>
> Blair Perkins wrote:
> >
> > Having a hard time with a friends computer. All was fine until he added
> > some software (QEMM, disk manager, etc). Computer stopped working properly,
> > will not boot. He opened the lid, moved cards around, plugged and unplugged cables, etc. etc. Hopefully he knew what he was doing !!!!
>
> Obviously not. *;-) Software problems with the OS don't necessitate
> a visit to the inside hardware.
>
> > BIOS seems to be intact. The BIOS info screen shows, but then the cursor
> > will simply flash. I have double checked all connection, no problems. I
> > have even removed all cables to the HDD controller card except the FDD. The
> > computer will not boot from the HD or FD.
> > I now suspect a HDD controller (but if I unplug the cable to FD I get an
> > error) or the MB.
>
> Fortunately for my sanity I don't see too many older PCs anymore that
> have controller cards, but based on my foggy memory I recall the HDD
> controller error message usually will appear on the screen early in the
> boot. If there is no message it could be OK, but you may need to
> doublecheck that all the jumper blocks are set correctly (tricky without
> the manual sheet for the I/O card). Have you checked the number one pin
> for all ribbon cables to verify they are connected to the proper pins on
> each end for the floppy and hard drives?
>
> Another guess...if it doesn't go into Setup then the problems may be
> motherboard or battery failures. There are lots of things to look for on
> a boot problem...spare parts help to narrow down the troubleshooting. Go
> back and recheck all power cables and remove all extraneous cards
> (sound, modem, etc..) and just leave the video card in place.
>
> Without a full description of the machine (like model, manufacturer,
> important specs) it is difficult to help by email. Some older purebred
> IBMs have diagnostic boot floppies needed to revive a sick machine. What
> are you using to boot with for the floppy drive? I prefer a Win98 boot
> floppy myself and having Norton Utilities handy.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Russell Smith Educational Technology Consultant, Journalist
> Region 14 Education Service Center Abilene, Texas 79601
> http://camalott.com/~rssmith mailto:[log in to unmask]
> Better Schools Build Better Communities!
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 6 Jun 1999 00:25:35 -0400
> From: Rick Glazier <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: HDD Controller
>
> I may not be reading the question "just right"...
> If he only added software, and that included DiskManager,
> I think he may have wiped out his hard drive information and data.
> As far as I know, DiskManager is not something you "add" to an
> existing, working hard drive that was set up properly from the
> beginning. I (and the list) would need a lot more info before I /(we)
> could make a reasonable guess about this.
> What was your friend trying to do with DiskManager?
> Rick Glazier
>
> From: Blair Perkins <[log in to unmask]>
> > Having a hard time with a friends computer. All was fine until he added
> > some software (QEMM, disk manager, etc). Computer stopped working properly,
> > will not boot.
> >
> > He opened the lid, moved cards around, plugged and unplugged cables, etc.
> > etc. Hopefully he knew what he was doing !!!!
> >
> > Now he brings it to me.
> >
> > BIOS seems to be intact. The BIOS info screen shows, but then the cursor
> > will simply flash. I have double checked all connection, no problems. I
> > have even removed all cables to the HDD controller card except the FDD. The
> > computer will not boot from the HD or FD.
> >
> > I now suspect a HDD controller (but if I unplug the cable to FD I get an
> > error) or the MB.
>
> ------------------------------
All the above advice looks good to me. If you have a spare hard drive
and matching controller card, you could temporarily substitute them. If they
work, this will rule out damage to the other components. Substitute the
"bad" controller card. Odds are that it will work with the "right "
settings. This involves changing things in SETUP. Write down everything
you find, BEFORE making changes as this may be useful evidence in figuring
out what happened.
First, quiz your friend. I suspect that he
was "trying out" DiskManager to see what it would do - and found out!
It probably rewrote his Master Boot Record (MBR). The data should still
be on the disk, just hard to find. If he doesn't have backups, this is a
painful lesson why he should. Data recovery is EXPENSIVE. If you leave
the system on long enough (it could easily take 10-20 minutes to work
through all the retrys and time-outs for the system to discover that
it can't read the Hard Drive, and give a "1701" error or the like.)
Then it would try to boot from the Floppy Drive.
Seeing that he has also messed with the cables, you could disconnect
the Hard Drive to speed this up. Verify that the Floppy data cable is
properly connected, and its power cable, too. Try to boot from the Floppy.
(If you can, get into the BIOS Setup and RECORD the existing information
for the Hard Drive, then you can temporarily reset to "No Hard Drive".)
Watch for "Press Del to enter SETUP", etc. Tell us the manufacturer
and the model of the system, as this varies by make and model.
Can you identify the controller card? Is there an FCCID #### label?
Can you read the make and model number of the Hard Drive? If necessary,
remove the screws and slide it out. Write it down. Make sure that the
screws are not too long before putting everything back. Did your friend
record the previous settings for his hard drive? I hope that they were the
"right" ones for that make and model of hard drive. Others may work, but
it may take a lot of work, specialized software, and a measure of luck to
recover the data. That is why data recovery companies charge so much.
I hope he has good backup. It's much easier to start from scratch.
You may need to download a low-level format program from the hard
drive manufacturer, but first try FDISK and FORMAT/s from the DOS prompt.
You could also try running DiskManager from the floppy with the "right"
settings.
WARNING! FDISK and DiskManager rewrite the MBR. FORMAT/s wipes some
data, and reinstalls DOS, but an UNFORMAT may still recover some data. A
low-level format scrubs everything clean as new.
Good Luck!
Boyd Ramsay
[log in to unmask]
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