darkpowrjd

I've been running my machine on Vista home premium, 32 bit socket 939 AMD processor, and two hard drives (both Maxor, one 200 GB and the other an older 60 gig I had on another comp). This come recently got repaired at a shop because of a power surge which fried the PSU, motherboard, and processor, and thought a lengthy process of delivery and availability of parts (don't ask, long story, had no bearing on the actual repair), the parts were replaced with the same parts as before. Also, I got alot to report on this issue, so this will be a lengthy post.

I then got it home and had it successfully running for a week or so, no issues whatsoever. I then recently bought a new game for it (SimCity Societies, in case that is important), and on Sat decided to install it (I was surfing the net during it, I have done that several times on the comp without any issues). I have had a few things installed on the comp after the repair prior to this issue.

During install of the game, the system rebooted itself. I didn't know what the issue was to cause this. However, when it got past the BIOS splash screen (it's an ASUS mobo), it then brough up a weird screen, something about S.M.A.R.T. status BAD (backup and replace) for the HD, and when I pressed F1 as it said, it brought up "Error booting OS". This happened several times before it was able to boot back up. I though, no big deal, I'll go back and install the game. Tried again, it happened again. This went on for about 10 mins, and then I gave up trying to install the game. Keep in mind that I had my iPod nano plugged into this thing at the time, as well. I was trying everything (including unplugging the iPod) to get this thing to start back up.

Eventually it got to the point where it didn't even boot back up after a few tries. It was here that Windows began giving me the "put in the disc and repair your comp" thing. So after a few battles of frustration sitting in (I JUST got this back from the shop after a lengthy process that set me back 300 bucks and I don't have enough to replace the HD right now...and there is another issue I have with what is ON the HDs that I want to keep). So now I decide to instead get to where I can burn the files I want to keep onto a DVD-R so I can at least be able to reinstall windows safely without losing anything I want to retain. It wouldn't even get THAT far. However, Vista DOES do the "windows.old" thing, so I decide that as long as it can reinstall, it'll be safe.

Here's where the weird things begin. First, I get my stepdad (who's also good with computers) to help me fix this issue. We run Startup Repair, but it said that it either had no problems, or it couldn't fix them right away. We then try system restore to get it back to a earlier time (this only began when I went to install that game, so I figured that orphaned files might've been a cause of the system not being able to go). However, it then said that IT can't go because something is missing (some file). So then we decide to just reinstall windows the next day. I go and do that, but it THEN gets to 53% in expanding files and then just hung. I reset my machine, and here we go. The HD is not getting detected, and I'm not sure what's going on. I try 3 or 4 more times, and each of these times, I keep getting this error:

(Error code: 0x80070002 is what I got in this process, but I'm not sure if the error above gave me that code or if it was another one).

During all this, it also decides that it wants to think that no HD's exists (it is a hit or miss thing at this point).

So I decide to go ahead and try the other HD (the older 60 gig). THIS won't go at first, and I keep trying each one.

Weirdness sets in right now: When I go to reset AGAIN, this time something comes up saying that Windows is competing installation. FINALLY, I think. However, when I go to reset my password and that and get back on and get my drivers back (this takes about 20 minutes to realize this), that the Windows install I put onto the 60 gig was the one that completed and became the main boot drive. I didn't want this because my 200 gig was my main one all along (or at least that's the one I wanted to be the C drive). So I go to try to boot from the 200, and it brought up this:

I boot back up from the 60GB (so far, no issues with the HD detection), and I look for the file in question. Apparently, there were NO files in that folder (just other folders). And plus, the comp now decides to hate going into sleep mode, since I had to reboot following THAT.

So I decide to try one more time to reinstall Windows on the 200GB HD. It goes to that 53% again and then HANGS AGAIN!! I reboot, and now, no matter what I do, it won't recognize that I have ANY HD there (I at one point decided to move my files I want to keep into to other HD as I thought it was the 200GB install that first was successful, so it would be safe if I reformatted the 200GB one. I can get everything else back). I can't even reformat now because there's nothing there, it says.

I don't know what to do, my stepdad is telling me to do my last resort first, and I don't want to have to reformat BOTH things. I REALLY am lost, and I do not have enough money at the moment to just go and get me a new HD (it'll be a few weeks before I can do that).

I would LOVE to JUST get to the bottom of what happened (what caused this crap), and how I can fix it. I cannot believe my comp issues are going on AGAIN, and I don't want to think that the worst has happened.

PLEASE, ANY help is appreciated. How do I fix this?

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I have had Vista for a little over a year, and I have reinstalled Windows on this very machine before without an issue. Also, at all time, there was at least one HD that was always being read, and the problem with NO HDs being recognized only began when the Vista install hung again.

simpswr

Hello . and welcome to the forum.

First thing I would do is pull both drives and attach to a working pc to salvage as much of your files as you can.

Then, download and run diagnostics from the manufacturer to rule out dirve failure.

Samsung http://www.samsungelectronics.com/hd...ies_index.html
Seagate http://www.seagate.com/support/seatools/index.html
Maxtor/Quantum http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/products/index.htm
Western Digital http://support.wdc.com/download/
IBM/Hitachi http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT
fujitsu/Seimens http://www.fcpa.fujitsu.com/download...es/#diagnostic
IBM/Hitachi http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT

Once you cna confirm that one or both drives have not failed, put one ( not both ) in, format the drive and install Vista . . only after you have a stable system with up to date antivirus, attach the second drive ( if it tests good )

Edit: It works best if you attach the hard drive to the secondary channel of the working pc . . the one with the CD/DV D drives

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Rich



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darkpowrjd

Could there be an issue with orphaned files on the drive from the failed Vista install (or another install) that could be a cause, or maybe a faulty way the repairer hooked up my computer? I'm just wondering because this was the thinking I had at the time when this began.

simpswr

Hard to say . . but until you rule out drive failure, you are just guessing

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Rich



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darkpowrjd

Well, I'm waiting to try out that other option you specified (I want to be sure I'm doing this right since I don't want to screw up my comp further).

Anyway, there is an update to this: I had ended up getting both discs to work temporarily, and reformatted the 200GB one. I then got windows to install on it (with no difficulty), and then began to get logged on. There were a few of the "S.M.A.R.T." hiccups which I fixed with how I was doing it before (leaving the comp off for a few minutes), and then when I finally logged on, I had went to try to open "Computer" and then it locked up again, and now I'm back to the "S.M.A.R.T." error. But there is a new thing to this that I don't know if it changes anything or not or if this gives more info. Now I got this message after I press F1 at that "S.M.A.R.T." screen:

"NTLDR is missing
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to continue"

I will do what you suggested, however. Oh, and the other disc is now being recognized without any issue. Wondering what NTLDR is.

simpswr

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Rich



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