Whats happened to this harddrive!?!?

Smiling Hobo · 06-30-2009, 09:39 AM

Ok... i work with computers alot so normally i can fix problems like this. but this one got me stumped.

My brothers wanted me to reformat their computer so i was gonna run their HP Recovery to do so. Thing is, they have all their files they want to keep on their slave (J:) drive. So they insisted that before i format that i disconnected their J drive from the computer. So i opened it up and first i disconnected their main drive by mistake. so i reconnected that and turned the computer back on... after that i get this weird message (where it normally asks if you want to boot from a disk) its just a bunch of symbols so i cant exactly duplicate it.. but it was something like "lBe[]$lBe[]$" like i said, i cant type what it said with this computer but the [] was a square and the b and e looked different.. i tried to do a chkdsk for windows xp. when it said it was all done nothing changed. also tried a windows xp repair. still nothing. So with all that said... Does anyone know what happened to their harddrive?

**Doby** · 06-30-2009, 07:18 PM

Replace the data cable and see if that helps

**raptor_pa** · 06-30-2009, 07:42 PM

What is the make and model of the HD? Make sure your cabling is tight.

Smiling Hobo · 07-01-2009, 12:06 AM

I replaced the SATA cable and the power already. no difference. make and model of the harddrive... im not sure, cant get that till morning...

**Doby** · 07-01-2009, 07:14 PM

Disconnect all drives but your boot drive, enter bios and see if the boot drive is listed, if it is see if you can boot to windows.

Smiling Hobo · 07-02-2009, 08:37 AM

Yeah i tried that too. still does the same thing. It seems like i can still write to the drive since i was able to run that checkdisk repair on it. but i just get get it to boot.

ohh and the hard drive is a
120 GB Hitachi DeskStar MODEL: HDT722516DLA380 SATA

**Doby** · 07-02-2009, 07:59 PM

Slave the drive in another computer and get any data off of it you can.
Then run the manufatures diags on it and see what it comes up with, if you can salvage everthing you need off the drive by installing it in another computer and it passes the manufactures extended test then go ahead and format it and install windows

Smiling Hobo · 07-02-2009, 08:03 PM

We arent worried about anything on the drive since everything they need is on their secondary drive. but whats this test you are talking about?

**Doby** · 07-02-2009, 08:11 PM

Goto the Hitachi website, they will have utilities there free to download, you download these and create a bootable floppy or cd and boot from it to test the drive.

Smiling Hobo · 07-02-2009, 09:35 PM

Ok i made the boot disk and put it in the computer. I got to a point where it gives me 4 options...
1. For Adaptec
2. For LSI 320 Controller
3. For Tekram & Symbios Controller
4. For ATTO 320 Controller

How am i supposed to know which one to choose?

**raptor_pa** · 07-02-2009, 10:12 PM

Is this the drive fitness test ( DFT) from this page? Scroll down to find it. http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm

Smiling Hobo · 07-02-2009, 10:40 PM

Yeah thats the one. i got the ISO and put it on a CD with ImgBurn.

Smiling Hobo · 07-04-2009, 10:24 AM

soo nobody knows what im supposed to choose here? i dont want to just guess because i dont know what that will do to the HDD...

**raptor_pa** · 07-04-2009, 09:00 PM

Those look like SCSI options. Make sure you didn't get the OGT diag package.

Smiling Hobo · 07-04-2009, 10:28 PM

no i didnt get the OGT. i got...
Drive Fitness Test

Version 4.14

The Drive Fitness Test (DFT) quickly and reliably tests SCSI, IDE and SATA drives. The DFT analyze function performs read tests without overwriting customer data. (Note: other DFT restoration utilities may overwrite data.)

and i went down and got this

CD image (2,720 K)
Creates bootable CD for Linux, Windows and other operating systems ( requires CD-RW drive and software).

put it on a cd and tried it on the computer.

Smiling Hobo · 07-08-2009, 09:45 AM

Anyone else have any ideas on what to choose? i dont want to pick the wrong one and break it even more than it already is...

06-30-2009, 09:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
Smiling Hobo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista	Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? Ok... i work with computers alot so normally i can fix problems like this. but this one got me stumped. My brothers wanted me to reformat their computer so i was gonna run their HP Recovery to do so. Thing is, they have all their files they want to keep on their slave (J:) drive. So they insisted that before i format that i disconnected their J drive from the computer. So i opened it up and first i disconnected their main drive by mistake. so i reconnected that and turned the computer back on... after that i get this weird message (where it normally asks if you want to boot from a disk) its just a bunch of symbols so i cant exactly duplicate it.. but it was something like "lBe[]$lBe[]$" like i said, i cant type what it said with this computer but the [] was a square and the b and e looked different.. i tried to do a chkdsk for windows xp. when it said it was all done nothing changed. also tried a windows xp repair. still nothing. So with all that said... Does anyone know what happened to their harddrive?

06-30-2009, 07:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
Doby Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central PA (USA) Posts: 8,056 OS: XP sp2/ Vista My System	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? Replace the data cable and see if that helps __________________ Would you like to help TSF fight cancer and other diseases??? JOIN TEAM TSF

06-30-2009, 07:42 PM	#3 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,500 OS: XP	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? What is the make and model of the HD? Make sure your cabling is tight. __________________

07-01-2009, 12:06 AM	#4 (permalink)
Smiling Hobo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? I replaced the SATA cable and the power already. no difference. make and model of the harddrive... im not sure, cant get that till morning...

07-01-2009, 07:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
Doby Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central PA (USA) Posts: 8,056 OS: XP sp2/ Vista My System	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? Disconnect all drives but your boot drive, enter bios and see if the boot drive is listed, if it is see if you can boot to windows. __________________ Would you like to help TSF fight cancer and other diseases??? JOIN TEAM TSF

07-02-2009, 08:37 AM	#6 (permalink)
Smiling Hobo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? Yeah i tried that too. still does the same thing. It seems like i can still write to the drive since i was able to run that checkdisk repair on it. but i just get get it to boot. ohh and the hard drive is a 120 GB Hitachi DeskStar MODEL: HDT722516DLA380 SATA Last edited by Smiling Hobo; 07-02-2009 at 08:40 AM.

07-02-2009, 07:59 PM	#7 (permalink)
Doby Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central PA (USA) Posts: 8,056 OS: XP sp2/ Vista My System	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? Slave the drive in another computer and get any data off of it you can. Then run the manufatures diags on it and see what it comes up with, if you can salvage everthing you need off the drive by installing it in another computer and it passes the manufactures extended test then go ahead and format it and install windows __________________ Would you like to help TSF fight cancer and other diseases??? JOIN TEAM TSF

07-02-2009, 08:03 PM	#8 (permalink)
Smiling Hobo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? We arent worried about anything on the drive since everything they need is on their secondary drive. but whats this test you are talking about?

07-02-2009, 08:11 PM	#9 (permalink)
Doby Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central PA (USA) Posts: 8,056 OS: XP sp2/ Vista My System	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? Goto the Hitachi website, they will have utilities there free to download, you download these and create a bootable floppy or cd and boot from it to test the drive. __________________ Would you like to help TSF fight cancer and other diseases??? JOIN TEAM TSF

07-02-2009, 09:35 PM	#10 (permalink)
Smiling Hobo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? Ok i made the boot disk and put it in the computer. I got to a point where it gives me 4 options... 1. For Adaptec 2. For LSI 320 Controller 3. For Tekram & Symbios Controller 4. For ATTO 320 Controller How am i supposed to know which one to choose?

07-02-2009, 10:12 PM	#11 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,500 OS: XP	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? Is this the drive fitness test ( DFT) from this page? Scroll down to find it. http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm __________________

07-02-2009, 10:40 PM	#12 (permalink)
Smiling Hobo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? Yeah thats the one. i got the ISO and put it on a CD with ImgBurn.

07-04-2009, 10:24 AM	#13 (permalink)
Smiling Hobo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? soo nobody knows what im supposed to choose here? i dont want to just guess because i dont know what that will do to the HDD...

07-04-2009, 09:00 PM	#14 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 4,500 OS: XP	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? Those look like SCSI options. Make sure you didn't get the OGT diag package. __________________

07-04-2009, 10:28 PM	#15 (permalink)
Smiling Hobo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? no i didnt get the OGT. i got... Drive Fitness Test Version 4.14 The Drive Fitness Test (DFT) quickly and reliably tests SCSI, IDE and SATA drives. The DFT analyze function performs read tests without overwriting customer data. (Note: other DFT restoration utilities may overwrite data.) and i went down and got this CD image (2,720 K) Creates bootable CD for Linux, Windows and other operating systems ( requires CD-RW drive and software). put it on a cd and tried it on the computer.

07-08-2009, 09:45 AM	#16 (permalink)
Smiling Hobo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9 OS: Windows Vista	Re: Whats happened to this harddrive!?!? Anyone else have any ideas on what to choose? i dont want to pick the wrong one and break it even more than it already is...