I've just gone pale.

I've just built a new computer, my first ever, and all is working fine so far.
Well, almost.
Recently, I bought a largish hard drive. Well, large for MY budget, anyway... it's a 20GB Maxtor drive. It's been working fine in my old computer. When I built my new computer, I had to juggle some files from my old hard drives in order to collect them onto one hard drive (I have a lot of files I just CAN'T lose) I got them all collected neatly into one drive, and installed the Maxtor into my new system as a secondary hard drive. I then booted the new computer.

<horror>

On the initial boot screen, I see both drives checking in. The Maxtor answers roll call. However, when I try to access the disk from Windows or through DOS (using a Win98 boot disk) I get a stomach-turning error message.

D:\ is not accessible.
A device attached to the system is not functioning.

</horror><greatest fear>

I tried several times to access this disk. I hopped it around the IDE cables, tried jumper settings, everything I could think of, and had no luck. Okay, I'll put it in the old computer again, and see why it works there, but not the new system. So I plug it back into the old computer, boot up, and check the drive.
What did I see?
D:\ is not accessible.
A device attached to the system is not functioning.

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/eek.gif And that's when my heart stopped beating. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/mad.gif
</greatest fear>

Please rescue me. I could care less about the drive, but I need that data!

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Eep Epp Ork,
-Snarfleez.

[This message has been edited by Snarfleez (edited 06-12-2002).]

When dealing with puters, it is always best to retain one's sense of humor! Good to see that you're endowed in that dept.

Have nothing useful to contribute other than silly question probably. The drive you're trying to access is, in fact, "D" right? Reason I ask such a foolish question is because I am "new" to partitioning and keep running into same sort of message and have to count on fingers to remember which drive I am accessing. Plus, I installed Windows using one drive letter and then that same drive turned into different drive letter...I forget why..something about "virtual" something. And, are you using the same ribbon/cable for the drive in both...could it be "bad"?

Make sure you have the drive settings right. Is the Maxor drive the only one on the IDE controller. Most computers have two ide harddrive controllers. A primary and a backup. make sure that if both of your harddrives are on the same controller one is setup as the master and the other as a slave. If it is all by itself on a controller make sure that it is set to single ( some harddrives will not work by if the only one connected on a controller if it is set to master).

Ok....is the drive that is currently D: bootable?

If you stick it in your other machine is it recognised?

Does the BIOS actually recognise the drive? is it set to autodetect?

Cables/jumpers have been covered...

Is it powering/spinning up?


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mjc
Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

kayofcircles:
Actually, "D" was rhetorical. As I said, I hope the drive all over the IDE cables trying to troubleshoot it. But yes, no matter where I located the Maxtor 20GB, I was unable to access any file on it. Yes, my computer, as most, have two IDE controllers. I tried all avaiable locations, with jumpers in the correct settings, and was still unsuccessful. I've tried swapping out the ribbon cables, and tried the HD in both machines. Trust me, that's not it.

smsrls:
No, the Maxtor isn't bootable. Like I said before, the Maxtor was working fine in my old computer (which is still running; I'm on it now.) I put it in the new computer and it didn't work. Then I tried it in the old computer again, and it didn't work. But no, I've tried autodetect, and that didn't do it. And yes, BIOS detected the drive. It checked in with it's name (Maxtor)and model number upon bootup.

As for powering up, good question. Yes, it spins. I don't hear the heads accessing the drive though... that's concerning me. I just checked the drive out with a thorough test using Maxtor's "PowerMax" utility, and it passed every test, according to Powermax. It claims to have read the drive as well in the process. How is this possible?

*shrug*

Maybe we have to approach this from another angle...?

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Eep Opp Ork,
-Snarfleez.

[This message has been edited by Snarfleez (edited 06-12-2002).]

I had the basic same problem when i built my last computer I could not access old hd that i had installed as "d" drive. The problem i was having was caused by the jumpers being wrong. Are you changing the jumpers when you install it into the new system? or are you leaving it the same. What model of maxor is it?

smsrls:

> The model number is 2b02h1.
> I've set the jumpers to their correct settings for "master". I also tried setting them to "slave", and moving the drive down the IDE cable a bit. No luck there.

You say you had the same problem before, that you "could not access old hd that i had installed as "d" drive."
Do you mean that you had a drive working in an old computer first, and that it stopped working in the new one? If so, how did you eventually resolve that issue?

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Eep Epp Ork,
-Snarfleez.

How many more positions options on the jumpers for the maxtor?

Is there an operating system on it? If not you will HAVE to have another HDD to access it as master because effectively the Maxtor is just a file.

When you say that BIOS sees it, is there any indication to it's size?

You say "the jumpers are set right". Don't take that for granted. If Maxtors test says it passed, simply something or things aren't set right. Could be in BIOS and/or the jumpers per you configuration.

When all else fails, go to Maxtors site and read jumper instructions. This goes the same for the other hard-drive as well because different manufacturers require different setting even though they appear to need the same setting.

------------------
Journey on through ages gone, to the centre of the earth.
Past rocks of quartz and granite, which gave mother nature birth.
Burial ground of ancient man, his life no more is seen.
A journey through his time unknown, I wonder where he's been.
The shore now gone behind the hills, a forest in our sight,
Rocks and distant mountains, bathed in waves of blinding light.
Forests from a far gone time, no living man has seen,
A private prehistoric world, for you and I, a dream...
(Rick Wakeman: Journey to the center of the earth 1974)

Fuss Tray Ted:

No, there's no OS on it. It's always been used as a backup drive. As I told mjc, I'm not attempting to boot from it. Both my new and old computer have a bootable drive in it, and are running fine. The OS has nothing to do with it.

The pins on the maxtor drive are positioned as such that there can be only one way to read them.
Crude diagram (periods are for spacing):

o..o..o..o..o
....o..o..o..o

To set the drive as slave, according to the diagram on the actual HDD itself, you must use two jumpers as follows:

o=o..o=o..o
....o..o..o..o

And no, BIOS doesn't report the actual size of the drive. It doesn't report the size of any other drive either. It just displays "Checking for IDE devices" (or some such message), and finds two drives and a CDROM. It reports all of them.

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Eep Epp Ork,
-Snarfleez.

[This message has been edited by Snarfleez (edited 06-13-2002).]

I may be wrong and anyone in the know can interrupt anytime they feel the desire but with my limiTed knowledge doesn't the jumpers orient vertically like this?

For illustration only:

P..P..S..S
M..S..M..S
0..0..0..0
!......!..
0..0..0..0

This diagram represents a selection of Primary master without slave on the primary cable, Secondary master without a slave on the secondary cable. The exclamation marks being the jumpers. (The 2 positions NOT used are primary with slave AND secondary with slave in this example only)

What you posted was horizontally connecTed and as far as I know, is not right but it may just be the way you have drawn it. If so please excuse my confusion.

But some HDD's also have other settings as well as a no setting at all position and I cannot see your HDD from where I'm sitting http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif so that is why I suggest the HDD website as they sometimes are the only ones to put you in the know correctly. Possibly with pictures of how it should be.

OK on with the task quote:
"As for powering up, good question. Yes, it spins. I don't hear the heads accessing the drive though... "

They won't until the OS from the other drive tries to read it.

Once you add the HDD in question to EITHER computer you must change the jumper on the hard-drive that is being used as the primary one with the OS on it too or it won't work.

Hopefully somewhere here there's a solution. Don't get FrussTrayTed, that's ME! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif We're only trying to help.

[This message has been edited by Fruss Tray Ted (edited 06-13-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Fruss Tray Ted (edited 06-13-2002).]

*sigh*
Let's try this again...

Here is a schematic for you. My HDD is Style "B".
http://www.maxtor.com/products/DiamondMax/diamondmaxvl/quickspecs/images/531dx.gif
I have mine configured horizontally. You're right, most are connected vertically. This isn't the case for this drive.

Now, in BOTH computers, this hard drive sits as a slave, and the HDD in BOTH computers is the master on that channel. I've said this all before, but here's a chronological review for you:

1. Old computer: Maxtor resides as D:, a slave on the same cable as C:. Both drives operate perfectly.
2. New computer: Maxtor resides as D:, again as a slave on the same cable as C:. C: operates perfectly.
3. Remove Maxtor from new computer. Computer still boots fine. C: working perfectly.
4. Test Maxtor in old computer again. Same jumper settings as previously configured on both drives, when they both operated just fine. Maxtor won't read files.

Now... on both the old and new computers, the Maxtor will not only "check in", but can be seen in both DOS and windows. If I type D: at the prompt, I'm given a D:\> prompt. However, a DIR provides no results aside from an error message. In Windows, the D: drive shows up in Explorer. If I attempt to list the files on the drive however, I'm told that this can't be done.

You say that you won't hear the heads clicking until the OS on C: tries to read it. This is true, and it isn't. You should also hear it when trying to access the drive via DOS.
I tried PowerMax, Maxtor's diagnostic tool. It performed three tests on the drive, and told me it was in perfect condition. I heard no heads clicking then either.

As a side note, I'm aware of the jumperless "no setting at all" configuration available on most drives, and have tried that with no results.

I can say with relative certainty that the jumpers aren't causing a problem. Any other ideas?

------------------
Eep Epp Ork,
-Snarfleez.

my problem was that the drive was setup to be the master and in the new computer it was by itself on the secondary ide channel. therefore it showed up but i could not access it. i changed it to "single" and it worked fine.

Snarfleez : I haven't a clue, but did want you to know I am still racking my brain for you. Plus, in the last few months, we have purchased two of the Maxtor 20GB drives..so hoping you'll keep us informed on progress. Is the drive still under warranty...and could you call and see if Maxtor has any ideas?

The only thing that even rings a bell is when you say that the PowerMax shows the drive to be "okay". I had a similar problem with a CD writer. The drive checker/tester said drive was fine even though I couldn't get it to work..froze up every time I used it. Thought about it, installed the packet writer software that they said wasn't "necessary" and drive works fine now. I am really reaching here...but isn't there some software that comes with the Maxtor drives that one can install? Nah..probably not it, huh? Sorry, I am back to "can you call Maxtor?"

To set the drive to slave there should be no pins shorted jumper should be parked on pins 1&2 or removed.
http://www.maxtor.com/products/diamondmax/diamondmaxplus/quickspecs/images/hddjumpers-style_c.jpg
and should be attached to the center connector(grey) on the IDE ribbon cable
http://www.maxtor.com/products/DiamondMax/diamondmaxplus/quickspecs/images/dmcable.gif

When the jumpers are horizontal they are parked not shorted and can be removed if you want. Placed vertically the jumpers are shorted. For a master drive the jumper should be short pins 2&3(J48)(counting the pin by itself as pin 1). For cable select the jumper should be short pins 4&5(J46).

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Soyo P4S-Dragon Ultra, Intel P4 2.0A, 768MB Samsung PC2700 DDRSDRAM, 2 WD 100GB HDDs, ATI A-I-W 8500DV 64MB AGP video, SB Audigy MP3 PCI, Plextor 40X12X40 CD-RW, Pioneer slot load DVD-ROM, Multi-boot Win ME, XP Pro, XP Pro striped down for games.



[This message has been edited by rond36 (edited 06-14-2002).]

You have something called a DDO (Dynamic Drive Overlay) that was installed on old drive. EZ drive, On Track, MAXBLAST (EZ Drive) are some examples off the top of my head. A DDO is a piece of software that loads during the text part of the start up and allows older computers to acess part of the drive that it wouldn't otherwise be able to (Disk Translation) and store stuff different than if you didn't use one. There might be a message reffering to it on the old computer that reads it. On On Track (not sure which version) there might be a message to press a key if you want to boot from a floppy. The DDO emulates a controller card to the OS. Though some non-MS OSes like Linux acess the disk in a different way that the DDO won't work unless you specifically tell it to. The DDO is loaded normally from the MBR (master boot record) or a boot record of a partion on the Primary Master (the disk that is behind "C:") and unless you are starting from it you won't be able to read it because the DDO won't be active because the computer didn't read the MBR or BR (and you can't make). I don't know of a way of acessing a DDOed if you don't Load the DDO from MBR but there might a utility to read it once you identifie the maker of the DDO.

Thanks patcat, that turned out being exactly the problem. I contacted Maxtor's tech support line (they are very knowlegeable and helpful -- alway a plus!), and they said it was precisely that.. the EZBIOS had been installed. However, as I've said, the original computer that housed this drive doesn't recognize it either. I tried reverting to an older MBR on the drive, hoping to restore it without EZBIOS, and with no luck. Apparently, in installed poorly, and was working for a while, but won't anymore. My only option now is data recovery.

Thanks to all who helped out. I really appreciate it.
So...anyone know a of good data recovery program?

------------------
Eep Opp Ork,
-Snarfleez.

Try DriveRescue (http://home.arcor.de/christian_grau/rescue/index.html), there is also the chance that you could recover by reinstalling the DDo and then removing it...or try RanishPartitionManager (http://www.ranish.com), I think it has somewhat better chances of fixing the MBR.

------------------
mjc
Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

mjc:

Just curious... have you had a chance to try this program out yourself? I ask because I know that, when using recovery programs, there's a chance of damaging the data's integrity further. So I want to use a good reliable program first, one that's been tried and tested by a computer savvy individual (such as yourself), who can give an informed and qualified "thumbs up".

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Eep Opp Ork,
-Snarfleez.

I have used DriveRescue, but not in a critical situation, yet. It has found and recovered data with no problems, but since your MBR is royally messed up go easy with it. It will scan your drive and then give you options as what to do with what it finds.

I have also used Ranish to resize partitions and recover a damaged MBR, but I was playing with a drive that it didn't matter that much, I ended up reformatting it anyway.

------------------
mjc
Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.


Please Post Questions in the forums, not my email. Thanks