Hey Guys,

Got a weird problem. I've added a 2nd hard drive which is a Maxtor
Diamondmax 80GB which is identical to my 1st hard drive. Since I've
added this 2nd drive my system powers up for about 4 seconds them dies
without even reaching POST. If I power it up then hold the reset button
for a couple of seconds it will start but it seems to be hit and miss
and can sometimes take 6 attempts to get it going. I have checked all
power connections and they are fine and have swapped all the IDE cables
to no avail. I had a spare 10GB Seagate drive which I swapped with the
2nd drive and it powers up fine without changing anything except the
hard drive. All the BIOS setting seems OK and I have ensured I have the
Master & Slave settings correctly configured.
Anybody have any suggestions? The drive had some data on originally but
I have now formatted it and it's clean and formated as a extended
partition but still won't boot with both drives connected. If I unplug
the power on the 2nd drive (leaving the IDE connected) it boots every
time, replace it with the 10GB again it boots every time. After 3 hours
I'm at a loss and am rapidy loosing the will to live.
As in the classic film "Help me OB1, your my only hope"

Thanks,

Bonart

In news:(E-Mail Removed),
(E-Mail Removed) <(E-Mail Removed)> typed:
> Hey Guys,
>
> Got a weird problem. I've added a 2nd hard drive which is a Maxtor
> Diamondmax 80GB which is identical to my 1st hard drive. Since I've
> added this 2nd drive my system powers up for about 4 seconds them dies
> without even reaching POST. If I power it up then hold the reset
> button for a couple of seconds it will start but it seems to be hit
> and miss and can sometimes take 6 attempts to get it going. I have
> checked all power connections and they are fine and have swapped all
> the IDE cables to no avail. I had a spare 10GB Seagate drive which I
> swapped with the 2nd drive and it powers up fine without changing
> anything except the hard drive. All the BIOS setting seems OK and I
> have ensured I have the Master & Slave settings correctly configured.

It really doesn't sound like these settings *are* correct, though, from your
description. If you swap the drives does it boot w/the erstwhile '2nd' drive
connected (and the real one disconnected)?

> Anybody have any suggestions? The drive had some data on originally
> but I have now formatted it and it's clean and formated as a extended
> partition but still won't boot with both drives connected. If I unplug
> the power on the 2nd drive (leaving the IDE connected) it boots every
> time, replace it with the 10GB again it boots every time. After 3
> hours I'm at a loss and am rapidy loosing the will to live.
> As in the classic film "Help me OB1, your my only hope"

Unless you're referring to some new advance in feminine hygiene product
technology, or Korean beer, I think you mean Obi-Wan !


>
> Thanks,
>
> Bonart

You've used the Maxtor disk checking utility?

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hey Guys,
>
> Got a weird problem. I've added a 2nd hard drive which is a Maxtor
> Diamondmax 80GB which is identical to my 1st hard drive. Since I've
> added this 2nd drive my system powers up for about 4 seconds them dies
> without even reaching POST. If I power it up then hold the reset button
> for a couple of seconds it will start but it seems to be hit and miss
> and can sometimes take 6 attempts to get it going. I have checked all
> power connections and they are fine and have swapped all the IDE cables
> to no avail. I had a spare 10GB Seagate drive which I swapped with the
> 2nd drive and it powers up fine without changing anything except the
> hard drive. All the BIOS setting seems OK and I have ensured I have the
> Master & Slave settings correctly configured.
> Anybody have any suggestions? The drive had some data on originally but
> I have now formatted it and it's clean and formated as a extended
> partition but still won't boot with both drives connected. If I unplug
> the power on the 2nd drive (leaving the IDE connected) it boots every
> time, replace it with the 10GB again it boots every time. After 3 hours
> I'm at a loss and am rapidy loosing the will to live.
> As in the classic film "Help me OB1, your my only hope"
>
> Thanks,
>
> Bonart
>

Download Maxblast to test the drive, use it to create a boot floppy or CD,
then remove your good drive a leave the questionable drive connect and boot
using maxblast and test the hard drive.

http://www.maxtor.com/portal/site/Ma...&downloadID=57

JS

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hey Guys,
>
> Got a weird problem. I've added a 2nd hard drive which is a Maxtor
> Diamondmax 80GB which is identical to my 1st hard drive. Since I've
> added this 2nd drive my system powers up for about 4 seconds them dies
> without even reaching POST. If I power it up then hold the reset button
> for a couple of seconds it will start but it seems to be hit and miss
> and can sometimes take 6 attempts to get it going. I have checked all
> power connections and they are fine and have swapped all the IDE cables
> to no avail. I had a spare 10GB Seagate drive which I swapped with the
> 2nd drive and it powers up fine without changing anything except the
> hard drive. All the BIOS setting seems OK and I have ensured I have the
> Master & Slave settings correctly configured.
> Anybody have any suggestions? The drive had some data on originally but
> I have now formatted it and it's clean and formated as a extended
> partition but still won't boot with both drives connected. If I unplug
> the power on the 2nd drive (leaving the IDE connected) it boots every
> time, replace it with the 10GB again it boots every time. After 3 hours
> I'm at a loss and am rapidy loosing the will to live.
> As in the classic film "Help me OB1, your my only hope"
>
> Thanks,
>
> Bonart
>

> It really doesn't sound like these settings *are* correct, though, from your
> description. If you swap the drives does it boot w/the erstwhile '2nd' drive
> connected (and the real one disconnected)?
>
> Unless you're referring to some new advance in feminine hygiene product
> technology, or Korean beer, I think you mean Obi-Wan !
>
>
Wow that was quick. DL & JS I will try the Maxtor drive test but I
don't think it's faulty as I used to use this 2nd drive as my Vista
tester and used to switch which drives booted 1st through the BIOS and
it seemed to be fine then. Even if I disconnected the 1st drive it
would boot to Vista fine.

And Yes Lanwrench you are right, it was my typo, It should be Obi-Wan.
LOL

Master Boot Record issue maybe?

JS

"Bonart" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>> It really doesn't sound like these settings *are* correct, though, from
>> your
>> description. If you swap the drives does it boot w/the erstwhile '2nd'
>> drive
>> connected (and the real one disconnected)?
>>
>> Unless you're referring to some new advance in feminine hygiene product
>> technology, or Korean beer, I think you mean Obi-Wan !
>>
>>
> Wow that was quick. DL & JS I will try the Maxtor drive test but I
> don't think it's faulty as I used to use this 2nd drive as my Vista
> tester and used to switch which drives booted 1st through the BIOS and
> it seemed to be fine then. Even if I disconnected the 1st drive it
> would boot to Vista fine.
>
> And Yes Lanwrench you are right, it was my typo, It should be Obi-Wan.
> LOL
>

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>
> hard drive. All the BIOS setting seems OK and I have ensured I have the
> Master & Slave settings correctly configured.

Perhaps your pc likes to use cable select.

--
http://www.bootdisk.com/

Why did you format as an extended partition?
What did you use to format?
--
Ronald Sommer

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
: Hey Guys,
:
: Got a weird problem. I've added a 2nd hard drive which is a Maxtor
: Diamondmax 80GB which is identical to my 1st hard drive. Since I've
: added this 2nd drive my system powers up for about 4 seconds them dies
: without even reaching POST. If I power it up then hold the reset button
: for a couple of seconds it will start but it seems to be hit and miss
: and can sometimes take 6 attempts to get it going. I have checked all
: power connections and they are fine and have swapped all the IDE cables
: to no avail. I had a spare 10GB Seagate drive which I swapped with the
: 2nd drive and it powers up fine without changing anything except the
: hard drive. All the BIOS setting seems OK and I have ensured I have the
: Master & Slave settings correctly configured.
: Anybody have any suggestions? The drive had some data on originally but
: I have now formatted it and it's clean and formated as a extended
: partition but still won't boot with both drives connected. If I unplug
: the power on the 2nd drive (leaving the IDE connected) it boots every
: time, replace it with the 10GB again it boots every time. After 3 hours
: I'm at a loss and am rapidy loosing the will to live.
: As in the classic film "Help me OB1, your my only hope"
:
: Thanks,
:
: Bonart
:

Ron Sommer wrote:
> Why did you format as an extended partition?
> What did you use to format?
> --
> Ronald Sommer


JS - Thats what i'm thinking, MBR issue.

Plato - I have tried Cable Select

Ron S - It was a primary but is now a extended. The partition was
deleted and formatted with Computer Management.

Well, Unable to sort this one out. I even flashed my BIOS to no avail.
Brought home a Samsung 80GB drive & a Western Digital 250GB hard drives
from work tonight and the both worked first
time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think 4.1/2 hours and getting nowhere is enough for this one.

Thanks Guys :-)