Hard drive knackered? (Again) Stop Error 000000x7b

[kleefarr]

Installed a new hard drive yesterday, loaded windows and updated everything.
Ws running fine. Today, transfered some files over to the new drive. Got a
light grinding noise, computer restarted by it's self and now gives a stop
error 000000x7b and will not start in safe mode or boot from cd.

Is there anything I can do or is it another RMA job?

Kevin

 

[Dave Patrick]

Grinding of any sort is not normal but the disk must be spinning else you
wouldn't get far enough for 0x7b. Download and run the manufacturers
diagnostic tools (disk and controller) You may also have a bad stick of RAM


--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[kleefarr]

Thanks for the reply Dave.

How do I check the drive with the manufacturers diagnostic tool if I can't
get the computer into safe mode?

The computer was running fine up to this point on another drive, would I get
a memory problem just from swapping drives?

Kevin

Grinding of any sort is not normal but the disk must be spinning else you
wouldn't get far enough for 0x7b. Download and run the manufacturers
diagnostic tools (disk and controller) You may also have a bad stick of RAM


--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

Installed a new hard drive yesterday, loaded windows and updated
everything.
Ws running fine. Today, transfered some files over to the new drive. Got a
light grinding noise, computer restarted by it's self and now gives a stop
error 000000x7b and will not start in safe mode or boot from cd.

Is there anything I can do or is it another RMA job?

Kevin

 

[philo]

Thanks for the reply Dave.

How do I check the drive with the manufacturers diagnostic tool if I can't
get the computer into safe mode?

The computer was running fine up to this point on another drive, would I get
a memory problem just from swapping drives?

The diagnostic runs from a boot disk...
usually a floppy...
but such diagnostics can also be run from a bootable cd

 

[Dave Patrick]

These manufacturer tools run from floppy. My suggestions are just based on
the symptoms. No, I wouldn't expect changing disks to cause RAM failures.

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp



--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[kleefarr]

Ok. Thanks Dave. Will check it out.

These manufacturer tools run from floppy. My suggestions are just based on
the symptoms. No, I wouldn't expect changing disks to cause RAM failures.

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp



--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

Thanks for the reply Dave.

How do I check the drive with the manufacturers diagnostic tool if I can't
get the computer into safe mode?

The computer was running fine up to this point on another drive, would I
get
a memory problem just from swapping drives?

Kevin

 

[kleefarr]

I hope it can be run from either CD or USB flash drive as I don't have a
floppy.
Will have a look tomorrow as it's now 22:15 GMT here.

 

[Dave Patrick]

You're welcome.

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[philo]

I hope it can be run from either CD or USB flash drive as I don't have a
floppy.
Will have a look tomorrow as it's now 22:15 GMT here.

Oh heck...
those diagnostics can be run even as late as 23:59 GMT <G>

 

[kleefarr]

Have just finsihed diagnostics. Not looking good.

1. Ran short test - result: A failure was detected run long test

2. Ran long test - result: Froze @ 26% LBA 41721856
Ran long test again: Froze @ 8% LBA 13303808
Ran long test a third time: Froze @ 3% LBA 5978112

TEMP 33oC

3. Ran Acoustic test: ok

4. Started full erase: Froze 11% LBA 17676032

 

[philo]

Have just finsihed diagnostics. Not looking good.

1. Ran short test - result: A failure was detected run long test

2. Ran long test - result: Froze @ 26% LBA 41721856
Ran long test again: Froze @ 8% LBA 13303808
Ran long test a third time: Froze @ 3% LBA 5978112

TEMP 33oC

3. Ran Acoustic test: ok

4. Started full erase: Froze 11% LBA 17676032

After the first failure I'd have gotten an RMA!

 

[kleefarr]

Applied and received RMA details.

Just thought I would try one more windows install though...

Drive was reported as new/unformatted 76309MB (seems to be a chunk missing)

Formatted OK
Windows installed OK
Ran HDD diagnostics again. Short test OK - Long test froze 19% LBA 29820928

Rebooted and ran a thorough check disk. OK

Now running a non updated Windows for a while to see if anything happens.

Undecided whether to return or not at the moment.

 

[kleefarr]

Have returned the hard drive and am waiting for a replacement.

In the meantime I thought I would reinstall my old drive. This had been
working fine for ages and was installing windows on it wh the install froze.
Retried and the same thing.

Took it out and reformatted on another PC. When replced in the original
computer and the install started I got "NTDLR" missing. This is very
confusing as there is no OS on the hard drive yet. I tried installing using
the "F5" button that sets up installas "Standard PC" but that didn't work
either.
I have tried a couple of har drives that I know work and have had problems
with both.

Could my motherboard have a virus? (I would be surprised if it had)

 

[Bill James]

If you are having problems installing Windows with multiple hard drives, and the same Windows Setup CD, what clue does that give?

 

[nesredep egrob]

If you are having problems installing Windows with multiple hard drives, and the same Windows Setup CD, what clue does that give?

So you have removed some drives and replaced them - now remember the MB has
solder connection which are easily broken as the socket is just attached to the
board via the solder joints.

I have recently had a computer that needed attention of just that kind and there
were some suspect joints - removed the socket with special soldering tools and
replaced it - it now work fine.
Borge in sunny Perth, Australia

 

[kleefarr]

Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out when I've finished upgrading another PC.
Although I have been swapping the IDE cables carefully, via the HDD
connection.

Kevin

 

[kleefarr]

Yes Bill. I did think it may have been the CD Disk. But, I also tried using
another copy of W2K, getting same results.

A funny thing happened today as well...

Completely different computer, boot from CD using a brand new copy of W2K
and got "NTDLR Missing" on a newly formatted drive as well???

Maybe this could indicate something along the lines of nesredep egrob's
reply below.

 

[nesredep egrob]

Yes Bill. I did think it may have been the CD Disk. But, I also tried using
another copy of W2K, getting same results.

A funny thing happened today as well...

Completely different computer, boot from CD using a brand new copy of W2K
and got "NTDLR Missing" on a newly formatted drive as well???

Maybe this could indicate something along the lines of nesredep egrob's
reply below.

So I had a cabinet with a motherboard standing there and I dropped the drive in
- still no go - I have cable select set on the hard drive - however this MB has
only one socket for IDE and the cable has two inputs - one from the hard drive
and one from the Rom Drive - so was the hard disk faulty - not at all the cable
select was not set on the Rom drive - set that and I was away.
Hard drive has now done more than 30 hours with no fault.

Borge in sunny Perth, Australia

 

[kleefarr]

So I had a cabinet with a motherboard standing there and I dropped the drive in
- still no go - I have cable select set on the hard drive - however this MB has
only one socket for IDE and the cable has two inputs - one from the hard drive
and one from the Rom Drive - so was the hard disk faulty - not at all the cable
select was not set on the Rom drive - set that and I was away.
Hard drive has now done more than 30 hours with no fault.

Borge in sunny Perth, Australia

Not having that problem. I have two IDE channels, two HDDs one (eventually)
and a CDrom and DVDRW on the other.
Another strange thing has started happening. When the insall freezes, the
video goes off sometiimes.
Have check with another monitor, same thing. I know it's not a power issue,
well I hope not, as I forked out for a Corsair 750W PSU about three months
ago.
Thinking it may be the ram. Can you run MEMtest without any other harware
installed? (Obviously need a CDRom)
Hoping it's not the motherboard as I only got that six months ago
(Secondhand).

 

[kleefarr]

I thought I would just try one more time...

This time I unplugged everything from the motherboard except CPU and
replaced the memory and IDE cables. I changed one of the IDE cables, the one
going to the CD drive. It was an ultra 80 ide cable and swapped it for a
standard 40 ide cable. Installed power supply in the case.
So both ram sticks , psu, cpu, CD drive and one of my old 10g HDDs.
Installed windows without any updates no problem.
Left it running for an hour and then added an external DVDRW. Has now being
running for over two hours. This is the longest it has been going for ages.

Could it have been the Ultra 80 IDE cable to the CD drive?
I wouldn't have thought that would have made any difference.

Anyway, I will add an item of hardware at a time including a second 320G HDD
and then eventually connect it to the net and download all the windows
updates.

Fingers crossed.