no hard disks found!!!

[virtualguyex]

PLEASE HELP ME TONIGHT!!

when i try to load windows xp onto my Dell 2500 laptop (im sure it doesnt matter what type of comp..), it says no hard disks are found, system cannot b recovered, can somebody PLEASE send me a link to some drivers or something to fix this problem..PLEASE!!

regards, Blake

[jc01]

first of all i can not promise u that i will b able to solve this tonight

a couple of questions

is this a new computer?

if not then what was the previous OS?

are the HDD's making any funny noises?

do you have access to another computer?

and have u ever used linux before? (odd question i know but you may have to resort to a linux live disk)

[virtualguyex]

this is not a new computer...

the previous OS was possibly win ME or win xp, the previous owner was a dumbass and fucked it up..

the HD's make sort of like a alien gun noice like, BRAU BRAU! like an alien laser gun sort of noise, it kinda funny, lol

i have accss to another computer, the laptop i wanna fix isnt even accessible rght now because it says it cannot find hard drives, even when i try to do new xp instalation

i have never used linux before

[jc01]

ok i might be wrog but i think that the hdd's have went bad or are going bad usually you can see a hdd weather is is formatted or not in the windows installer the only time i have hot seen them was when my hdd crapped out and i had to replace it on warrenty

first thinkg i would do is make shure bios reconizes the hdd(s)
if they do then you might try run the repair console on the win xp install cd and try and issue the commands "fixboot" and "fixmbr" (i think those are the commands /list shows all the comands i think) if that does not work then you are pretty much screwed i think but you could try one more thing. . . . a linux live cd called knoppix you can get it here knoppix automatically reconizes volumes no matter the format. it can also fix MBRs (Main Boot Records) if i rember correctly

my hdd is a western digital and when it crapped out it would make a low pitch wine then click about five or six times and then repeat the process over and over again on the WD web sight i foud that if you dissconnected the IDE cable and it kept making noises it was bad so that is how i found out for shure. you may be able to find somethin on you hdd's manufacturs web sight to eliminate weather it crapped out

i dont know that it matters but the last owner may have played with the hdd's jumper settings u can try and check that but it is a long shot

sorry i could not be more help
jc01

ps i might check this thread once more tonight but i am getting extremly tired and it is almost 1AM where i live so i will be getting off soon

[virtualguyex]

where do you live? its 1am here now in florida


anywho.... i'll try that linux thing, i dunno kind of hard drive yet, and im not sure if it crapped out either, because i had it happen on the computer im using now, but i forgot how i fixed it....

please kep threads alive!



regards, Blake

[rck-lionsrings]

[quote][quote] well you got me stumped why dont you try getting a new harddrive!!!!!!

[LooseChippings]

Originally posted by virtualguyex when i try to load windows xp onto my Dell 2500 laptop (im sure it doesnt matter what type of comp..), it says no hard disks are found, system cannot b recovered, ....

Have you checked the BIOS to see if the HDD is recognised?

[jc01]

i agree if the bios does not reconize it then nothing will just go into bios and look at the primary master primary slave seconday master secondary slave settings ur hdd should be one of those and i am from ky

by the way u usually have to press F8 or the delete key (sometimes both i think) to get into bios. . . in case you did not know

[virtualguyex]

yea i know how to get into bios, on the laptop its f2.

umm i dont know reqally that much about bios, and hwo to find out if it recognizes the hard drive or not, could you tell me? i'll also try to figure it out right now too

[jc01]

on my bios on the main screen it says like

pri master: (its dissconnected b/c of problems)
pri slave : WDCWD200BB-OOAUA1
then so on and so on

just look around for primary master and slave and once u find it just post it