Hi, this problem happen to me last night....
i was listening my favourite song last night....then i plug in my removal drive
then my notebook hang. after a few seconds....the blue screen apear....with the message, the hard drive can't be accessible, ir this your first time please restart..then i restart my notebook, then the same message appear..
i'm try to boot with safe mode.. the same mesage apear..
is my hard drive been curropt???how can i get my data back??

notebook spec:
intel p3 procesor
128 mb of ram
16 gb hard drive
r/s:its ibm thinkpad notebook,, very old notebook.. i'm just use it to do my assignment

hi guys....have any advice or opinion?? this problem really mess me up, yup it is my fault for not back up the data...but at least maybe i can try to get the data back..

Use a Startup floppy to try to read the contents of your HDD.

If you can, then use a:>sys c: a: to copy the system files from the floppy to the c: drive.

The useful info included with the EBCD [for free at] http://ebcd.pcministry.com/ explains possible causes and solutions for this problem [can't remember them all from memory].
"Volkov Commander" [included on the EBCD] will also read the contents of the HDD [if it's accessible], as will "Knoppix" [for free] from www.knoppix.org/ [you make a bootable CD and the OS loads from that instead of a HDD (I found some things worked better than Windows)].

hi....after long try...there are nothing...i still can't access my notebook hd...
but something wondering me....if my hd now connected to the system....
i assume that it is not connect,since i still can't be access that hd no matter what i'm trying to do....if there any possibilties of my hd get unconnected?? how to figure it out... may i open my notebook??.... if there any risk if i'm doing this?

Use the HDD manufacturers bootable diagnostic floppy to test your HDD [does the laptop have a FDD?]

Does the HDD show in the BIOS SetuP?

Is there a HDD LED, and does it blink during the Power-On Self-Test?
Or is it unblinking?

Sylvander:

This is an external USB HDD. If uou can get the drive from the case and put it into a desktop CP, we will have a better idea of what is going on. Please tell us if the bios will recognize the device once you do that.

the question that post by Sylvander:
1>Use the HDD manufacturers bootable diagnostic floppy to test your HDD [does the laptop have a FDD?]
#yeah,, i want to do it so... but i don't even know the hd manufacturer....
i feel so sorry cause can give you guys clear info regarding to this matter, about the floppy drive, yup.. i got it..
2>Does the HDD show in the BIOS SetuP?
#yup it is shown in BIOS
3>Is there a HDD LED, and does it blink during the Power-On Self-Test?
#yup.. it is blinking..the problem here that the hd can't be access

the question that post by classicsoftware:

1>This is an external USB HDD.
my answer....nope it is internal hd...

"i don't even know the hd manufacturer"
You could probably find the HDD manufacturers name online at the IBM site, but you'd need to know the Thinkpad Family/Type/Model.
I tried to do that, but I don't even know which country the Thinkpad was bought in.
Went here http://tinyurl.com/7vnsy for USA Thinkpad product support, don't know it that's appropriate or not.

I misunderstood. Boot the system and when the systems POSTS, it should tell you something about the hard drive. If it does not, you will have to remove the drive to see who the manufacturer is.

Your hard drive is certainly connected if it is present in the bios

Somethings were not clear...
1. What drive is inaccessible the removable drive or the hard drive?

can you boot in windows? if not maybe you have a boot-up problem.... therefore you can try....

1. boot to dos, check if you can "see" your drive c: and your files....if yes u have a good chance of recovering your data.

Sounds like you could well have a corrupted MBR. If so the fix is likely to be to run fdisk /mbr from a boot floppy diskette.

Please report what OS you are running (WinNT, Win98, etc) on this system. I also suggest you make a backup of the current mbr onto a floppy before using the /mbr switch with disk. You can use mbrtool to do this by putting the file onto a boot floppy.
http://www.diydatarecovery.nl/mbrtool.htm

for Sylvander:
i have try your link, wait....i will post you as soon as possible

for classicsoftware:
yup,,i will try it...

for agentLX:
1.it is internal hd.....hd that located in my noteboook
nope...cannot boot in windows....

for Paul Komski:
winME.....
ok i will try it...what should i do then....

Boot to a WinME start up diskette. If you dont have one then Control Panel -- Add Remove Programs -- Startup Disk -- Create Disk.

Any of the options including minimal boot will do. At the A: prompt enter:

fdisk /mbr

reboot without the floppy in the drive.

hi...i'm just newly download the mbrtool......i never do this thing before...so i don't have any idea on what going on....beside i'm just used winME for doing my assignment.....so a liltle bit problem with it....should i copy the mbrtool file to the floppy then boot my notebook with that floppy.....isn't i'm do the right thing????sorry i'm too blurr on what i'm try to do here.....ask for more detail and advice....

mbrtool is 137kb so you just need a boot floppy with about 160kb of free space on it and then add the file to the floppy. After booting to the floppy type mbrtool at the a: prompt

4 from the main menu for mbrwork
1 from the first submenu for backup
0 for the source disk for the only or first hard drive
F to save as a file

Enter a name for the backup file. It will be given a .128 file extension and saved in the same location as the mbrtool.exe file.

Esc goes back to the previous menu at any time.

You can run the program from WinME directly but it is best to have the utility and the backup file on a floppy since if the system fails to boot you can restore directly from the floppy. If there is not enough room on your WinME boot floppy use a "Driver Free Disk for BIOS Flashing" from http://www.bootdisk.com/ since that will have loads of space on it.

thanks....guys for all helps and support.....i have download the mbrtools...and playing with it....seem like nothing can i do....cause i don't really understand what i'm trying to do....so what i do just really simple thing ,that the only one thing that i can do....format my notebook hd.....now it just looking and work fine with new OS.....
thanks again guys for all helps and time i'm really appriciate it....

it's ok if i just lost the data.....at least i can still using the notebook right???

If you managed to backup the mbr it should have created a file on the floppy with a .128 file extension. You should then be able to see this if you typed and entered dir or dir /p at the A:\> prompt.

Its not mandatory to have a backup - it just a precaution. If entering fdisk /mbr at the A:\> prompt doesn't help things or produces an error message see if it will accept fdisk on its own.

You can use mbrtool to do the same thing as fdisk /mbr by choosing option 4 and then option 9 (write/refresh bootcode) from mbrtool.

To check if the C: drive is accessible type C: at the A:\> prompt and then type dir at the C:\> prompt and see if it gives you a list of the files on the C: partition.

If you are not worried about the data then by all means try a format and reinstall. It will not harm your notebook and if the HDD is bad it just wont work. To attempt recovery of the data you would need to remove the HDD and put it in a USB external caddy and attempt recovery from it either from a new HDD on your notebook or on another computer altogether.

If you can access the C: drive from the floppy an alternative to a full format is to just rename the windows directory by typing ren windows windowxx at the C: prompt. Then boot to the installation CD and run setup. If that completes then your old files will still be on the winndoxx partition you renamed earlier.