Hard Drive not Recognized?

Question

I have an older computer with a AMD processor that runs about 500Mhz, It was working fine a couple of weeks ago,
but when i tried to start it up,it says Hard Drive-None.
I tried everything i could think of,switching Hard Drives,Reinstalling SE,Booting into DOS,But nothing works. Whats going on? What can i do?

Answer 1

The Hard Drive and the CD are both connected to IDE controller on Motherboard

HDD is usually on "Port #1",,,and CD is on #2
They're the SAME,but different Channels.


If Your CD is working,,,like when trying to Install SE,

Try plugging the Hard Drive into the Cable that the CD is using.

Unplug it from CD,,and stick it in HDD.

That's a different channel on the drive controller.

You are Testing the HDD >>>on a Known Good
CD's #2 IDE Channel & CD Cable
...............................................................

If that happens to work,,,
then swap the Motherboard end of the "CD's" cable( which now has the HDD on it),,,plug it into Original HDD port on Motherboard.

If it continues working,,that indicates the original HDD CABLE is bad.

That is "Working HDD" + Working CD CABLE + #1IDE HDD channel.
Baically the Original Configuration,,but using a Proven Good CD CABLE
..............................

If it quits working when switched to IDE #1 connector on the motherboard,,,
then IDE#1 Port/Connector on the Board is dead.

Cu we now know HDD works & CD Cable is Good---so it's Gotta be a bad #1 IDE HDD Channel.
........................................................................................
You CAN use Both HDD and CD on Same Channel/Same Cable.
But it makes HDD run VERY Slow.

If it's Cable,,Cables are Cheap.
(Good Possibility it's only the cable)

If #1 IDE Channel on Motherboard is bad...
You can get a separate IDE Controller Card for $10~20 which plugs into any available PCI Slot.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
If it IS just a Bad cable,,,
chances are you have an "Old Style" 40wire ATA33 cable.

New Style 80wire ATA 66/100/133 Cable is an ideal replacement and recommended.
The Connectors are the same,,,just the ribbon cable/actual wire is different.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
You can also go into Bios Setup Screen,,,and to Drive Setup section---and See if You can get it to "Auto-Detect CD"
--Before doing any mechanic work swapping cables around.

If it Does find CD,,,go ahead and plug HDD into CD Cable

You also might wanna FEEL the HDD,,to see if it's actually Running.
It's RARE,,but it could also be a power Supply Connector problem.
HDD may not be getting any power??
Rare,,but it happens.

Good Luck with it

Answer 2

First: try going into the BIOS during bootup to make sure the hard drive controller(s) are turned on.

Assuming they are, if other drives aren't recognized either, and you've tried different ribbon cables to connect 'em, your motherboard's drive controller is probably bad.

Could have been a power surge, could simply be age; computers are consumer electronics devices, but they're also fragile, and the older a computer is the higher the odds are that it'll suffer a fatal problem.

Answer 3

Check both the power and IDE cable connections. If it is the only hard drive on the IDE line ensure that the jumper is set to master. The jumper being a small plastic 'box' which connects two pins. It is normally located between the two other cables.

Answer 4

Losing data on a hard drive is the worst nightmare of any computer owner. However, some RAM/hard drive problems can be easily fixed yourself by using easily available tools. I found the info at http://fixit.in useful

Answer 5

this could nicely be a typical difficulty. in case you plan to apply merely onechronic be certain you place the jumper(s) on the hot not easychronic for grasp or unmarriedchronic placing. additionally verify once you connect the newchronic on your IDE cable that announces time-honored or IDE0 on your motherboard. usually the connector slot on the board with be colored BLUE. Then bypass into your BIOS and verify yourchronic is detected as grasp for time-honored channel. you additionally can use the CABLE pick placing on your jumper for thechronic besides. this could tell BIOS to right away pick the desirablechronic placing grasp or slave and shop that suggestions into BIOS. that could desire to help out slightly.

Answer 6

If all else fails, try putting the hard drive in another computer as a slave and get Get Data Back to recover your lost data.

Answer 7

Take the battery out of the motherboard for 20 mins then replace it and try again.............it works for me every time.........it just resets the bios to default................but seems to work when resetting in the actual bios doesn't!

Answer 8

change the ribbon cable for the hdd

Answer 9

in the commands set up type in format.exe