HD or disk problem?

Machine is a Compaq Evo with a 40GB HD.
Purchased used at GoodWill.
Plugged it up and it boots and runs, but I wanted a larger HD.
Pulled a 120GB drive from a USB external that had been wiped and formatted.
Installed in the Compaq and inserted the machine with the OS disk in the CD drive.
First stage goes OK then goes to a black screen with the message "Press any key to boot from the CD....._"
As far as it goes, even when you press a key.
Did the same thing to the same point with a second (different) OS disk.
The HD in question is a Hitachi Deskstar. Shows as being configured as Device ! Master on the jumpers. Yes 2 of them.
Wanting to install one or the other, but how?
Have done installations plenty of times, but never had this problem.

 

I'm not sure if compaq has a one time boot menu or not. F10 takes you into BIOS but does F8 or F12 give you the option to choose the boot device for one time only?

I'm wondering if you left it at boot HD first in F10 and then used the boot menu (F12 or something) to select CD to begin install if when it rebooted if it would go to HD or just hang but without the Boot from CD... message.

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One other thought is if you have more than one CDROM attached unplug the second one.

 

CD is listed as the first boot device.
(Knew I was forgetting to mention something.)
Only 1 CD drive. (Small Form Factor machine.)

 

Yes, I'm wondering if putting HD as the first boot device would make any difference. With HD set as first boot see if there is an option to then use a one time boot menu to start from CD to begin install. That way after the first part of install when it reboots it would not try to boot from CD but would go directly to HD. Maybe it would make a difference.

Edit: try F9 for boot menu options.

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Another thought that is unlikely since things work with the small HD is to check that the HD is connected to the cable 0 or HD cable rather than the CDROM cable or cable 1. There should be markings on the motherboard for HD or Disk 0. Sometimes that situation can cause weirdness.

 

Looked as if everything inside was same as from factory.
Don't believe it had ever had an inside the case cleaning before.

Just checked the cable to be sure. HD goes to Primary ATA device connection on the motherboard.

 

I'm thinking that maybe it should show as Device 0.

You are going by the jumper diagram on the label or above the pins for that drive?

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I know these are basics but sometimes the simplest things are the answer. What is the model of EVO and what is the model of Hitachi drive. I think some Hitachis allow two different settings of jumpers to achieve the same end (One jumper is just a spare across unnecessary pins) if we can find which can be omitted we might find something else about the jumper configuration.

 

What I read from is on a strip on the HD that shows all the different settings.


http://cgi.ebay.com/Compaq-Evo-D510...0572607664?pt=Desktop_PCs&hash=item35af32c8b0

Machine is very similar to this.
Mine came with a 2.56GHz P4.

Will check on the Hitachi HD and report back.

 

Model of Hitachi is IC35L120AVV207-0 ATA/IDE
Capacity 123.5GB
P/N 07N9214

And a correction.
That DOES say "Device 0 Master"
Had to get a magnifying glass to see that small printing.

 

Ok, so you have the jumpers set like the pic below.

If you choose F10 at startup, then in BIOS does it see the HD as Primary master?

 

That is correct.

 

Hmm, I'll think about this. I wonder if it could be a memory problem? It says Inspecting Hardware. Then it loads some files across the bottom. Then it restarts in memory and should ask about partitioning/formatting the HD.

I was thinking it had already gotten to the formatting/partitioning step and restarted and then was halting at the beginning of install. If it is halting before asking about partitioning it could be a memory problem. You could try with just one RAM module and see if it gets further in the process.

 

It came with 1 512MB stick installed.
I have since added 1 1GB stick.
Original HD works great with all in, but will give it a try.

 

Tried again with the 512MB stick only.
Same results.
Tried with the 1GB stick only.
Got no further.
Guess a clone job is ahead.

 

That was my work around, too, but I can't understand what is going on.

Maybe you could try to get to the second step of install with no HD in just to see if it is the HD stopping things? (I don't see how that is possible since it is a simple IDE drive, only 120gb so no conflicts there)

We checked all possible hardware problems unless the floppy drive could be involved. But that could only be the case if it came after the CD and HD in the boot order.

I guess a clone is it for now or just using the second HD as slave if there is a second bay.

 

Not room for a second HD.
(Small Form Factor box)
Clone process already started.

 

Even when made bootable and first in boot order, the clone doesn't even do anything.
Dark blue screen with a flashing cursor in the upper left corner is all.

 

Did you clone the whole Disk or just the partition? Whole disk might rule out an MBR problem.

 

Whole of the original was a 40GB single partition.
Cloned to the 40GB partition on the 120GB drive.

 

Which clone program did you use? I think even with a single partition HD there should be an option to clone the whole disk which would include the boot sector and MBR. Where a partition clone would not include that data.

http://www.todo-backup.com/images/resource-screen/home/disk-clone.gif

I'm just trying to rule out anything unusual about the HD boot sector files or MBR.

 

XXClone was used for the operation.
CoolTool function was used to make target bootable.
Not the first time using the program, but the first time I've run into this type of mess.
Thinking Compaq is as big a PITA as Dell now.

 

Get the exact model number off the Computer using the white tag affixed somewhere and check out BIOS updates at HP. It is possible that there might be something relevant to the problem.

Does BIOS see the full size of the drive? (It should if that is a pentium 4 machine)

The ghost not working is really throwing me. What are you thinking is going on?

 

Have also recently tried it as Cable Select, even though there is only 1 connector on the HD cable to the motherboard.
Same results.