Will not boot

[Joey Jiggles]

ok you were right.. then i accepted the license agreement and now am going to do an Extended Test?

[tgell]

You can do that test. Is there a short test? If so, you may want to try that first.

[Joey Jiggles]

Yeah there is a quick one.. just clicked it. 6 min.

[Joey Jiggles]

Test completed without errors.

ERROR/STATUS CODE: 0000

[Joey Jiggles]

DLGDIAG 4.15 - Data Lifguard Diagnostic

Error - No Drives Found

[tgell]

What if you do the extended test using version 5.19.

[Joey Jiggles]

Extended version came up without any errors.

[tgell]

Using version 5.19 there is an option to "WRITE ZEROS TO DRIVE". Do that. It should take about an hour or more. If it finishes right away then it did not do it correctly.

[Joey Jiggles]

Ok I'm wrapping up for the work day so I did a FULL ERASE. I will tell you what it says tomorrow! Thanks.

[Joey Jiggles]

ok so I changed it to quick since it said it would take 184 hours haha.

[tgell]

You might want to try another wipe utility. Hdderase. When you start it, does it recognize your hard drive? This uses the internal wipe command of the hard drive and should be faster.

Edit: HDDerase is listed under Hard Disk Wiping.

[Joey Jiggles]

Ok, so i did the wipe to zero successfully.. and I am now doing the Hard Disk Wiping.. apparently it takes a few hours. I just want to update you now..

[tgell]

If the XP install does not work after the wipe, I have to think this is a SATA problem or problem with the install media. When you get a chance check the BIOS and look for something called compatibility mode or IDE mode.

Do you have a service tag number? It is on a sticker on the side of the desktop.

[Joey Jiggles]

Quick question.. I said in my last post that I was doing the Wiping. I went through all of the legal stuff and now it is just a black screen saying:

SECURE ERASE FREEWARE: COMPLETELY ERASE YOUR HARD DISK DRIVE
VERSION 4.0
_ (and this keeps flashing)


does this all seem right to you? Do I just leave it? I already restarted it once because I thought it was messed up.

[tgell]

It does not list your SATA drive. Do you get any of the screens in this guide?

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/fo...o-use-HDDErase

Edit: This is from the readme for HDDerase.

Q: Can HDDerase.exe be used to erase my onboard or externally connected
(USB, etc.) SATA drives?

A: Yes, but some BIOS configuration may be required. Since HDDerase.exe only
detects drives on the primary and secondary IDE channels (ports 01F0-01F7 and
0170-0177) the BIOS must be configured so that the SATA drive is detected one of
these channels. For onboard SATA drives this can be done by switching the SATA
drive from "enhanced mode" to "compatibility mode" in BIOS (compatibility mode is
sometimes called "native mode" or "IDE mode"). E.g. BIOS >> IDE configuration >>
onboard IDE operate mode >> compatibility mode. Note - not all BIOSs support this
feature.

[Joey Jiggles]

The last thing I say 'Y' to is when it asks if it is a laptop and to make sure you have enough battery. I believe it was slide 10 on that website. Then it just goes blank to the flashing underscore. Still there actually.

[tgell]

So it did not ask you to select a drive?

[Joey Jiggles]

No it did not.

[tgell]

I think that is why XP failed the install, because of the SATA drive. Can you go into BIOS and look for something like SATA or AHCI. See if you have something called AHCI mode, enhances mode, or IDE mode available. It may be hard to find.

What is the service tag on the computer?

For onboard SATA drives this can be done by switching the SATA
drive from "enhanced mode" to "compatibility mode" in BIOS (compatibility mode is
sometimes called "native mode" or "IDE mode"). E.g. BIOS >> IDE configuration >>
onboard IDE operate mode >> compatibility mode

[Joey Jiggles]

Service Tag: HGZL0C1

I will try what you just said from the bios screen now.

Edit: I think I am on the right screen. It's blue and at the top says Dell System DM061. There are a few options, one being Drives and it lists Diskette Drive and 5 Sata from Sata-0 to Sata-5 and then one more with Sata Operation. I do not see anything saying enhance mode. Or any of those options below.