HDD Error, Please help me...

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Microsoft

Please take time to read this and help me. I am so stuck now. Thanks

Hi,
I am having a problem booting up on my computer. I found out the problem
after I swapped the master/slave setting and installed OS. When I tried to
browse the problematic HDD, this message pops out:

F:\ is not accessible.
Error performing inpage operation.

Total, i have 2 harddisk and 4 partitions. Below is a rough idea of the
arrangement:

Harddisk 1 (Problematic one) (now slave)
Partition 1: F:\
Partition 2: G:\

Harddisk 2 (the one i am using now) (master)
Partition 1: C:\
Partition 2: D:\

The funny thing is that F:\ on HDD 1 cannot be accessed, due to the above
specified error, G:\ on HDD 1 can be accessed without problem. Prior to this
problem, my computer has been restarting by itself once maybe say 5hrs,
first displaying the blue screen. Then, when i started the computer with
this error, i see a 1sec long blue screen, and then the (Start windows
normally/Safe mode/Last good config) screen. I select last good config, and
it simply keep looping back, maybe cause by the problem stated above.

What i need to find out from you all experts out there:
1. What is causing this error
2. Is there anyway I can get back access from the F:\ partition?
3. If not, I am ready to buy new HDD, but at least some important data must
be retrieved.
4. Is this a windows error or hardware?
5. If nothing can be done about retrieve/restoring the Windows/Datas on it,
can I reformat and use the HDD again, or is this HDD already a junk?

P.S. If anyone can help me step by step, please email me at
(e-mail address removed) or post back to this board, under the same subject with
a RE: prefix. Appreciate all your helps!

Thanks,
Eric
 
Hi, Eric:
Your drive should be ok since the second partition on the same drive is
working. There is something wrong on the partition table of that drive. If
your F: was an active, primary boot partition before, it might be
obscured/disabled by your newly installed OS.

Try some partition tools: RPM (Ranish Partition Manager
http://www.ranish.com/part/ ) is an excellent free tool for you to view your
partitions. If you have any idea about the partition boundary, you can use
RPM to restore the partition.
If you have no idea about the boundary of it, try TESTDisk
http://www.cgsecurity.org/ to search the boundary for you and restore it.

Any partition tools are "dangerous" if you don't know how to use them. But
actually, they are quite safe if you know how. Partition, re-partition,
change boundary does not destroy data, and it is reversible if you do not
format your partition. Read the document carefully before you do any thing.

Good luck.

Vince
 
Does the software work on external HDD? Because the "spoilt" HDD is not
connected to my pc externally, by USB port. I have 2 HDD, 4 Partitions. 2 on
each.
 
Not tested by me. It should work theoretically if you can provide Dos USB
driver at boot time since they all work under DOS.

Good luck.

Vince
 
Where do i get dos USB driver?



Vince said:
Not tested by me. It should work theoretically if you can provide Dos USB
driver at boot time since they all work under DOS.

Good luck.

Vince

2 drive.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Vince,
I used TestDisk, and it worked. I can see the drive that has error, I
browsed the files, and there are still there. But when I view it through My
Computer, it displays the drive as RAW. Before the problem came, the drive
was NTFS formatted. So now that the files are still intact, and TestDisk
shows that the drive has HPFS-NTFS format, while My Computer shows RAW. Can
you now guide me through the next step to recover that partition and make it
bootable again, without losing any of the files/data in it.

Thanks,
Eric
 
Hi, Eric,
Good news. I have not visit TestDisk web for long time and even did not know
they released a Win-xp version, which save you lot of trouble for Dos usb
driver if you do not know it at all.
As I tested the Win version, I guess, you did the Analyse and List files
already.
Now follow the steps below:
1. Perform Analyse to get the partition table of your HD.
Take a pen and a piece of paper, write down the six values under Start, End,
these are very important values: partition boundary. They represent CHS,
Cylinder, Head, and Sector values for the start and end of a partition.
These value can be used in any tools if you fail in this program.
2. Press enter to quit, this is only option you have in this section. Then
you get partition lists for all the partitions on that HD.
3. Do not type any function keys listed at the bottom, instead, press enter
to the next page.
4 Here you get three option: Quit, Search, Write. Choose Write to write the
partition table to the MBR of your HD, then Quit. Everything is OK, you
restore you partition table already. Restart your PC, the bios and windows
will take the new partition table and your partition should be visible.

If you still fail, you can use the values you write down and try to restore
the partition table manually by RPM 243 or 244, they are basically the same.
You can try to run RPM within Windows DOS box to avoid your USB driver
problem. It is not recommended to modify disk partition under windows dos
box for HD holding windows. But in your case, the HD is not used for boot
and you just want to rescue data and failed with other methods. So it is
worth to try.

Good luck

Vince.
 
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