Hard Disk not getting recognized

[Guest]

I have two ext hard disks, connected via 1394 (name = New Volume) and USB
(name = PVR) interfaces. One disk is recognized but the second is not. Here
are the details from Disk Management screen under Computer Management tool.

1) Working disk
Volume = New Volume (J)
Layout = Partition
Type = Basic
File system = NTFS
Status = Healthy (Active)
Free space = 41GB

2) Non working disk
Volume = PVR
Layout = Partition
Type = Basic
File system = NTFS
Status = Healthy (EISA Configuration)
Free space = 8.52 GB

Note that in non-working disk drive letter does not get assigned. The disk
is recognized by the PC, but it does not assign drive letter or does not
allow to assign drive letter.

If you right click on the working disk you get following menu
* Open
* Explore
* a line dividing this from items below
* Mark Partition as active (grayed out)
* Change drive letter and paths
* Format
* a line dividing this from items below
* Delete partition
* a line dividing this from items below
* Properties
* a line dividing this from items below
* Help

However if you click on non-working disk, I get no menu at all. All I get is

* a line dividing items
* Help

Nothing shows up above the line, not even grayed out items.

For some reason this apparantly healthy disk does not get recognized by the
PC. This disk used to work. I was taking a system restore point, while
watching recorded TV program on the PC. The TV application (MCE) froze and I
had to reboot the PC during the system restore operation. From that point
onwards the disk is not getting recognized.

Any and all help is appreciated. This is a high capacity disk (300GB) and
was very costly. I had to buy the 2nd disk when this failed. But given that
failed disk is getting recognized and seems healthy, whatever that means, I
am making an attempt here to salvage it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Guest]

In diskmgmt L.click on a disk,go to actions,all,select make active.

 

[Guest]

when I go to disk management and L click bad disk, and then go to Menu item
Action I get following options only

* Refresh
* Rescan disk
* Help

However, clicking on the good disk gives me following options in Action menu

*Refresh
*Rescan disk
*All tasks...
*Help

All tasks then gives the same menu as you get after R clicking on the disk
mentioned below.

So the behavior is consistent. Since R click does not give you any option on
the bad disk, L Click and Action menu also does not give you All task option.

Any other ideas, debugging help?

Thanks for this suggestion.