oneclikker said:
I will try to describe my problem in the least ignorant way. My computer is
semi-old (5yrs or so) but I have added hard drives and ram so I don't
really
want to replace it. For quite awile now it has been giving me warnings
about
a disk error. I can't think of exactly what it says but something like
disk
error with sector 0. I know that that is where the boot info is. I usually
just leave the computer on all the time and if I have to restart for some
reason, I say a prayer first.
I really don't want to format my C drive as I don't want to have to
re-install everything. I have lots of programs that I bought as downloads.
Also I have 2 internal hard drives that have 6 or 7 partitions between
them.
What I want to know is if I can make another partition/drive the boot
drive?
I'm sorry if this is a dumb question but I really don't know and I haven't
been able to find an answer anywhere.
Thank you for your time,
Amanda
Amanda:
I'm going to respond to your problem, but first let me go "backwards"
concerning your other hard drives. Then we'll get to your problem, OK?
You say you also have two internal HDs. I assume from this that you have a
total of three internal HDs, your booting drive and the other two. And you
further indicate there are six or seven partitions between them. Is there
really any reason you have to multi-partition these drives? I ask this
because, in my opinion, too many users have become unnecessarily enamored
of creating a partition for this, a partition for that, when it's not really
necessary nor desirable. There may be good & sufficient reasons for
multi-partitioning one's HD, but in so many cases these partitions create
problems involving the utilization of individual partition disk space, are
awkward to work with, add little to the efficient organization of a drive
and give the user a false sense of security. More times than not, the simple
expedient of creating folders rather than partitions to contain one's
programs & data is a more useful approach when organizing one's HD. That,
together with creating and maintaining a systematic backup system is, in my
view, the approach that should be taken by most users. I just wanted to
mention this in passing and because it may have some relevance for you in
the future as well as what I'm about to comment on.
As to your specific problem, it's virtually impossible to tell at this time
& distance the precise cause of the problem. On one hand it sounds like a
hardware problem in that the HD involved is defective and possibly about to
fail. On the other hand it could be a problem with your operating system (we
are talking about XP, right?) in that there is system files corruption
involving the operating system of one form or another.
If it's practical for you to do so it would be desirable at this point if
you would first "clone" the contents of the problem drive to one of the
partitions of your other two drives or to a USB/Firewire external HD should
you have this device available to you. To perform this "cloning" operation
you would need, of course a disk imaging program such as Symantec's Norton
Ghost or Acronis True Image. I have a feeling this is probably not a
practical course of action for you at this time but I thought I'd mention
it. Again, it's something you should consider in the future for future
routine backups of your system. By having a "clone" of your present problem
HD, you would at least have a backup copy of your data should anything go
awry as you try to resolve the problem.
If the disk imaging process cannot be undertaken, then copy whatever files
on the problem drive are important to you so that at the least you'll have a
backup of those files.
Assuming you have a retail version of your XP installation CD (not a
so-called "Recovery" CD issued by an OEM), perform a Repair install of the
OS. I assume you don't know how to do this. It's a relatively easy process
to undertake. Do a Google search on "XP repair install" and you'll be
pointed to various web sites that have step-by-step instructions for doing
so. Hopefully, should your problem involve relatively simple system files
corruption, the Repair install should return your drive to a bootable
functional state. Naturally if the problem is a defective HD, either
mechanically or electronically, or some other hardware defect, the Repair
install will not solve your current problem
It would be wise to download a hard drive diagnostic utility from the web
site of the manufacturer of your HD and test out the drive to determine if
it is indeed defective. Virtually every manufacturer of hard drives has such
a diagnostic program available for download.
Anna
The drives and BIOS need to be configured correctly, but