Computer Storage System

Hard drive failure. What I did

Yesterday I had to change my hard drive and had a few issues that I was able to fix.

The problems started in the morning when my wife called me and told me that the computer would not boot. We have been having trouble with our hard drive for a while now and I was able to fix each time by just reseting the PC. This time though the computer was not seeing the hard drive. Using tools and knowledge that I had I had to do the following:

Install new hard drive

First of all I had to install the new hard drive. I was able to do this by disconnecting my CDR and leaving myDVD drive, two old hard drives in the machine, plus a new 80 gig drive with a 16 meg cache. I was unsuccessful at loading Windows though as I kept getting an error as the Windows setup was starting, after loading the drivers I would get an error that it could not load the setup. I switched to my CDR from the DVD drive and had no problems.

Setup Windows

I successfully did a quick format of the new drive (thanks for that new feature Windows XP) and successfully loaded Windows XP. This is pretty basic as I use a CD that not only has Windows XP on it but also has Service Pack 2 for XP slipstreamed onto it.

Rebuild hard drive partition table

After I booted to Windows I saw that my old drive was not showing up as a drive or a partition. If I right clicked on the partition in Disk Management it knew that the drive existed but could no longer find a partition on it. Windows Disk Management said that the drive was healthy, My first attempt was to create a partition but not to format the partition as I did not want to lose the data for good. I fought with this for a couple of hours as I did not back up lately and the wife would kill me if I lost all of her data. In the end I was able to use Test Disk from the Filesystem tools of the Dos Ultimate Boot Disk. It ends up that the partition table had a start but not an end and the program was able to fix this….whew I would have been in trouble….

Migrate Windows and Office data

After I had the old drive back I went into the BIOS and chose to boot from that drive. I was able to boot to the old Windows XP installation easily enough and did not want to keep any of the data there but thought it would be a good idea to transfer my Windows settings using the file and settings transfer wizard in Windows. I saved the settings using the wizard and chose this as the old computer and in the destination I chose a folder I created on the new hard drive called “transfer files”. I then decided to transfer only my settings as I knew that I was going to have to reload my software and would be manually copying over the file structure from the old drive to the new drive.

I also moved all of my settings for MS Office using the Save my Settings Wizard from the MS Office 2003 tools section. I was able to copy the settings, which come across as an OPS file to the same place as my Windows Transfer Files and Settings.

After I had moved the settings and files over I rebooted and went back into the BIOS and changed my first boot to the new hard drive and it’s windows XP installation. I was very happy to see that after running the wizrds for transfering the settings and after reloading MS Office 2003 I was able to move over my mail folder and saw all of my email, contacts, and best of all my email addresses (Still had to fill in the passwords for email but that’s OK). After a relogon I also had all of my desktop settings back includig the background picture of my daughter and the animated Pingu cursors.

Copy data from bad drive

Next I just did a blanket move of all of the files from the old hard drive to new into a new folder that I created in the root of the drive. I did this simply to save time as I am not sure about the stability of the old hard drive and fear that I will lose it again.

Reload software

I have started reloading software but as usual I am going to be slow about the move this time. I will install some of my favorite freewares and will install Streets and Trips, Adobe Acrobat, Macromedia Dreamweaver and Adobe Photoshop Elements and that’s it.

I have roughly followed about half of my Reloading Windows tutorial but since I have both drives functioning at the moment I have tried to cut some corners and make this work well as well as getting my wife up and running quickly for her work stuff this morning.

Computer Storage System stuff to buy

Self Computer Repair.
Self Computer Repair E-Book For The Business Person, Student, Or The Everyday Diy Guy. Comprehensive Guide To Computer Repair, Glossary Of Definitions, Repair, Upgrade, Or Just How To... Repair That Computer.

Computer Secrets Unleashed!
Earn 60%!) Dont Pay A Computer Guy Hundreds Or Thousands Of Dollars! A Top I.t. Pro Breaks His Silence And Reveals The Secret Techniques To Keep Your Home Or Office Computer Screaming Fast, Free Of Spyware, Viruses & Hackers, And 100% Backed Up!

Turn Your Computer Skills Into Cash.
Discover How To Turn Your Computer Skill Into A Constant Stream Of Cash. This Step-by-step Guide Reveals My Trade Secrets For Starting A High-Earning Computer Consultancy.

New* Fast PC Secrets - Eliminate Slow Computer Problems 13 Vids.
Computer Running Slow? Learn How To Double Your Computer Speed, Eliminate Crashes And Freeze-Ups. Remove Spyware, Adware, Viruses & Clean Up Your Registry. Multimedia Course With 13 Videos & 13 PDFs, 2 Bonus Vids. Go To - www.FastPcSecrets.com/affiliates.

Home Business And Home Office Computer Security 60% Commision Per Sale.
Computer Security System That Is Easily Used And Widely Needed. Includes Free Software To Secure Any Xp Computer System. Great Product That Sells Well! Earn 60% With This High Priced, High Selling Product.

Keep Your Computer Running Longer, Sronger And Faster.
The Easy, How-to Guide And Video For The Average PC User. Have You Become Frustrated With Your Computer? Did You Ever Type In A Web Site Address And Internet Explorer Takes You Somewhere Else? If You Answered Yes, This Product Is For You.

Computer Wholesale Purchase Guide.
Buy Computers, Software, Hardware, Games And Accessories From Real Wholesale Companies, Be A Computer Reseller!

How To Speed Up Your Computer: In 30 Minutes Or Less.
Guide To Quickly Speed Up Your Computer. Many Techniques Use Existing Os. For Xp And Vista. Comes With A Weekly Newsletter.

Email Spy - Computer Monitoring Software.
New Software! Secretly Monitor All Computer Activity! Send To Any Email Automatically!

Slow Computer Emergency Repair Kit Ebook.
Simple Steps To Fix Your Slow Computer, Guaranteed! Remove Spyware And Clean Your System Like The Pros. Proven Sales Page, 60% Commission, Hundreds Of Satisfied Customers From 2005 To Today! Updated Every Few Months To Remain Fresh.

Computer Storage System Recent Stories from around the internet

computer storage system

Sure, you could erase the contents of the drive, but keep this in mind: the act of erasing a file does not remove it from a storage device. When you erase/delete a file from your computer, it's not really gone until the areas of the disk it used are ...

Leave No Trace: How to Completely Erase Your Hard ... - Gizmodo

It feels like quantum computers have barely been invented, and scientists are already testing how extensible the current technology is. A paper published in Nature Photonics this week describes how researchers are beginning to push the bandwidth ...

Pushing the speed limits of quantum memory - Ars Technica

The coats - one fashioned from lustrous mink, the other from whorls of sable-colored Persian lamb - rest on hangers from a high-end furrier. A tag is looped around each fur, marked with the name of the woman who once owned them and, in bold, black ...

Dixon's coats go on sale online - Baltimore Sun

Not all inkjet cartridge companies are the same and Not all inks are the same. When you need ink for your printer, Atlantic Inkjet is a company that stands behind it's service and guarantees. Since... Aymer International LTD Guernsey Aymer ...

Computer Hardware - PR.com

The warmer months are always a great time to do a little spring cleaning, but don't ignore the digital gadgets and gizmos you have laying around the house. It's probably been months since you organized your computer files, or double-checked the ...

Home Help: Digital spring cleaning - Times Reporter

Take a tour of Windows Server 2003 R2, including the product roadmap and the business benefits of Windows Server 2003 R2. The discussion includes a look at new supported scenarios for Windows Server 2003 R2: branch office management, identity access ...

Introducing Windows Server 2003 R2 - MSDN Online Deutschland

Art exhibit at Pittsburgh Technical Institute More than 603 pieces of artwork by 323 high school students from 89 schools in six states are ... honorable mention winners were selected in multimedia/web, graphic design, ceramics, computer graphics ...

West News Briefs - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

" Computacenter has delivered a strong performance in 2009 with increased profits, earnings per share and a materially improved cash position. The increase in the Group's annual service contract base is clear evidence that customers are turning to ...

Release details - HUGIN Online

* FOR SALE One Toyota Corolla 1998 Fully loaded, good condition. $13,000.00 O.N.O. CALL 245 8902. (new) * For Sale : 2008 Ducati Hypermotard 1100. Miles: 9,384 Miles Engine / Fuel: L2, 1078 cc; 2V; A/C (Gasoline)Condition: Small dents and ...

Free Classifieds - Dominica News Online

submitted photo Executives and board members from the Sisters of Mercy Health System tour the new Mercy Data Center. They are looking at the cooling system and seismic underpinnings of the $60 million, 42,500-square-foot facility, which is expected ...