Very strange computer problem!!! (ALOT TO READ)

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deadman_uk

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jun 30, 2003
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Argh another computer problem!!! ALOT to read, so please if you have the time help me!!

I have 2 hard drives, one is a 160GB ATA100 and the other is a 320GB SATA-II. The 160GB hard drive is used for storage ONLY. The 320GB has windows on it.

I recently bought some new RAM (2gb corsair) and installed it into my machine. I then went round my dads and my brother used my computer for 2 days. My brother rang me up yesterday saying when he turns on the computer a message comes up underneath the writing on the 2nd boot screen saying "system boot failure" (or was it disc boot failure??? I cant remember).

I went home and the same message appeared. I inserted my windows XP disc and tried to format the 320GB hard drive but the screen said the 320GB hard drive had 1mb of used space meaning my whole hard drive had been erased! I only lost a few files (because most were on the 160GB one) but I formatted the hard drive and installed windows. Windows installed successfully but the 320GB hard drive that use to be called C: was now called D: and the 160GB hd which use to be D: is now called C: Anyway I started to put my files back on my 320GB hard drive. I had to reboot because of Norton so I did and I got the "disc boot failure" message again. Everytime I try and start the computer it comes up with that message. I inserted my windows XP disc and pressed F8 on the boot screen to enter the boot menu. I selected the CD drive with the XP disc in and strangely windows loaded fine. I rebooted the computer and it said again "disc boot failure". Everytime I press F8 and go to the boot menu and boot from the cd drive windows loads up fine.

I looked in the BIOS and under the boot menu it had something like...

320GB SATA
160 ATA100

I switched the 2 around meaning I put the ATA100 above the SATA in the BIOS. I rebooted the machine and it could finally load windows up without the need to keep using the XP disc. Both my hard drives are Western Digital so I downloaded a hard drive program off their website that checks for errors on the hard drive. I tested the 320GB hard drive first and it passed the test but when I tried to test the 160GB one, the PC rebooted. I tried several more times and everytime the PC rebooted. Sometimes when I try and access the 160GB hard drive the PC would reboot. I made sure the leads were in properly and the 160GB hard drive has been fine ever since.

A few hours ago, my pc completely froze and I heard one of the hard drives whirling. You know when a hard drive is loading you hear that whirling sound? Well the hard drive was whirling then it made a click sound, then whirling then another click sound... it did that over and over. I turned off the computer and turned it back on and it still did that. The 160GB ATA hard drive wasnt being detected by the computer or BIOS. I pushed the cable in the hard drive to see if it was in properly and it was, the hard drive was detected then after I turned on the PC again. Thinking all my troubles were caused by the 160GB, I unplugged the hard drive and now I get the "disc boot failure" message again!. The only way I can load windows was to plug the 160GB hard drive back in but the 160GB only has files and doesnt have windows on it so what on earth is going on!?

It's like the 320GB SATA drive cant boot on its own without support from the other hard drive. Please help!
 
I thin kyou've just got 2 separate problems here:

1. Your 160gb hard drives is dying/almost dead and is causing problems.
2. You need to correctly set the hard drive boot order in your bios so that your pc attempts to boot off your 320gb sata drive first.

I'd imagine the first problem causes the boto order to get messed up. Just remove the 160gb for testing and set the bios boot order correctly and I reckon you won't have any problems.
 
spine said:
I thin kyou've just got 2 separate problems here:

1. Your 160gb hard drives is dying/almost dead and is causing problems.
2. You need to correctly set the hard drive boot order in your bios so that your pc attempts to boot off your 320gb sata drive first.

I'd imagine the first problem causes the boto order to get messed up. Just remove the 160gb for testing and set the bios boot order correctly and I reckon you won't have any problems.
Click to expand...
With both hard drives plugged in
Ok, I go into BIOS, I go to BOOT and then "Boot Device Priority". The following settings are shown...

1) Removable
2) CDROM
3) Hard Disk
4) Disable

I then go to Hard Disk Drives under the BOOT section of the BIOS. The following settings are shown...

1st SATA-M - WD3200
1st Master - WD1600
Bootable Add in Cards

When the SATA is above the Master like above I get the following message below the 2nd boot screen

"Disk Boot Failure. Insert system disk and press enter" I can cure this by putting in my Windows XP CDROM and then windows will load.

I change Hard Disk Drives under BIOS

I go to Hard Disk Drives under the BOOT section of the BIOS. I then put Master above SATA so thet following settings look like this...

1st Master - WD1600
1st SATA-M - WD3200
Bootable Add in Cards

Windows loads fine, no "Disk Boot Failure" message.

With only the 320GB SATA hard drive plugged in (160GB unplugged)

I go into BIOS, I go to BOOT and then "Boot Device Priority". The following settings are shown...

1) Removable
2) CDROM
3) Hard Disk
4) Disable

I then go to Hard Disk Drives under the BOOT section of the BIOS. The following settings are shown...

1st SATA-M - WD3200
Bootable Add in Cards

I exit the BIOS and under the 2nd boot screen I get the following message. "Disk Boot Failure. Insert system disk and press enter"

I go back into the BIOS and move "Bootable Add in Cards" above "1st SATA-M - WD3200" so it looks like this...

Bootable Add in Cards
1st SATA-M - WD3200

I exit the BIOS and still get the "Disk Boot Failure" message.

There is no way I can think of that will allow me to load windows with only the SATA drive plugged in. I can put the windows XP CDROM in my drive and it will take me to the blue windows installation screen (where you format the hard drive and install windows) but windows is already installed!!!

Argh please help
 
The only thing I can think of is to get another SATA drive, install windows on it, and then see if it boots, because it sounds to me like there might be something wrong with your board.
 
Right, I think I know what the problem is:

Windows XP (in all it's wisdom) has boot the key boot files onto your 160gb drive. It has actually installed windows on the 320gb like you've asked it to.

Because of the way the boot.ini is read (one of the key boot files), you will always NEED to have that 160gb drive installed and be in the higher boot order so that windows sees it first and boots off it.

Find the boot.ini file on your 160gb (I bet it's no there) and post it's contents here. I could probably tell you what to change to fix it.

Alternatively (and much more easier but more time consuming):

1. Remove the 160gb drive altogether.
2. Format the 320gb.
3. Install windows onto the 320gb
4. THEN put the 160gb back in.


p.s. I don't think your 160gb is dying now ;)
 
spine said:
Right, I think I know what the problem is:

Windows XP (in all it's wisdom) has boot the key boot files onto your 160gb drive. It has actually installed windows on the 320gb like you've asked it to.

Because of the way the boot.ini is read (one of the key boot files), you will always NEED to have that 160gb drive installed and be in the higher boot order so that windows sees it first and boots off it.

Find the boot.ini file on your 160gb (I bet it's no there) and post it's contents here. I could probably tell you what to change to fix it.

Alternatively (and much more easier but more time consuming):

1. Remove the 160gb drive altogether.
2. Format the 320gb.
3. Install windows onto the 320gb
4. THEN put the 160gb back in.


p.s. I don't think your 160gb is dying now ;)
Click to expand...
I was told this on another forum. OK I am going to remove the 160GB and format the 320 and reinstall windows yet again. It should be ok then but I have questions...

1) What caused my PC to suddenly out of no where display the ""Disk Boot Failure. Insert system disk and press enter"" message? and why was my 320GB SATA data completely removed when I got home?

2) What made my PC reboot everytime I tried to access my 160GB ATA hard drive yestersay? and why is my ATA hard drive working perfectly now?

3) If my hard drive is dying, why does the Western Digital Diagnostic tool say its working perfectly?

4) Why did my 160GB ATA make a series of whirling and clicking sounds and still continued to do that even after a reboot and why didnt my BIOS detect the HD when it was doing this?
 
1) What caused my PC to suddenly out of no where display the ""Disk Boot Failure. Insert system disk and press enter"" message? and why was my 320GB SATA data completely removed when I got home?

Who knows what your brother fiddled with and why ;)


2) What made my PC reboot everytime I tried to access my 160GB ATA hard drive yestersay? and why is my ATA hard drive working perfectly now?

Don't know. Maybe you just need/needed to run checkdisk on it.


3) If my hard drive is dying, why does the Western Digital Diagnostic tool say its working perfectly?

Any diagnostic tool isn't 100% and it's very difficult to detect errors on a drive that's simply getting 'weak'. Assuming that's the case, but I don't think it is.


4) Why did my 160GB ATA make a series of whirling and clicking sounds and still continued to do that even after a reboot and why didnt my BIOS detect the HD when it was doing this?

I reckon it's just a dodgy power connector. I had that happen to me. I'd get intermittent HD problems and 'clicking' leading me to think the drive was dying, but in the end it was just a crappy molex cable. It happened 'cos I was using a pass through thing that came with my graphics card. Those cables tend to be dodgy. It's always best to have the hard drives attached directly to the PSU's own power cables 'cos hard drives are really intolerant to flaky power cables (unlike fans etc).

But honestly, I reckon once you've reinstalled windows and then put the 160gb back in, you probably won't run into any problems. Do check those power cables though ;)
 
Well thanks for the replies. I am backing up my files now (going to take a few days as I have a lot to do) and then I will install windows on the 320 with the IDE disabled.
 
Ok well like I said in a few days I am going to unplug the IDE hard drive and install windows again on the SATA then plug the IDE back in. I can see what has happened, like you said the MBR is on the IDE and windows is on the SATA but the SATA had windows on it for approx 2 months before this issue happened so why didnt I experience this problem earlier?
 
I installed windows on the SATA with the PATA disconnected. I then connected the PATA and the PATA is now called F and the SATA is now called C. I will have to see how it goes now, I am hoping all the problems will dissapear.

Thanks so much for reading my thread and thanks alot for all the helpful replies!
 
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