Comp question

KotysDad

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Re: Comp question

Check the floppy drive for a disk. Sounds simple, but I got that message once and took me 2 hours to remember I forgot to take a game out before I restarted the computer.
 

KMA

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Yah it's bad. Probably a virus, via ICQ, kazaa or e-mail. You'll need to reinstall Windows if that is your "OS" operating system. Give that I'll try and see what happens.
 

DJTranks

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Reformat the drive, then re-install windows/Linux or whatever you have..
 

Turfgrass

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Raleigh
Make sure the IDE cable is connected firmly to both the Hard Drive and the Hard Drive controller.

Also, you can change the cable to another controller to see if the mother board is bad.

Hope it works out for ya!
 

KMA

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If you didn't get aropund to buying new, post here and let us know. There are some tools that might be of help to you.
 

KMA

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What OS are yah using???
Have you used any anti-virus software lately???
How much memory do you have???
 

Senor Capper

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was using ME

was using ME

but I don't seem to have the start up CD so.........
I'm trying to use my 98 Upgrade CD

I have Nortons 2004

128 MB SDRAM memory


I even tried downloading a Windows 98 bootup diskette but that didn't work either :mad:

Seagate techs didn't help much either.

Worse comes to worse I will return the new hard drive, if they take it back I don't know.
Comp USA will install it free but they are waaay backed up a couple of weeks.
 
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KMA

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Everything said so far seems to point to cables. I am assuming that the CD-ROM/CDRW drives were working prior to removing the old hard disk. But since the symptoms described can result from a multitude of circumstances, the shot-gun approach is inevitable.

There are two IDE ports on the MotherBoard if this is a relatively new machine. It is beneficial to not put a CD drive and a hard disk on the same IDE channel, simply because the channel speed will default to the slowest of the two devices, and the CD device is typically several multiples slower than any hard disk.

Next point. The master/slave thing. Only one of the devices in each channel can be master, and the other slave. This is accomplished by affixing the jumpers in their proper slots. THe 2 CD drives can go on one IDE channel, one as master and the other as a slave. This will leave one IDE channel available for upto two hard disks.

Next point: The cables need to be alligned appropriately with the socket. Pin #1 will need to coincide typically with the red stripe on the cable.

Next point: I have made this mistake many many times, and spent much time trouble-shooting, only to find that I had forgotten to plug in the power source into the drive, after installing it.

(hopefully) last point: The BIOS settings. Ideally, the setting is best left in the potision 'Auto' for auto detect. Otherwise, if there is a mismatch between the # of cylinders specified in the BIOS and the actual # of cylinders in the disk, then either the disk can not be read, or its full capacity will not be available.
 

Senor Capper

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KMA said:
Everything said so far seems to point to cables. I am assuming that the CD-ROM/CDRW drives were working prior to removing the old hard disk.



the kid was playing a game (CD Rom drive) when the screen went black ....Operating System not found.
Then of course I couldn't do anything. I then installed the new Hard drive using the CD that came with it but now am having trouble installing a OS.
 

Senor Capper

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hey

hey

do I have to format the hard drive before it lets me install a OS ??
:shrug:

I'm Clueless

Also my old hard drive the jumper is on the master and also has a jumper across the TOP of the next 2 rows.

My new hard drive was set as a slave so I moved the jumper to the master( 1st set of prongs). But there isn't a second set of jumpers on it like my old hard drive.

think that could make a diff ?

and what the heck is the Cable Select jumper setting ?
 
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Turfgrass

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Re: hey

Re: hey

Senor Capper said:
My new hard drive was set as a slave so I moved the jumper to the master( 1st set of prongs). But there isn't a second set of jumpers on it like my old hard drive.

think that could make a diff ?


***It could just be the difference between two different makes of Hard Drives. IBM vs. Seagate

and what the heck is the Cable Select jumper setting ?

***I think CS Jumper Setting takes into account the actual position on the cable. For example, if you had a cable with up to five different connectors.
 

Turfgrass

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Raleigh
To date:

You have a bootable floppy disk
A copy of 98 or 95 on CD
And the CD Drive will not work

Does this sound about right?
 

KMA

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Highroller is right. Win98 Upgrade won't do.

It will look for an existing OS. What you need is a full version OS. Formatting the drive is a part of the OS installation, but only if you are installing from the full version media.

Upgrade media from Microsoft look for an existing OS on the hard disk, and are not capable of installing the OS from scratch.


Cable Select: Some motherboards support it, some not. SO it may or may not work, it is the equivalent of plug and play, where the cable itself determines the drive duty.
 
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