Help !! My computer cant find the hard drive

[Guest]

Hey everyone

I am hoping for a miracle

I was getting a series of messages stating that my system survived a fatal system error a few weeks ago so I decided to reinstall my windows xp on my computer
My computer has the followin
Pentium
MSI 845 Motherboard with a ATA133 chipse
Maxtor 80 GB ATA 133 HD

After "successfully" reinstalling the xp home version my problem continued for about 2 days until I was trying to get onto my dialup server. At that time, I recieved some sort of error and to reboot my computer. After I rebooted my computer, the computer would cycle through the normal startup until I get the Windows splash then quickly ( I havent been able to freeze the screen) a blue screen with some error messages will pop up and the computer restarts itself

I have tried to install a new hard drive (Maxtor 160 GB ATA133 HDD) but when I go to install xp it says that no hard drive is found.
During startup a program called fast build which acknowleges that there is a hard drive for both the old (when it was connected) or new hard drive and I have followed Maxtor instructions on formatting the drive

I have tried changing bios settings(many different ways) but to no avail

I can boot from the Cd long enough for the choice of repairing or reinstalling but immediately I have used f6 to try to install a different driver for the hard drive. but the floppy says that it is not a bootable disk.

If I bypass using f6 I I get an error saying that no hard drive is found and that I should check my connections

I dont know if it is the same problem but at the same time I have tried to use a Maxtors program to identify if the hard drive is corrupt but I have not been able to get any floppy to work in the 3 1/2 drive

Thanks you all for any help you can give me.

Scott

 

[Haggis]

have you installed SP1 ?

Hey everyone,

I am hoping for a miracle.

I was getting a series of messages stating that my system survived a

fatal system error a few weeks ago so I decided to reinstall my windows xp
on my computer.

My computer has the following
Pentium 4
MSI 845 Motherboard with a ATA133 chipset
Maxtor 80 GB ATA 133 HDD

After "successfully" reinstalling the xp home version my problem continued

for about 2 days until I was trying to get onto my dialup server. At that
time, I recieved some sort of error and to reboot my computer. After I
rebooted my computer, the computer would cycle through the normal startup
until I get the Windows splash then quickly ( I havent been able to freeze
the screen) a blue screen with some error messages will pop up and the
computer restarts itself.

I have tried to install a new hard drive (Maxtor 160 GB ATA133 HDD) but

when I go to install xp it says that no hard drive is found.

During startup a program called fast build which acknowleges that there is

a hard drive for both the old (when it was connected) or new hard drive and
I have followed Maxtor instructions on formatting the drive.

I have tried changing bios settings(many different ways) but to no avail.


I can boot from the Cd long enough for the choice of repairing or

reinstalling but immediately I have used f6 to try to install a different
driver for the hard drive. but the floppy says that it is not a bootable
disk.

If I bypass using f6 I I get an error saying that no hard drive is found

and that I should check my connections.

I dont know if it is the same problem but at the same time I have tried to

use a Maxtors program to identify if the hard drive is corrupt but I have
not been able to get any floppy to work in the 3 1/2 drive.

 

[Guest]

i installed it as an upgrade several months ago, but I didnt reinstall it after the system failed.
Should I download it and try to install it through a floppy? I havent been able to get my floppy to work since "the crash"

 

[Haggis]

well , it won't fit on a floppy , but i do suggest you re- apply it

i installed it as an upgrade several months ago, but I didnt reinstall it after the system failed.
Should I download it and try to install it through a floppy? I havent

been able to get my floppy to work since "the crash"

 

[Bee]

Look, if the rail track is wonky, whatever you put on it is going to fall
off. Your WinXP is not working; it crashes at the splash screen and goes
back to restart, and crashes, and restarts... in a loop. If I were you, I
would, for the moment, forget the new HD, F6, floppy startup,.....etc.
First and foremost, get the OS running as sweetly as you can manage it on
the starting, initial hardware setup you have. Only then, sit back and plan
a house extension. A HD of 80GB is more than adequate for almost all kinds
of use unless you go into film or video editing. I have no fear of running
out of space with a 40GB HD, and have 6 partitions on it.

Do a Clean Install of WinXP.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp
After securing a dial-up connection, switch on the built-in firewall
Install and run all the necessary protection applications
Install SP1, as Haggis suggested. WinXP is incomplete sans SP1.
Install Critical/Security Updates. I take all 16 of them.

If everything goes as planned, you will find all your problems have
evaporated.

Good luck.

Bee.
--
[I have found my Shangri-La in ntlworld.]


--

Hey everyone,

I am hoping for a miracle.

I was getting a series of messages stating that my system survived a

fatal system error a few weeks ago so I decided to reinstall my windows xp
on my computer.

My computer has the following
Pentium 4
MSI 845 Motherboard with a ATA133 chipset
Maxtor 80 GB ATA 133 HDD

After "successfully" reinstalling the xp home version my problem continued

for about 2 days until I was trying to get onto my dialup server. At that
time, I recieved some sort of error and to reboot my computer. After I
rebooted my computer, the computer would cycle through the normal startup
until I get the Windows splash then quickly ( I havent been able to freeze
the screen) a blue screen with some error messages will pop up and the
computer restarts itself.

I have tried to install a new hard drive (Maxtor 160 GB ATA133 HDD) but

when I go to install xp it says that no hard drive is found.

During startup a program called fast build which acknowleges that there is

a hard drive for both the old (when it was connected) or new hard drive and
I have followed Maxtor instructions on formatting the drive.

I have tried changing bios settings(many different ways) but to no avail.


I can boot from the Cd long enough for the choice of repairing or

reinstalling but immediately I have used f6 to try to install a different
driver for the hard drive. but the floppy says that it is not a bootable
disk.

If I bypass using f6 I I get an error saying that no hard drive is found

and that I should check my connections.

I dont know if it is the same problem but at the same time I have tried to

use a Maxtors program to identify if the hard drive is corrupt but I have
not been able to get any floppy to work in the 3 1/2 drive.

 

[Guest]

Thanks, I will try it tonight when I get home and let you know.

I appreciate your help


Scott

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your help. It worked and I am up and running now-bt

it was a bad hard drive after all

 

[Guest]

I just wanted to say thank you I was able to get my system back up and running. i appreciate your hel

Scott

 

[Bee]

Don't mention.

Bee.
--
[I have found my Shangri-La in ntlworld.]


--

I just wanted to say thank you I was able to get my system back up and

running. i appreciate your help