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DanJW

All the machines hate me

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I'm about to start crying. My Hard Disk won't show up in any OS. BIOS detects it but thats it. Any suggestions? I'm trying to use Bart PE to fix the windows installation, and as soon as the disk returns I'm good to go (it was showing up the other day - before I had the right plugins I needed for Bart PE).

Second problem: MGS2 on my PS2 keeps having disc read errors. I've cleaned the disc with a Skip Dr and cleaned the PS2 lens with a cleaning CD. That seemed to do the trick... up until I've just beaten Vamp. Now nothing I do gets it to keep going (I even tried toothpaste!). I've heard rumours that there is some kind of congenital defect on a lot of MGS2 DVDs, so maybe it's that. I'm just about ready to take the PS2 apart and recalibrate the gubbinz.

In conclusion: AHHHHGGGGGHGHGHGHGaskhgjohsdauifgsgah :(:(:(:(:(:(:fart::fart::fart::fart::fart::fart:

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I'm about to start crying. My Hard Disk won't show up in any OS. BIOS detects it but thats it.

Any OS ? Like Linux and Windows ? If it's only several version of windows, right click on workstation on your desktop, then choose Manage, then go into disk management and see if your HD shows up. If it does and it's somehow greyed, it might be a problem in the trend of having the same volume letter as another disk or something like that.

If you just installed it, it might be a problem of selecting the jumper for master, slave, cable detect ... the latter one being sometimes buggy for some brand of HD.

If all else fail, buy a cheap external box for your internal HD - it should be around 10$/€ and it's always useful anyway - and try plug it in via USB to see if it works that way.

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Yeah I have ubuntu live disc, but I've found that Bart PE is more useful for fixing windows installations.

OK so the full deal with the PC was this: I ran Spy Search & Destroy, and was pleased at the nasties it removed. However on the next startup Windows started automatically logging out on login (apparently this is a known problem with certain Spy S&D fixes).

A quick internet search revealed the problem and the recommended fix - which requires accessing the registry on the windows drive (this is the plugin I didn't have).

Now, the windows hard drive WAS showing up in Bart PE live disk explorer. But now it's not. As I said, BIOS recognises the HD when I do an auto detect, but Bart PE and Ubuntu don't find it, and neither will Windows start a bootup now.

I think I might have screwed it when I accidentally started and then cancelled checkdisk from within Bart PE.

So... yeah. Basically all I can do is import the affected HD into a different machine as a secondary drive and see if it shows up there (or I'll try Vimes' suggestion - thanks for that). If it doesn't... well then I'm going to be in a bad mood for a very long time.

PS2 update: no luck. I'm fairly certain it's the disc and not the PS2, despite the fact that the disc is only very lightly scratched.

Anyone got any puppies they need kicking?

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Spybot is kinda limited in detecting & removing really nasty stuff : try malwarebytes, it saved my comp several times the past few months when Spybot and Ad-aware failed.

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cheers, I'll give that a go, once I'm sorted.

I installed the troublesome Hard Disk into this PC what I am surfing from. More weirdness: the disk shows up in device manager and checks out OK there, but it still doesn't show up in My Computer or anything like that.

Thoughts?

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Have you checked in the My Computer->Manage etc ... ? Thingy ?

I had a similar problem a while a go and it was a problem of cached driver and/or corrupted file; there seems to be a solution to this problem though.

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Do you mean the Device Manager? (I'm using XP).

I have a horrid suspicion that the disk is no longer partitioned. Will partitioning it destroy any existing data? What is the best way to recover said data?

I can't believe I may have trashed my main HD :P

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Ah! seems I can repartition a hard rive without losing data. I just need to select some software to do it.

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Do you mean the Device Manager? (I'm using XP)

Nope, something else : right click on my computer then choose manage, then in the left column under storage choose hard disk management (or something like that) : does the HD appear in the list ?

And yes, partitioning will destroy your data.

Try the batch file in the thread I linked to.

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Yes it shows up in the lower part of the list, with all the space unallocated ie no partitions ;(

I'm finding some stuff that says I can partition without losing data, but now you've made me scared to try...

I suppose I might have to resign myself to getting hold of some data recovery software to see what can be scavanged :blink:

edit: ooooh.... please be my saviour

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Well I'm nearly there. Fixed the partitions and the login loop.

All this has had an inevitable toll on the data though. Windows is a bit damaged and explorer is having trouble starting up, and some dll's are missing. Even System Restore doesn't want to work. Going to have to do a windows repair from CD I think.

And it's only taken me all night. Oh look the sun is up.

Later today I think I'll head down to the shops and get a replacement for my annoying MGS2 disc. Only halfway through the week and things are sinking less slowly!

edit: oh I forgot to mention: :crazy::crazy::cens0r::\:partyhat::spiraldy::eek: :eek:

Edited by DanJW

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fuck!

didn't see this!! sounds liek your partition tables or boot sectors got fucked, but the data will still be ok, possibly, but potentially not all of it.

sounds like problems ive had a million times sadly, if you havent fixed it yet call me now dude :)

http://www.runtime.org/data-recovery-software.htm

Getdata back is a fucking awesome program for this.

errrr good luck dude!

you will need to reformat completely after this probably btw, isnt windows awesome?

/me will convert to os X completely asap.

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/me will convert to os X completely asap.

So you're giving PC gaming up completely ?

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you will need to reformat completely after this probably btw, isnt windows awesome?

AFAIK there's nothing especially different about how a Mac would handle this problem? I've had to use Disk Warrior many times.

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Hurray! I am posting this from my own PC! It has a fresh hard drive, curtesy of Nick, and a fresh Win XP, curtesy of ginger (more or less). Also thanks to lots of other people for your moral support during these tough times.

I think I've got all my hardware drivers updated. Now I just have to install all my software again. And then all my games. And then tweak everything back to how I like it.

Sigh.

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