I run 2 HDD on my pc one for programs and 1 for files, mp3 movies porn etc etc lol well my HDD with all the files is no longer recognised by windows???? i have gone into bios and redected all the drives and saved settings but still no luck, it finds all drives in bios but windows hasnt got a clue ( F-ing Bill Gates) has anyone got any ideas is it something simple im missing or is it new pc time???

 

any help would be great

 

cheers Craig :bow:

You running XP?

Are you saying it is spotted by BIOS but not Windows??

Well, the drive could be knackered, however if it's not, and the BIOS is still picking it up (worth checking it hasn't been disabled in there due to a cosmic ray strike or something daft like that).

 

Assuming the above, then (on XP) go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management. Then expand the tree to Computer Management (local) > Storage > Disk Management. Once you've got that node highlighted after a few seconds the panel on the right will show you all your disk drives. Your second drive should appear somewhere in this list, but it most likely won't have a volumn label (C: etc) assigned to it. You can do that through this interface, although I can't remember exactly how so you'll need to fiddle with it a bit (be careful though). As I said, this all assumes the drive isn't screwed, and is picked up by the BIOS.

 

If you're on Win2000 I think the node in the tree under storage is called "Volume Management" rather than "Disk Management". I suspect NT 4 would be a very similar deal, although I can't imagine most people running that on their home machine. Win95/98/ME are a different matter though and I'm afraid I can't help you there.

 

Anyway, hope that helps.

 

 

Cheers,

Bart

If it is seen by BIOS but not by Windows then you need to check it can be seen in Disk Administrator. If it is there but not in Windows Explorer, then likely due to the disk having no partition. If that is the case, right click and select format.

 

 

HTH

Its running XP and the drive has been working for over a year, ive just been to a mates a set it up as a slave on his pc and the drive works fine?? so im assuming its bios or windows which is at fault??? :bow:

I'd say it's probably down to Windows. Refit it and do as I suggest above. You should see it in the list and you'll just need to register it with Windows and assign a volume label. Then it will start to appear under My Computer again.

 

If it's not appearing in Windows then it may be some sort of hardware problem with the BIOS or the motherboard. However, before blaming either of those you should try it with (i) a different power connector cable (unless you've got loads of stuff in there, there should be at least one suitable spare on your PSU), and (ii) a different IDE cable (assuming it's an IDE drive), and obviously a combination of the two.

 

Then, if after that you're still getting no joy, like I say, it's likely to be an issue with the BIOS settings, in which case you'll need to fiddle with the IDE configuration, or the motherboard, and specifically the IDE controller or connectors, or some associated component.

 

All the best with it mate.

 

 

Cheers,

Bart

Cheers for all the info i will have a play tonight

 

many thanks

 

craig