Hard drive problems

953 Views 14 Replies 2 Participants Last post by Tumbleweed36, Dec 20, 2006

benjiboy180elfa

Discussion Starter · Dec 19, 2006

I am currently trying to wipe a hard drive that is connected to an HP Pavilion. I have a working windows 98 floppy but the computer isnt reading it. I had the computer boot the floppy first in the boot sequence and i made sure that the computer is reading the floppy drive. But the computer wont boot from the floppy so i can format the hard drive after i ran f-disk and cleaned it.

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Tumbleweed36

· #2 · Dec 19, 2006

Hi,

Go to Bootdisk.com and download a windows 98se or WinMe boot disk to a floppy. The win98 disk will work, but will limit you some, so don't use that one.

O.K., this is from memory, so forgive and post back if I missed something. (note: I don't use 98 any more)

Set your boot order to:

Floppy - 1st
CDRom - 2nd
Hard Drive - 3rd (boot drive) and don't forget to save before you exit.

Then, put your startup disk in drive A: and boot upwhen it comes up....

type Fdisk

if it asks about large disk support, say yes

Then, select delete all partitions

Select, create a partition (I recommend one large one)

Then, Activate your partition.

Shut down and reboot with the startup disk still in the computer

Boot up and type either "format" or "format C:"

When that is done, shut down again and reboot

Note: When it asks, select with CDRom support

At that point when it comes up and stops, take your disk out of A:

Put your win98 disk in your CDRom

Type either setup or setup C:

It should start loading...please also note, I have not put enter in anyplace, that should be self-explanatary and you will know when.

Just hope I didn't miss anything, you know about how a memory goes.:4-dontkno

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benjiboy180elfa

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 19, 2006

I already have a working boot disk, i just used it. But the computer wont read it. It wont even go into the comad prompt.

Tumbleweed36

· #4 · Dec 19, 2006

Hi,

Are you sure that the startup disk is not corrupt? Might want to try it in a friend's computer and see if it boots like it should because from time to time, one can get a faulty one.

Are you certain the floppy drive is good, because they do tank from time to time without warning? Might want to test that in another computer also.

Have you had any hardware changes, cable changes, that might cause problems?

benjiboy180elfa

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 19, 2006

Nope the computer worked fine the other day, i am just trying to format the drive we had wiped. And also i had just used the floppy last night ot install windows on another computer.

Tumbleweed36

· #6 · Dec 19, 2006

Hi,

Does the drive show up in the Bios when you turn on the computer? Also, have you double checked your boot order to have the floppy set up to boot FIRST?

benjiboy180elfa

Discussion Starter · #7 · Dec 19, 2006

Yes, the floppy is booting first. ANd yes the BIOS will show up if i press F1 like it says.

benjiboy180elfa

Discussion Starter · #8 · Dec 20, 2006

benjiboy180elfa said:
And yes the BIOS will show up if i press F1 like it says.

I meant yes the flopy dirve shows up on the BIOS. I think. I am not quite sure acually tho. I am not used to the BIOS on that computer, so I am not sure if it reads it or simply lets you pick what kind of floppy drive you have installed. It is kind of ambigous.

Tumbleweed36

· #9 · Dec 20, 2006

Hi,

Go in to the BIOS setup menu and make sure that the drive is in there and the proper size is listed. Then, exit by selecting load defaults....don't forget to save before you exit. Then, go back in to the BIOS setup menu and make sure the Pnp setting is set to Enabled or Yes, whichever your board has. Then, exit (don't forget to save) and reboot and see what happens. If it says something in there you don't understand, please ask someone here and if I am not on, someone will be along to help you.

Post back with questions/concerns.

benjiboy180elfa

Discussion Starter · #10 · Dec 20, 2006

Basic floppies are 1.44mb 3 1/2 right? And what is Pnp? And lastly i am not exactly sure how to tell if it is detecting my floppy drive. It has a place to chose my floppy drive type (i.e. 1.44 mb ect. ect.) and it has a place to move it around on the boot list. But i am not sure if it detects it or not. Also why will some floppy drives kill my floppies? Sometimes putting the floppy into a different drive will make it appear unformatted. And after that when i try to format it it wont let me. I dont have many floppies and this is a real problem if it kills all of the ones i have. (This is a drive in another hardly used computer. Not the one i am working on.)

Tumbleweed36

· #11 · Dec 20, 2006

benjiboy180elfa said:
Basic floppies are 1.44mb 3 1/2 right?

Yes, set it at that, or if the option is auto, you can try setting it at that. Just to be safe, how the heck old is this drive...I mean I am assuming it is new enough to be a 1.44, but I can't be sure of that without seeing it.

And what is Pnp?

Under the Advanced area of the Bios Setup Menu, there should be an item titled either Pnp or Plug and Play or Plug and Play O/S, or something similar. Be sure with Win98, that you have it set to Enabled.

And lastly i am not exactly sure how to tell if it is detecting my floppy drive. It has a place to chose my floppy drive type (i.e. 1.44 mb ect. ect.) and it has a place to move it around on the boot list. But i am not sure if it detects it or not.

On the boot order or boot list as you say, it should be set this way for Win98:

Floppy - 1st
CDRom - 2nd
Hard Drive - 3rd (this would be your boot drive)

Note: If you change anything, be sure to save those changes.

Also why will some floppy drives kill my floppies?

If the drive is actually a 1.44 drive also, it should not harm it at all. If the computer is very old, it might not be a 1.44 drive. Even then, when you put it in the proper size drive, it should work.

Sometimes putting the floppy into a different drive will make it appear unformatted. And after that when i try to format it it wont let me. I dont have many floppies and this is a real problem if it kills all of the ones i have. (This is a drive in another hardly used computer. Not the one i am working on.)

How old is this drive and computer you are trying to format? That might help to pinpoint the problem.

benjiboy180elfa

Discussion Starter · #12 · Dec 20, 2006 (Edited)

The drive isnt too old so its a 1.44mb 3 and a half.

The only things under advanced are Installed OS (should i have this at what i am going to install or what is installed? Cuz windows 2000 is installed and there is no option for that only there is only 95, 98/NT5.0, and other, which i have selected.)
Default Primary Video adapter (set to PCI)
Reset configuration adapter (set to no)
PS/2 Mouse (set to auto detect)
Large Disk Access Mode (set to other)
Legacy USB support (set to disabled)
and sub folders for PCI configuration and I/O Device configuration

The boot sequence is in order.

I would say that the floppy drive eating my floppies is pretty old. And the machine cant be more than 6 years old at most. But the computer and the floppy eating drive are different. I dont want you to think that the drive i have in the computer i am working on is bad. As far as i know its perfectly shiny.

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benjiboy180elfa

Discussion Starter · #13 · Dec 20, 2006

Well I have a working Floppy now.

benjiboy180elfa

Discussion Starter · #14 · Dec 20, 2006

Sorry about the triple post, but for some reason it isnt allowing me to edit my posts. So i figured out that it's just a faulty floppy disk drive. I plugged in one that works and it ran fine. Thanks for your help though. You helped me narrow it down. If anything else comes up i will be sure to inquire here. Thanks again!

Tumbleweed36

· #15 · Dec 20, 2006

Hi,

Great that you got it going. Hope everything goes well.

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