Lenova Laptop - "Detection Error on HDD0 (Main HDD error)" Won't boot, Help please

BishopBrennen

I'm looking for some kelp with my Lenova T420 Thinkpad that won't boot up. The laptop is probably about 9 / 10 yrs old, Win7 Pro, had been going ok, I did notice it had been running slow the last while but I thought that was just down to it being old and outdated as opposed to a failing hd.

I have tried most of the "fixes" in the link below:

How to Fix Lenovo Error 'Detection Error on HDD0 (Main HDD)' - Appuals.com

I have removed the Lenova hard drive and connected it to my desktop computer via a HD Communicator station and it doesn't recognise the hd, it doesn't show up in "MY Computer" as a hd. If I go into devices and printers, the hd shows up there as a "Mass Storage Device" but I can't access it, it doesn't have a drive letter or any info under properties like manufacturer etc,,, and this "mass storage device" icon apears / disappears as I plug in / out the usb cable to the hd communicator station. So the alternative pc is detecting a usb device is connected it just can't read or access it. Does this mean it is a physical failure problem with the hd and that it's impossible to fix it using any of the BIOS settings fixes in the link above?

I also have swapped in an old HD from a different old Dell laptop which also has Win7 pro and the Lenova boots up from this hd and the laptop is functional using this hd, apart from a few minor issues. So does this mean my original hd is physically failed and there is nothing I can do as a DIY fix?

I'm not bothered about the hd itself, it's all my data isn't backed up and I want to get the data off of it. If I could get it to boot up once, or if I could access the hd once and get my data off of it it'd be great, anyone know how I'd do this? Or am I at the stage where I send it to a data recovery crowd, any recommendations on such a crowd would be appreciated too?

Spear

It won't show in My Computer if there's no filesystem or partition table found. What does it show for the device in Disk Management? There's a lot of possibilities as to what's wrong.

xhomelezz

Well if you've put different HDD to you laptop and laptop boots up, I'd say you old HDD is a toast. I usually use HDD enclosure to put failing HDD in to be able access and safe whatever I can.

BishopBrennen

Under disc management it doesn't seem to recognise it either.

There are 3 things listed under disc management which all relate to the main C drive I believe. Theye are:

Simple basic Healthy oem partition 39MB

OS (C) simple Basic NTFS Healthy 450G

Recovery Simple basic NTFS Healthy

I have the problem hd connected to the laptop via the hd communicator when checking this and there is nothing listed for the hd. Under devices and printers the laptop seems to know there is another mass storage device connected but it can't communicate with it or detect it. It just seems to know there is a hd storage device connected via the usb port. This is the usb from the hd communicator station obviously.

Anything else I can try to get my data off the hd?

xhomelezz

Did you try different usb port?

xhomelezz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119692626#Comment_119692626

Does it show any unallocated space?

Maybe if you post screenshot

J do t have a Lenovo laptop but I believe this is commonly a battery glitch and that by removing the computer’s power battery and/or CMOS battery and putting them back may clear that unending boot loop where pressing escape starts the futile boot all over again.

Here’s a link:

https://appuals.com/detection-error-on-hdd0/

Firblog

With the failed HDD connected to a working computer

Right click on 'This PC'

Select Manage -> Double click Storage - Double click Disk Management

There will be a Disk 0 (this is the working PC's Hard Drive)

Is there another drive showing?

BishopBrennen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119692849#Comment_119692849

There is no other drive showing, just disc 0 the main C hd.

It lists Discs 1 - 4 but there's nothing under them, just says Removable (E-H) No Media.

But then at Disc 5 it says "Unknown" "Not Initialised.

Also, this time when I plugged the problem hd in via the hd communicator to the usb on the laptop, it brought up a message saying installing device driver software. I then got a Windows message window "Driver Software Installation" which has "Usb Mass Storage Device Ready to Use and "Fujitsu MJA2250BH G2 USB Device Ready to Use and a green tick at each of these listings.

The problem hd is the Fujitsu one.

However it still doesn't show in disc management or show properly in devices and printers, still just shows as a mass storage device with no properties about it's drive Letter or manufacturer brand etc...

If hard drive is physically damaged you might have to try a salvage service, with no guarantees of any useful recovery and maybe with a significant cost. Be prepared for that.

However if it’s a logical data access issue you might try data recovery software like below.

https://www.cleverfiles.com/

jhud

Sometimes you can get a working hard drive of exact same make, model and size and so swap on logic boards but depends also on if firmware has to be same on both. Link below is similar method you could get done.

https://youtu.be/TnUSV8SzU10

If it can be done adverts and cex would be good to look out for doner hard drive

Just make sure if you swap boards that you don't approve a format of drive because it's not recognised properly once connected to computer

Firblog

Can you right click on Drive 5 and see what options windows gives you?

BishopBrennen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119693420#Comment_119693420

I think I tried that but couldn't remember what options I had if any so went to try again to post back and lo and behold the hd showed up and was accessible briefly. I could see it in My computer but I couldn't see the My documents folder or My pictures or My videos folders. I could get into Windows folders and programs and some other folders but the ones I actually wanted to weren't showing.

Then I started getting error messages popping up saying the last device I plugged into the usb was malfunctioning and then the drive disappeared from My computer. I only got access for about 3mins before it disappeared.

I then plugged it in again and I got access again, however the My Docs folder was still missing from within my User folder. I tried copying a small folder from the bad hd onto the other computer and it wouldn't copy. It brought up the copy / transfer window and the green progress bar was flashing away but it was stuck there trying to estimate a time left and saying 0 bytes copied.

Eventually it crashed my main pc when trying to access the folders.

newmember2

Forget USB, if it's a SATA 2.5 HDD hook it up one of the PC's SATA ports. Start up and see if it's listed in BIOS. Then boot OS and check Disc Management.

Firblog

If the files you want on that disk are really important, I'd advise bringing it to a decent Computer repair place and ask them to make a bit wise copy onto a new drive - then you can try to get your files off a physically good drive instead of constantly putting a dodgy drive under further and further pressure - and most likely lose all fairly soon if you continue trying to access what you need.