PDA

View Full Version : Anyone able to help diagnose a PC problem?


Chihlidog
10-10-2008, 02:33 PM
OK, so last night I got some new parts in for upgrading my wife's comp. I put it all together last night but....it doesnt seem to be recognizing the hdd. It boots OK, but then I get one of 2 things..."system boot failure, please insert system disk"

OR (this only happened 3 times) it get stuck on "verifying DMI pool data". I am at a total loss on this. Bad hard drive? I havent used it in over a year, so I dont know, but it WAS fine last I used it. Jumpers set wrong in it? Wired up wrong? Bad connection? I dont know where to begin on this one. I am still a noob at building PCs and am beat by this one. I expected problems, but nto THIS. Everything I was worried about went together perfectly.
Mark Wein
10-10-2008, 02:37 PM
I'm not much of an expert....

Do you have the original documentation for the drive with the jumper settings? Might the drive have been dropped or something while it wasn't ina computer (assuming that it just hasn't been sitting in a computer the whole time).

I had a western digital HDD just "stop working" in the one parts computer I own after about a year or so.
Chihlidog
10-10-2008, 02:42 PM
I'm not much of an expert....

Do you have the original documentation for the drive with the jumper settings? Might the drive have been dropped or something while it wasn't ina computer (assuming that it just hasn't been sitting in a computer the whole time).

I had a western digital HDD just "stop working" in the one parts computer I own after about a year or so.


Jumper settings are on the back of the drive. I actually tried them all. It was set for "cable select". I tried them all and just left it on "single drive/master" but it didnt seem to have much effect.

It coulda been dropped, kicked, beaten, bounced around, etc, yes. But it was just sitting in a closet and I did hear it spinning once last night so I really dont know. Im stumped on this one.
Mark Wein
10-10-2008, 02:43 PM
I don't know, then. Once they go south you really can't fix them... :(
thredlok
10-10-2008, 02:45 PM
Is it identified in the bios?
Prages
10-10-2008, 02:48 PM
If it's not the jumper, I have no idea.

Can you try the boot drive from your computer and see if it works?
Chihlidog
10-10-2008, 02:57 PM
If it's not the jumper, I have no idea.

Can you try the boot drive from your computer and see if it works?


I have a computer here in the office I am going to try. Just have to wait till my boss is out. If it doesnt work I am going to take the drive from that computer home and try it in the new one.

Here it is if it matters.

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r70/chihlidog/hdd1.jpg
thredlok
10-10-2008, 03:03 PM
are using it as a slave or master drive?
Chihlidog
10-10-2008, 03:05 PM
are using it as a slave or master drive?


Master. This is the only drive in the PC.
thredlok
10-10-2008, 03:06 PM
are using it as a slave or master drive?


Master. This is the only drive in the PC.


take the jumper out completely and see if that works, I had to that once.
Chihlidog
10-10-2008, 03:14 PM
are using it as a slave or master drive?


Master. This is the only drive in the PC.


take the jumper out completely and see if that works, I had to that once.


I'll try that as soon as I get home. However, the diagram shows that that is a slave setting for this drive.

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r70/chihlidog/hdd2.jpg
thredlok
10-10-2008, 03:17 PM
I had to do that for a maxtor once it was the only way it worked ???
thredlok
10-11-2008, 05:27 PM
Hey CHihli!


did you get it to work ???
Chihlidog
10-12-2008, 03:09 AM
Hey CHihli!


did you get it to work ???


No, and I cant find the XP disc to re-format and install new drivers, etc. My wife is in the room right now looking for it, making me insane.

I have a few sources, though. I posted on Craigslist and a few people offered to burn me a copy of a restore disc. I have a valid key, just not the disc, so hopefully that will work. Driving me nuts, too, because everything else is perfect in the new system. MoBo recognizes CPU and RAM, beeps a successful boot, but I just cant get the hdd to load.

I tried it with an old 98se hdd and it was booting the 98 screen, but then I got a not enough memory error or something. As I recall 98 doesnt recognize more than 512 or 1gig, something like that, so I can only assume that was the problem with that one.

Hopefully tomorrow I can grab a copy and be done with this darn thing.