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Thread: Hard drive problem after reinstall

  1. #1
    Junior Member
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    Hard drive problem after reinstall

    Hello all,

    I just reinstalled windows xp on my main system drive, a 110 gig WD. Before that, I backed up everything i needed on a maxtor sata 300 gig drive. After the reinstall, however, the 300 gig backup drive doesn't come up under my computer. I did not format or partition it, and I can see it under computer management. It is under healthy and active status, and the space used is accurate. The only options that are not grayed out are properties, help, and delete partition. I am not going to delete partition because i have some critical files on that drive.

    I looked up on the internet about this issue, and the only thing i found was to install my sata controller driver, but there is no unknown device in device manager. How would I go about installing that if it would help?

    Motherboard is MSI K8N Neo Platinum. I downloaded the nforce driver and installed everything but the ide driver, because it has caused problems in the past.

    If someone could please help me, they would be my hero.

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Just Another Geek
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    Install the sata controller driver and see if that helps. Usually it's a matter of running a setup then rebooting. It'll replace the driver during booting.

    Another thing might be a driveletter issue. Go to the DiskManagement, select your partition and choose "Change driveletter..". It might wanted to use a driveletter that was already in use.
    Oliver's Law:
    Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

  3. #3
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    I downloaded a sata driver from msi, but all it had in was a few .inf files. There wasn't a setup.

    I cannot access the drive letter option, it is grayed out.

  4. #4
    Just Another Geek
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    Originally posted here by nsf003
    I cannot access the drive letter option, it is grayed out.
    Have you tried to do it in SafeMode?

    Edit: Forgot something important: Does the Eventlog (probably System) leave any clues? Did you encrypt the drive?
    Oliver's Law:
    Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

  5. #5
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Hi,

    I see you are using computer management...................try going into control panel and add/remove hardware and take the add/troubleshoot device option. Try a manual install.

    You will need the SATA files handy.

    A word of warning you MAY (I am not saying WILL) encounter problems with mixed SATA and IDE drives...............a bit like the old problem with SCSI and IDE. Is the 110WD a SATA drive as well?


  6. #6
    ********** |ceWriterguy
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    /me looks up from his oblivion, remembers he's seen this problem before, and asks:

    Have you made double sure the jumpers are set correctly on both of the drives?

    /me returns to oblivion.
    Even a broken watch is correct twice a day.

    Which coder said that nobody could outcode Microsoft in their own OS? Write a bit and make a fortune!

  7. #7
    In And Above Man Black Cluster's Avatar
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    Hey,

    I do second |3lack|ce. Many people forget to set driveres to Master or slave. This is more likely to be the problem. Set the new drive to slave, you can check the drive, on how to set it to slave.

    Cheers
    \"The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards - and even then I have my doubts\".....Spaf
    Everytime I learn a new thing, I discover how ignorant I am.- ... Black Cluster

  8. #8
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    |3lack|ce

    Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,

    You may have hit on something there? AFAIK all SATA drives come preconfigured as master, and don't have a jumper?

    I believe that if you are running PATA and SATA you need an adapter for the PATA and to set its jumper to master.


  9. #9
    Just Another Geek
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    If the master/slave settings are incorrect the drive shouldn't show up in the device manager. The OP seems to have just reinstalled his OS without any changes in his hardware configuration. So I'm opting for a driver and/or drive letter issue.
    Oliver's Law:
    Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

  10. #10
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    Is your OS drive NTFS or FAT32?
    \"You got a mouth like an outboard motor..all the time putt putt putt\" - Foghorn Leghorn

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