PC upgrade fun - NOT
newb non-tech lost everything
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 by starkers | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
A mate recently gave me a 160 gig HD to help with the extra storage space required by my step-daughter for her schooling - great, no problems, or so I thought.
Got the new HD installed and loaded with Windows XP Pro with little problem. Migrated everything from the old drive, no problem and everything seemed honky dory.
However, wiping and removing the old 40 gig drive proved to be my biggest PC mistake. Once I had done this, none of the partitions on the new drive showed up and I couldn't even boot from disc. Apparently, during a previous upgrade from 98 to XP Home, the techie who installed the then new 80 gig HD for it didn't change the drive boot-up sequence. Hence, removing the 40 gig effectively shut down the whole system and the new drive and all data on the 80 gig was inaccessible.
After several hours in Setup trying to get these drives back on line, I was finally able to see their physical presence but not the data on them. I was able to ascertain that it was still there due to total space and available space, so thought an upgrade install of XP Pro would remady that, but alas, no go and the system wouldn't allow it. All I could do was a clean install, meaning all the previous data would be lost. Sorry Stardock, but I had to redownload OD all over again cos I couldn't get anything to or from "backup" Luckily, I kept all my skins backed up on an unaffected storage partition, just in case.
Anyhow, can anyone advise me as to how I can make the new 160 gig HD the primary and first boot drive? Taking it to a techie is too inconvenient at present, and an expense I'm presently unable to meet due to new clothes required by a growing teenager. Any help would be greatly appreciated and can be sent to [email protected] should it be too much information for here. Thanks
Got the new HD installed and loaded with Windows XP Pro with little problem. Migrated everything from the old drive, no problem and everything seemed honky dory.
However, wiping and removing the old 40 gig drive proved to be my biggest PC mistake. Once I had done this, none of the partitions on the new drive showed up and I couldn't even boot from disc. Apparently, during a previous upgrade from 98 to XP Home, the techie who installed the then new 80 gig HD for it didn't change the drive boot-up sequence. Hence, removing the 40 gig effectively shut down the whole system and the new drive and all data on the 80 gig was inaccessible.
After several hours in Setup trying to get these drives back on line, I was finally able to see their physical presence but not the data on them. I was able to ascertain that it was still there due to total space and available space, so thought an upgrade install of XP Pro would remady that, but alas, no go and the system wouldn't allow it. All I could do was a clean install, meaning all the previous data would be lost. Sorry Stardock, but I had to redownload OD all over again cos I couldn't get anything to or from "backup" Luckily, I kept all my skins backed up on an unaffected storage partition, just in case.
Anyhow, can anyone advise me as to how I can make the new 160 gig HD the primary and first boot drive? Taking it to a techie is too inconvenient at present, and an expense I'm presently unable to meet due to new clothes required by a growing teenager. Any help would be greatly appreciated and can be sent to [email protected] should it be too much information for here. Thanks
Double Zero
Reply #2 Thursday, May 12, 2005 12:10 AM
Reply #2 Thursday, May 12, 2005 12:10 AM
Yrag's right..as usual..::laughs:: plug it into IDE1 (Primary) on your MoBo (Often IDE1 is a blue connector) and check the jumper settings on the back of the drive..make sure the jumper isnt set for "Slave" or "Cable Select" ..
If you arent sure about the jumper settings you can usually go to the HD manufaturer's web site and get them..sometimes they are on the drive label ... I find that a nice pair of needlenose plyers works the best for removing and repositioning the jumper..
Should be a piece of cake from there!
Zero.
If you arent sure about the jumper settings you can usually go to the HD manufaturer's web site and get them..sometimes they are on the drive label ... I find that a nice pair of needlenose plyers works the best for removing and repositioning the jumper..
Should be a piece of cake from there!
Zero.
Double Zero
Reply #3 Thursday, May 12, 2005 12:27 AM
Reply #3 Thursday, May 12, 2005 12:27 AM
By the way Starkers..you may actually have to change the way your cables are running...If the new drive was "Slaved" chances are it is also "cabled" accordingly..Plug the end of the "Primary" cable into the back of the new drive and "Link" any of your other HD's in the same cable with the connectors within it..Also keep in mind that you have to change the jumper settings on the other HD's as well to the "Slave" setting...
Your CD/DVD etc..etc.. will plug into the white connector (Secondary IDE/IDE2 on the MoBo)and of course should be set as secondary master...
Just a note..I am assuming that the color codes for the connectors are universal? I am not 100% sure on that..they may be different in your part of the world..Yrag will know...
Your CD/DVD etc..etc.. will plug into the white connector (Secondary IDE/IDE2 on the MoBo)and of course should be set as secondary master...
Just a note..I am assuming that the color codes for the connectors are universal? I am not 100% sure on that..they may be different in your part of the world..Yrag will know...
craeonics
Reply #4 Thursday, May 12, 2005 6:40 AM
Reply #4 Thursday, May 12, 2005 6:40 AM
Never seen colour coded IDE-cables. Would be good if they were.
Anyhow, like those two say, hook up the 160G disk on the same connector the 40G disk was attached to and make sure the jumpers on the back are set like the 40G one. This should be all. Unless XP is picky about hardware that is.
One possible problem you could run into is an incorrect MBR on the 160G drive. Without this you can't boot from the drive. But let's take this one step at a time.
Moral of this story: don't delete essential data until you are sure it's not essential anymore.
Anyhow, like those two say, hook up the 160G disk on the same connector the 40G disk was attached to and make sure the jumpers on the back are set like the 40G one. This should be all. Unless XP is picky about hardware that is.
One possible problem you could run into is an incorrect MBR on the 160G drive. Without this you can't boot from the drive. But let's take this one step at a time.
Moral of this story: don't delete essential data until you are sure it's not essential anymore.
Koasati
Reply #5 Thursday, May 12, 2005 7:10 AM
Reply #5 Thursday, May 12, 2005 7:10 AM
| I am assuming that the color codes for the connectors are universal? |
Nope.... the computer we just built for our son had red and blue IDE connectors, and if I recall correctly, red was #1.
Double Zero
Reply #6 Thursday, May 12, 2005 7:45 AM
HuH... Almost all the MoBo's I have looked at recently here have been blue and white - standard.. Guess it doesnt mean a thing...It should say on the MoBo itself along side of the connectors "IDE1" "IDE2" etc..etc... Now that has to be standard..isnt it?? Every MoBo I have ever seen has had that!..LoL
Reply #6 Thursday, May 12, 2005 7:45 AM
| Nope.... the computer we just built for our son had red and blue IDE connectors, and if I recall correctly, red was #1. |
HuH... Almost all the MoBo's I have looked at recently here have been blue and white - standard.. Guess it doesnt mean a thing...It should say on the MoBo itself along side of the connectors "IDE1" "IDE2" etc..etc... Now that has to be standard..isnt it?? Every MoBo I have ever seen has had that!..LoL
Koasati
Reply #7 Thursday, May 12, 2005 8:01 AM
Reply #7 Thursday, May 12, 2005 8:01 AM
I took a peak, and I recall incorrectly......... the connectors are red and white, with white being #1...
Jafo
Reply #8 Thursday, May 12, 2005 8:03 AM
Reply #8 Thursday, May 12, 2005 8:03 AM
More 'modern' Mobos do have the Ide channels colour coded....easier to see than the tiny IDE0 and IDE1 lettering.
I think you'll find the colours used differ depending on Mobo brand....[from memory mine's blue and black]...
Old boards and it's numbers only, no colours...
starkers
Reply #9 Sunday, May 15, 2005 7:42 AM
Reply #9 Sunday, May 15, 2005 7:42 AM
Thanks guys, finally got it sorted after a few attempts to get it right. A visit to the manufacturers site gave me the right connections to use and all's well now.
PurrBall
Reply #10 Sunday, May 15, 2005 11:00 AM
Reply #10 Sunday, May 15, 2005 11:00 AM
My old system doesnt have colors or letters. All there is is a bumped up dot on #1 and 2 bumped up dots on #2...
Obviously not a vary smart company....
Obviously not a vary smart company....
Double Zero
Reply #11 Sunday, May 15, 2005 1:11 PM
Meowy, the dots are obviously for PC builders that are visually impaired..it's brail...
And there you went bashing them..Sheeeeesh!!!
Zero.
Reply #11 Sunday, May 15, 2005 1:11 PM
| My old system doesnt have colors or letters. All there is is a bumped up dot on #1 and 2 bumped up dots on #2... Obviously not a vary smart company.... |
Meowy, the dots are obviously for PC builders that are visually impaired..it's brail...
And there you went bashing them..Sheeeeesh!!!
Zero.
starkers
Reply #12 Sunday, May 15, 2005 10:15 PM
Reply #12 Sunday, May 15, 2005 10:15 PM
I could've used brail during the escapade inside my box. I suffer from night blindness and it's dark in there 
Truth is, I was working blind cos I'd never opened it up before.
Just glad my sense of smell didn't inform me I had erred and fried something
Truth is, I was working blind cos I'd never opened it up before.
Just glad my sense of smell didn't inform me I had erred and fried something
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Reply #1 Wednesday, May 11, 2005 10:29 PM