Can anyone help me fix my Packardbell Imedia5051

dido2

Hi there!

I have a Packard bell Imedia5051, 2 years ago the hard drive died on me so I bought a new hard drive, Seagate, not sure of the exact model but will find it out, when I put it in both of them worked fine after I cleaned out the old hard drive, and they both worked away fine.

The PC has gotten much slower so I decided to reset it to factory settings but when I did that the computer no longer recognises both hard drives connected together, but will recognise them if they are connected individually. In messing around with it I've now managed to stop it starting up at all so I don't know if I can reset it to factory settings and get rid of this problem!

I've gotten a new cable to connect both hard drives and it still didn't work!

The stubborn streak in me won't give into it!!

Thanks!

MunsterCycling

1st Are the drives SATA or IDE, most likely IDE.

Have you the drives jumpered to master and slave on the same IDE channel (on the same ribbon cable) or are they both master and on different IDE channels? One other option is they could be jumpered to cable select (the drives figure out for themselves what setting to take depending on their position on the IDE cable) but I have found this rarely works for me when I try it.

How far into the setup can you get? Does the machine post? (get to where the bios has loaded and it starts looking for an OS to load, USB, HDD or CD/DVDROM.)

Post up the answers to these questions and we can help you more.

TBH It sounds like a jumper conflict seeing as it will load with ony one disc connected. Also where abouts (roughly) are you in the country, someone might be able to call by and give you a hand sorting it.

PS Resetting the CMOS might clear the problem for not starting, google how to do it, but mostly it is doable by opening the machine and removing the lithium battery from the motherboard then shorting the holders contacts together, not comfortable with that then just take the battery out for a couple of hours and it will drain the capacitor on the board.

MC

dido2

Thanks Munstercycling!

I've checked the Jumpers over and over again, I have them in right, it's the first thing I check when I go back to it!! It always worked fine for the last 2 years and when I disconnected the new hard drive to restore to factory settings I never changed the jumpers on it!

When it starts up it gets as far as loading up windows and then back again.

I have a recovery disc and theres nothing I need on the computer so if I put that in would it fix any start up problems???

I'm in Cork but I know someone who could fix it for me if need be, I'm just kind of stubborn about these things and would love to be able to fix it myself!!

MunsterCycling

Well if you are sure you have nothing you want on the HDD the recovery disc may well do the trick, I must google to see what type of disc they give out with this model PC so hold fast for a while.

MC


I too am in Cork so if you want me to have a look at it them I'm around next week (I'm an MCP and do this regularly) btw.

dido2

Thanks Munster Cycling!

I've restored to fatory settings and it's working again! Better than it ever did!

I've only installed the wireless adapter to get the internet on the PC and i'm updating it now with microsoft.
I had a good read of the manual AGAIN, and they mention having to have Microsoft service packs installed which I would have had done the last attempt at getting both hard drives to work together so I'll get it all updates and try it again.

dido2

Hi Again!

I've updated everything and still no joy with it!
If you can see anything that I should download, update etc I can do that, last time round I downloaded all of the available downloads on Packard Bells website for my computer and it still didn't work!

I've had the computer since Sept 02 if thats any use to you!


This is whats in my Computer, I got it from here http://support.packardbell.com/uk/item/index.php?pn=P660400301&g=1400

Columbia (GA-8SIML) Ver 1.0 µATX motherboard

HDD Maxtor d540X-4D Romulus Series


The new HARD DRIVE is a SEAGATE ST 3160023A


Columbia (GA-8SIML) Ver 1.0 µATX motherboard

HDD Maxtor d540X-4D Romulus Series