External drives Interanal

ncaissie · 03-20-2009, 07:24 AM

Hi
I have an external HDD that has 2 500GB SATA drives that are partitioned together as one 1TB drive.
I would like to put them into my new PC which has 2 HDD bays in the front.
It is a Gateway FX6800-01h.

When I put them in the PC stops booting. I get the black screen with the white __ on the top left corner. After going to the BIOS and telling it to boot from the OS drive it gets to the window loading progress bar and then flashes blue and reboots.

After removing the HDDs I had to restore windows to get it to reboot again.

When I hot swap the drives windows does not see them. Even in computer management.

My next step is to try connecting it via USB and see if I can repartition them through the computer management.

Does anyone know how I can get this to work?
Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks
Norm

ncaissie · 03-26-2009, 10:15 AM

Hi

Can you tell me what to do if there is two drives partitioned as one?
It is an external USB drive with two 500GB SATA drives.
If I take the drives out and put them in the PC it stops working.

While connected via USB the computer management sees two drives together as one big one. I want to un partition them but I'm afraid if it screws up I will loose the drives altogether.
It shows two drives with the same drive letter and the both say they are 1TB but I know that it is two 1/2TB drives.

If they were IDE I would have no problems but I'm new to SATA drives.
Do you have to set a slave and master with SATA Drives?

Any help would be great.

Thanks

My HDD is the same as this (company and all) except only 1TB

http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=11111

I get a lot of read errors when it gets hot and a red light comes on.
That's why I want to try it internal.

**raptor_pa** · 03-26-2009, 11:14 AM

The problem is that it is not as simple as partitioning the two drives as 1, in the Lacie housing is a controller that actually manages the drives. You won't be able to mount the drives and use them internally in their current state. If you are getting errors at this point, the best solution would be to get a single 1 TB drive mount it internally and backup your data. It sounds like you are facing imminent drive failure. Once you have the data safe, you can then pull the drives out and recreate your Raid. What is the configuration of the drives in the housing? Raid0, Simple volume, or JBOD? One of the problems with disk arrays is that ou are at the mercy of the controller.

ncaissie · 03-26-2009, 06:51 PM

I don't know if it's raid simple or what.
I have backed it up. I think the problems with the controller.
I just want to reparation them and format them as two drives.
then put them in my PC.
If it it is Raid or simple what do I need to do?
Can I do it through computer manager?

**raptor_pa** · 03-26-2009, 07:24 PM

If that is what you want to do, then yeah pull them and install them as internals. Don't haot swap them. It sounds like you may have a physically failed drive in the set. Try them one at a time and see if one is the cause of the problem. you can repartition and reformat them individually as two single 500's

ncaissie · 03-26-2009, 07:36 PM

can I partition them from the USB?
As soon as I put one in the pc it doesn't see it (tried both) and when I put both in it stops booting.

**raptor_pa** · 03-27-2009, 05:47 AM

Probably not from the enclosure, it is going to try to see them as 1 volume. When you say it doesn't see a single drive - where have you checked. Is it shown in Disk management or identified in device manager?Tell us abit more about the system you are putting them in. How are the SATA ports configured, what is the boot order. Does BIOS identify the drives correctly by correct model number when inserted individually?

ncaissie · 03-27-2009, 09:16 AM

Hi

I appreciate the help.
I managed to get one drive going inside my PC. It is a Gateway FX and has two SATA drive bays in the front. What I did was use Disk Management in Computer Manager and Deleted the volume.

I put one disk in the first drive bay and it tried to boot from it. So after setting the bios it booted from the proper drive.
Now I have a 500 Gig drive in the Disk Manager and formatted it.

Tonight I will try the other drive.

After I put them in the first time and my PC stopped booting I had to run the System restore to get the PC to boot into windows again.

Before I left for work I set it to run a scan disk. I have the Ultimate Boot disk that I will use to scan the drives over the weekend. I just don’t trust windows scan disc to give me a proper reading.

**raptor_pa** · 03-27-2009, 09:32 AM

Scan disk is designed to solve some very speciifc logical problems. It can map bad sectors in the OS tables. I would download the drive manufacturer's utilities to test the disks, always best to use product specific diag utils rather than OS or third party.

ncaissie · 04-01-2009, 08:06 AM

It turns out that one of my drives is dead. I managed to get most of the stuff off. And salvaged one of the 500GB drives.

Thanks

ncaissie · 11-03-2009, 06:19 AM

Hi, I'm still having the same problem with a drive I know is ok. I have two Sata drives. The PC has one 1TB drive internal and two front bays. When I add one drive in the front It works and as soon as I add the second one I get the _ screen.
It looks ok in the bios but maybe I'm missing something.

ncaissie · 11-03-2009, 06:21 AM

FYI I'm not using the 500GB drives. I have two new 1TB drives to add.

03-20-2009, 07:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
ncaissie Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 12 OS: Windows vista 64	External drives Interanal Hi I have an external HDD that has 2 500GB SATA drives that are partitioned together as one 1TB drive. I would like to put them into my new PC which has 2 HDD bays in the front. It is a Gateway FX6800-01h. When I put them in the PC stops booting. I get the black screen with the white __ on the top left corner. After going to the BIOS and telling it to boot from the OS drive it gets to the window loading progress bar and then flashes blue and reboots. After removing the HDDs I had to restore windows to get it to reboot again. When I hot swap the drives windows does not see them. Even in computer management. My next step is to try connecting it via USB and see if I can repartition them through the computer management. Does anyone know how I can get this to work? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks Norm

03-26-2009, 10:15 AM	#2 (permalink)
ncaissie Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 12 OS: Windows vista 64	Re: External drives Interanal Hi Can you tell me what to do if there is two drives partitioned as one? It is an external USB drive with two 500GB SATA drives. If I take the drives out and put them in the PC it stops working. While connected via USB the computer management sees two drives together as one big one. I want to un partition them but I'm afraid if it screws up I will loose the drives altogether. It shows two drives with the same drive letter and the both say they are 1TB but I know that it is two 1/2TB drives. If they were IDE I would have no problems but I'm new to SATA drives. Do you have to set a slave and master with SATA Drives? Any help would be great. Thanks My HDD is the same as this (company and all) except only 1TB http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=11111 I get a lot of read errors when it gets hot and a red light comes on. That's why I want to try it internal. Last edited by ncaissie; 03-26-2009 at 10:24 AM.

03-26-2009, 11:14 AM	#3 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,820 OS: XP	Re: External drives Interanal The problem is that it is not as simple as partitioning the two drives as 1, in the Lacie housing is a controller that actually manages the drives. You won't be able to mount the drives and use them internally in their current state. If you are getting errors at this point, the best solution would be to get a single 1 TB drive mount it internally and backup your data. It sounds like you are facing imminent drive failure. Once you have the data safe, you can then pull the drives out and recreate your Raid. What is the configuration of the drives in the housing? Raid0, Simple volume, or JBOD? One of the problems with disk arrays is that ou are at the mercy of the controller. __________________

03-26-2009, 06:51 PM	#4 (permalink)
ncaissie Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 12 OS: Windows vista 64	Re: External drives Interanal I don't know if it's raid simple or what. I have backed it up. I think the problems with the controller. I just want to reparation them and format them as two drives. then put them in my PC. If it it is Raid or simple what do I need to do? Can I do it through computer manager?

03-26-2009, 07:24 PM	#5 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,820 OS: XP	Re: External drives Interanal If that is what you want to do, then yeah pull them and install them as internals. Don't haot swap them. It sounds like you may have a physically failed drive in the set. Try them one at a time and see if one is the cause of the problem. you can repartition and reformat them individually as two single 500's __________________

03-26-2009, 07:36 PM	#6 (permalink)
ncaissie Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 12 OS: Windows vista 64	Re: External drives Interanal can I partition them from the USB? As soon as I put one in the pc it doesn't see it (tried both) and when I put both in it stops booting.

03-27-2009, 05:47 AM	#7 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,820 OS: XP	Re: External drives Interanal Probably not from the enclosure, it is going to try to see them as 1 volume. When you say it doesn't see a single drive - where have you checked. Is it shown in Disk management or identified in device manager?Tell us abit more about the system you are putting them in. How are the SATA ports configured, what is the boot order. Does BIOS identify the drives correctly by correct model number when inserted individually? __________________

03-27-2009, 09:16 AM	#8 (permalink)
ncaissie Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 12 OS: Windows vista 64	Re: External drives Interanal Hi I appreciate the help. I managed to get one drive going inside my PC. It is a Gateway FX and has two SATA drive bays in the front. What I did was use Disk Management in Computer Manager and Deleted the volume. I put one disk in the first drive bay and it tried to boot from it. So after setting the bios it booted from the proper drive. Now I have a 500 Gig drive in the Disk Manager and formatted it. Tonight I will try the other drive. After I put them in the first time and my PC stopped booting I had to run the System restore to get the PC to boot into windows again. Before I left for work I set it to run a scan disk. I have the Ultimate Boot disk that I will use to scan the drives over the weekend. I just don’t trust windows scan disc to give me a proper reading.

03-27-2009, 09:32 AM	#9 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,820 OS: XP	Re: External drives Interanal Scan disk is designed to solve some very speciifc logical problems. It can map bad sectors in the OS tables. I would download the drive manufacturer's utilities to test the disks, always best to use product specific diag utils rather than OS or third party. __________________

04-01-2009, 08:06 AM	#10 (permalink)
ncaissie Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 12 OS: Windows vista 64	Re: External drives Interanal It turns out that one of my drives is dead. I managed to get most of the stuff off. And salvaged one of the 500GB drives. Thanks

11-03-2009, 06:19 AM	#11 (permalink)
ncaissie Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 12 OS: Windows vista 64	Re: External drives Interanal Hi, I'm still having the same problem with a drive I know is ok. I have two Sata drives. The PC has one 1TB drive internal and two front bays. When I add one drive in the front It works and as soon as I add the second one I get the _ screen. It looks ok in the bios but maybe I'm missing something.

11-03-2009, 06:21 AM	#12 (permalink)
ncaissie Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 12 OS: Windows vista 64	Re: External drives Interanal FYI I'm not using the 500GB drives. I have two new 1TB drives to add.