Missing Drive

Jak · 11-07-2000 05:20PM #1

Getting a rather strange error message when trying to open my second HD.

/ not accessible
A device attached to the system is not functioning.

Now I've opened up the PC and pushed everything in - and also made sure that the only other device on that IDE cable (an LS120 floppy drive) is plugged in.

When I reboot i get the same error.
And the LS120 still works which would suggest the IDE cable must be linking up ok.

This only happened today. And I haven't been adding hardware or installing new things at all lately.

Any Ideas?

JAK.

[This message has been edited by Jak (edited 11-07-2000).]

Hecate · 11-07-2000 06:30PM

Check the jumpers on the drive.

Jak · 11-07-2000 06:35PM

Well it's set to 2nd slave afaik and I did check it was in place ... I'll switch it anyhows see if it makes the difference.

---

Second Master. Switched jumpers about - no joy

[This message has been edited by Jak (edited 11-07-2000).]

Hobbes · 11-07-2000 07:49PM

Have you tested the drive in another machine to make sure it's not a dud?

I thought the 3.5 IDE cable was seperate from the HD one? or maybe it's just my machine.

Cable 1: 3.5 drive, Zip Drive.
Cable 2: HD1, HD2, DVD

Baz_ · 11-07-2000 08:42PM

Well that is strange and you say it used to work fine (well you didn't say so much as implied), and now it doesn't.

Have you tried kicking it at all.

The only thing I can think of is to check the cable to make sure its not damaged and also the pins at the connection, and don't kick I was just joking.

I feel for ya man, I know how frustrating an error like that can be.

good luck.

Jak · 11-07-2000 08:55PM

No the setup is ...

Cable 1 HD CDRW or DVD
Cable 2 HD#2 LS120 (Hi density floppy drive which uses IDE)

In any case - The drive was working last night. It's really a bit strange -

I've been tryin to think what could cause it ...

1. Subwoofer on top of computer shook something

2. Virus of some sort

3. Voodoo 55 burning up the inside of my cramped case.

I think I may finally need to go to a shop to get it looked at. Will swap the IDE cable tomorrow when I'm less likely to just break stuff if i cut my finger pullin out power cables.

Still open to suggestions tho if anyone has had the prob.

Cheers,

JAK.

Gerry · 11-07-2000 11:35PM

best way to test it is to try it in another machine.

OctaviaN · 12-07-2000 10:52AM

yeah that would b right for an ls120 (are they any good??)

Try another pc but b4 you do that is control panel showing any exclamations?

do give it a small kick or try booting the machine at and angle

seriously if seen it on 2 machines b4 the heads get stuck but even so just take it back if its under warrenty

WhiteWashMan · 12-07-2000 12:09PM

andy,
take all things of your ide cables.
stick on master drive (c:drive) and boot. comes up with ide0 drive
add your second as slave on the primary ide cable
reboot
you should now come up with ide0 and ide1 and it will list both your drives. make sure obviously that primary drive is at end of ide cable and jumpers are set to master and that your primary slave drive is in the middle of the ide cable and set to slave

when you get both of those booting, add the cd-rom as your master on the secondary ide cable and finally add the 120 floppy drive as slave on the secandary ide cable and it will all work very nicely

Jak · 12-07-2000 03:26PM

Just Tried that Eamo.

After i did it i went into the BIOS and Auto detected - Both came up - I set them as Primary and Slave (as Jumpers).

Skipped other IDE cable.

It pauses on the reboot and says Secondary Master HD fail.

Then boots up after hitting F1 - but the same problem is there for the HD.

Hmmmm.

JAK.

Trojan · 12-07-2000 04:02PM

Sounds kinda dead

Have you verified in another machine? Only way to be 100% sure.

Al.

Jak · 12-07-2000 05:03PM

Thats what i was beginning to think too Al.

But .. I've been fkin around with it here for a while now (and there was always an icon on the Desktop for the drive - it just wouldn't open)

Anyhows .. after all the cuts and screaming at power cables and anger management .. I finally lost it and right clicked and reformatted.

It's empty now - And it's setup the way that Eamo suggested HD1 and HD2 on the first IDE -but it works.

Which is more than i can say for my LS120 (a casualty of war if you will) which no longer works - it justs keeps accessing and ejecting disks ... unfortunate.

Still that'll ruin another few hours of my afternoon. I'm beginning to think i should have stayed in work.

JAK.

OctaviaN · 12-07-2000 08:26PM

Ah well if yer not a hardware expert like myself....oh am i thinking out loud again?
anyway its a good learning experience
So stop abusing yer pc
put the ls120 on the same cable as the dvd but in a different position ie before the dvd or after which evers opposite to the way it is now.

Lump · 12-07-2000 10:29PM

Just an idea, did you try access it from a dos promt....

also Is the Second HD on IDE 2 if so are the jumpers set to master. also if that doesnt work put it on the end of the cable and set the jumpers to cable select.

After that Send it to the professionals.

I wouldnt say the drive is damaged unless there was a short etc. Did the power go and come on again even when the computer was off..... because when the pwoer comes back after a cut it sends a higher voltage down the line for a millisecond and this can fry drives. Only a thought.

John

Jak · 12-07-2000 11:57PM

Yeah the LS120's are sweet.

120mb ... nice fast and small - as opposed to Zip 100's which are big chunky noisy and dont hold as much.

I'll give the angle booting a try (and look for another pc to test it in) - sounds like my kind of solution. As for bringing it back - Em I think the crowd in the UK i got that drive from no longer exist.

JAK.

Bard · 13-07-2000 12:22AM

That message generally means that your hard drive is unreadable or has a corrupted FAT and usually requires a format- unless its just in a filing system that your o/s doesnt recognise... like what happened to me when my Win2K PC didnt recognise a FAT32 HDD.

What's your operating system? ... seriously!

- it happened to me after installing Win2000 - it wouldnt recognise the second HD. ... but! - when I booted from a Win98 floppy into 'DOS' Mode I could access it from the command prompt (... so try that, perhaps...)

Basically I ended up reinstalling 98 temporarily, installing my CDR software and backing up the whole thing (which was readable fine in 98 but not 2K) onto CD-R's, zapping both drives, installing Win2K and formatting the 2nd drive as NTFS. Then restored my backup. It was long-winded, but hell- it worked.

So what's your o/s?

And yes- its worth trying the HD in another PC.

Bard

|home page|scary éire

Lump · 13-07-2000 12:24AM

If theres nothing major on it, I say FDISK the bíatch

John

Jak · 13-07-2000 01:15AM

Its win98 first ed.

Anyhows the drive has been formatted. It does work again now though.

Strange that it just "happened" one day though.

JAK

WhiteWashMan · 13-07-2000 07:11AM

ahh, the joys of computing.....
its like picking petels of a daisy..
now it works,
now it doesnt work
now it works,
now it doesnt work.

repeat for as long as it works/doesnt work.

podgeen · 13-07-2000 10:39AM

try kicking it

Bard · 13-07-2000 05:46PM

I'd highly reccommend Windows 2000 if you have the hardware to handle it. It's the business.

As for Windows 98 S.E. being free, well aye, it is- when I got it, it was by ringing Microsoft in Dublin, giving them a faxed copy of my certificate of authentication and giving them my credit card number to pay for the post and packaging of the upgrade cd-rom from Scotland. - Was about £16... I think.

Bard

|home page|scary éire

Baz_ · 13-07-2000 07:52PM

Hey jak well I'm glad yoiu got your hd working again shame about the ls120 drive. Well like the others say it is a learning opportunity, but I'm sure not one you'll be wanting to repeat (ever).

elexes · 13-07-2000 11:45PM

you should get second edition like its a free upgrade now .
also what podgreen said i would go along with also tell it your going to through it into a fire

works some times but not working for my v3 3500

Missing Drive

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