hitachi hd + multiple bad OS installations

New thread from
http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showpos...7&postcount=38

How can I change them? Is a physical thing to be done inside the case?

Thanks again...

 

HHD as Primary Master
Iomega Zip Primary Slave
CD Rom LTN 526 Secondary Master
CDRW Lite-On LTR5232 Secondary Slave


Thanks for that advice and sorry for the early-morning question above. I've booted back into the hitachi CD and got to the page where it asks if the setup is right. Pressing no, it then suggested some reasons including HD not set as master (as you say). Continuing, it's asked if it's IDE only or IDE + SCSI. I have gone for IDE only (though am not at all sure!). It's now asking for an HD serial number (which I don't have, but I think has been flashed on the screen somewhere).

Alt+X for exit doesn't work - nothing happens
F1 for help takes me to a page saying there is no help available on this issue
ESC takes me to a page saying I HAVE to enter a serial number!
ESC again takes me back to the serial number page.

I'm feeling a bit trapped! How can I get the serial number?

What shall I do, please?

 

I have now got off that page, have found the serial number (opened the case and looked), and have tried entering it in the serial number box. 'O' is the highlighted colour to enter, but nothing happens with that. When I hit 'enter' I get a next page where it says that device not found (0x20) and technical result code 20003A17. The serial number box seems big enough for a 10 character code, not 8.

Esc takes me back to the page listing the four devices, and highlighting the 'PCI IDE 0 Master' picks up the serial number and more.

I guess setting it as primary master is something to be done another way?

 

Hi SPD - guess what? I got XP!

Thanks for all your help - and patience! It will be a few days before I can do updates etc, but I feel sure everything will be fine now (stage 1).

Stage 2 - I still have to tackle the external hard drive I put all my files on (I know a virus at least went in there on a gif), but I'll get the computer well protected before attempting it.

Thanks again for all your expertise, I really appreciate it.

 

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showpost.php?p=757602&postcount=42

I asked the guy who built it yesterday to double check he'd put the cables back right. He said the m'board (Asus SoA VIA KT333 ATX) is set up with two controllers: there's a Promise fasttrak controller on its own that the HD is on. The floppy has its own slot, and the two CD drives are the secondary master and slave leaving the zip on its own.

He looked at and showed me (maybe this is the jumper settings?) some switches - little pins sticking out and a printed pattern above that needed to be followed. Some white things on each side. He said it was right. Sorry not to be able to describe it well.

Does that sound OK or do you still want me to change it (I mean ask him to)?

We did also eventually get into the BIOS (the previous listing I was looking at he'd never seen before). Floppy was top, HD second (listing itself as 'disabled' with 'none' the only other option), CD third, and SCSI/Onboard ATA Boot device last.

I've moved CD to above HD, but as a floppy is needed for loading a driver for windows, left that top.

Although I have been able to load windows now, I haven't run the drive fitness text since changing the BIOS. I think I will, just to be sure.

Many thanks again for your help...

 

It seems the installation wasn't as good as hoped... I just looked in msconfig, and only five tabs show. No 'boot.ini' or 'tools'. In the startup menu is a blank screen! The other menus have stuff there.

During setup last time when it asked for the previous OS CD, it just jumped to the next page without me having to click 'OK', or any indication it had accepted it as genuine.

I haven't run the drive fitness test again yet since changing the BIOS, just waiting to hear if I definitely need to get the HD drive set to be primary master to the zip.

thanks again for your time and expertise...

 

Sorry, I thought he did want me to start a new thread here. This computer is the original one of the other thread (in this forum) - though that seemed to switch to a Dell one I had got in to work on that had a file in he didn't recognise.

SPD has been helping me on this computer (the HD one) since earlier in the year - though sometimes because of work I have had to stop and come back to it.

If he wants me to I'll put it in the hardware forum, though there may still be malware in it. If he thinks buying and installing a new HD is a better option I'll do that.

Sorry again. Wasn't meaning to be talking to myself or confusing anyone.

 

Sorry, I wan't clear. Yes I meant for you to start a thread in Hardware for this problem. It clearly isn't malware.

I would have gotten back sooner, been a bit busy the last few days.

 

OK, sorry for not realising... and thanks for all your help.