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Need help booting from spare HDD

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  • 21-10-2007 8:09pm
    #1
    sdanseo
    Registered Users Posts: 9,233 ✭✭✭


    OK, so my main HD failed and I want to use my existing spare HDD to boot up again. It has windows installed but not from this PC and so won't boot. I've been through windows setup and tried renaming the destination folder of the install to C:\WINDOWS1, but on reboot it just says 'cannot locate multidisk (0) partition (1)' or something similar.

    Can I install windows on what's left of the partition (it's all one) or repartition it without deleting all the data on the disk? If so how?

    Advice appreciated.


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    #2
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users Posts: 8,363 ✭✭✭Gadgetman496


    sdonn_1 wrote: »
    OK, so my main HD failed and I want to use my existing spare HDD to boot up again. It has windows installed but not from this PC and so won't boot. I've been through windows setup and tried renaming the destination folder of the install to C:\WINDOWS1, but on reboot it just says 'cannot locate multidisk (0) partition (1)' or something similar.

    Can I install windows on what's left of the partition (it's all one) or repartition it without deleting all the data on the disk? If so how?

    Advice appreciated.

    Well, I'm assuming that you are referring to Windows XP as you didn't mention.

    Have you IDE or SATA Drives?

    If there IDE you will have to make the second drive the primary drive by connecting it to the first IDE connector on the cable & you will need to change the jumper settings on it from SLAVE to MASTER.

    If the drive has only the one partition on it & you reformat you will lose everything.

    You could use a third party software such as Partition Magic to create a second partition & install Windows on that from scratch.

    -

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



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    #3
    sdanseo
    Registered Users Posts: 9,233 ✭✭✭sdanseo


    OK I now think it's a dodgy SATA controller as I bought a new HDD and able which makes no difference. I have an IDE drive but no combination of connectors and jumpers seems to work - I can do the formatting part of the windows installation but on reboot it simply gives me the error again.

    The drive I reffered to above as my spare was this IDE drive btw.

    I have a PC LInux OS live dsk, but in the meantime have given someone a shout to come look at it cos i really need it up and running. thanks for the help anyways.


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    #4
    sdanseo
    Registered Users Posts: 9,233 ✭✭✭sdanseo


    OK so I've narrowed the problem down a bit more. From testing the mobo/BIOS is simply refusing to recognise my SATA HDD's. Isn't there a piece of software somewhere i can put on a CD/USBto load into the BIOS that makes the SATA recognisable again? I'm sure I read this or similar somewhere but can't think where.

    As always, anyone who remembers/know please let me know, much appreciated.


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