backup. I had someone's drive die yesterday and the application had to be in on Monday but 4 gigs was backed up. :thumbs: In that case the sound of scrapping metal was pretty obvious. If the circuit board on the drive has died you may be able to borrow one from a another drive of the same model (if you know what you are doing). Otherwise $$$ for the data recovery people.	gibler (49)
354947	2005-05-14 10:39:00	Update: Winternals Disk Commander can see ALL the files and directories on the drive. Another Western Digital tool claims that there is nothing wrong with the disk. An older program, forget what it was called said that it could 'clone' all dirs/file to another drive.. But I'd need another 200GB drive to do it. Windows still wont boot with the drive plugged in, I've tried cables, jumper/pin settings, bios settings.. Even tried it in another computer but had the same problem. LiveCD picked the drive up but couldn't read any files. PSU has been replaced with a mates 550W PSU, still same problem.. I'm keeping that PSU though! Things I did notice when playing around ALL DAY: 1. There is no OS on that drive, but it is for some reason bootable. 2. Drive structure / partition table appears to be intact and correct. 3. Drive was a little warmer than usual. 4. Drive IS NOT making any weird / bad or different sounds. I was thinking that I might fork out for another 200GB and try that clone thing.. However a new 200GB didn't really fit into my spending plan for the weekend.. But hey, what else are credit cards good for..?	l0gic (6781)
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