HDD suspected problem

This morning my pc crashed, rebooted.
When it went to load windows, it asked safe mode etc. menu.
I loaded regular, simply because that was where I was last.
It loaded first windows graphic, then flickered the graphic again like it normally does. Then a blue screen flashed up real fast and it rebooted.
This time I selected to boot in safe mode. All booted up fine in safe mode.
Tried a normal boot and again the same blue screen flash, reboot. It flashes too fast so you don’t know what it says.
Again booted to safe mode. Load ok.
Then I boot to CD to do a repair. I boot to recovery console, but all that does is load to the c: prompt and that wasn't where I wanted to be. I wanted to do a repair. However, when I did a directory, the C: drive is actually my external USB drive that is H: where my backups go. It was not my main C: drive.
Then I boot to CD again to load windows. It says I have to format the drive. It cannot read the drive.

Now when I try to boot, all it says is "Loading Operating System" and is stuck and goes no further.

What do you suggest I do from here?
Thanks,
Bill

the C: drive is a Seagate 500gig.
d: drive is 1tb Hiatachi.
external H: drive is 1tb Hiatachi

 

drive info added

 

Get Seatools to check out your drive in safe mode. Memtest86 for your RAM.

 

Actually, I would if I could get that far. It only gets to "Loading Operating System" and I never get to the menu to choose Safe mode or anything else.
During BIO load I can press PF12 to get to the boot device menu, but when I select HDD it shows the Loading Operating System message and is stuck. It gets no further.

 

Is Loading Operating System coming from Windows or BIOS? Does it looks like it is starting Windows and hanging? Any choices with F8 during the BIOS screen?

 

the pf8 does nothing.
The message is displayed at the top of the screen immediately after BIOS does the memory and drive check and the screen clears. I am suspecting most people never see this message because the Windoze graphic displays so fast and it goes away. (on a normal boot)
My machine displays "Loading Operating System" and that is far as it goes. I left it there for an hour and nothing, just the message.

 

I'm not sure if recovery console needs your SATA drivers or not (where it says hit F6 to load third party drivers)?

Remove the external to take that out of the mix. When you start recovery console it should look for Windows installations. Usually there is just one and you type number 1 to select it. Then it asks for a password which you put in or leave blank if you don't have one. Then it takes you to the C: prompt. Does it find a Windows installation? Are the dir results different with no external attached?

 

Seatools for DOS here.

It feels like a very early error, probably in the MBR, which version of Windows is it trying to boot to?

 

I am booting XP sp3. When I try the Windows CD, it does not get the right disc size from either of them.
I ran SeaTools for DOS on both drives and the long test on each returned no errors. I let Memtest run for 2 hours and it returned no errors.
Attached is the Windows install screen. There are 3 drives listed; 1) external USB 1tb drive 2) primary internal c: drive should be 500gb and 3) should be 1tb internal drive. Drives 2 and 3 both do not have the right size, even though Seatools does.

 

Hi,

It looks like your XP CD is pre SP2 so it can't read partitions larger than 131gb. Is that the same CD you used to install Windows?

I'm trying to think what the next step would be. I am thinking the same as satrow that your MBR might be corrupted. I think the "Loading Operating System" is just a message from your BIOS that is being seen instead of the usual black screen with blinking cursor that occurs when a PC tries to boot from a starting location that does not have the correct file.

 

The next step is to create a slipstreamed SP3, do you think? Or get an MBRCheck/MBRdump done from a PE CD?

 

ok, aside from searching all over the internet, are there any quick and proven instuctions here for creating a slipstream sp3 disc? what is a pe cd?

 

Sorry, my comment was as much a question to sach2 to gain his opinion as it was a suggestion to you , which SP is on the disc you have now? Was the original XP install made on the Seagate from the same CD?

A PE is a stripped bootable version of XP on a CD, the basis for many repair and diagnostic CD's.

We'll find you a safe and easy link to creating a slipstreamed XP once we've made sure that altering the current MBR is a safe thing to do - we have to consider the risk of any potential collateral damage.

EDIT: This page is about the most comprehensive one on slipstreaming SP3.

 

I don't have much experience with slipstreaming. I just never got around to trying it and never had the need.

If I was in your situation, I think I would download Parted Magic ISO and burn it to CD as an image file. Using imgburn's "Write image file to disc" option.

Then browse to the C: drive and take a look at the boot.ini to make sure it looks correct. If it looks correct I think I would use TestDisk to write a new MBR to the boot drive and see if the HD will then boot. I've had very good luck with testdisk's MBR write function.

***
I don't see much of a downside to using testdisk to write a new MBR, I've never had a problem and often success.

If you have to repair Windows you will still need to slipstream so it is a matter of if you have an extra blank CD.

 

I got the PartedMagic CD, booted to it and it loads everything, the last message says it is Ejecting the CD and ejects the CD and screen goes black and that is as far as it goes. I tried the alternate graphics mode and it does the exact same thing.

 

When I check the drive information from the PartMagic alternate menu it shows Windows MBR and FAT32. This was NTFS, how did it change to FAT32? Can it be changed back to NTFS and retain the data? What got clobbered to make it FAT32? It is a 500gb drive. Every since it changed it will not boot, which is where I am now.

 

There's something odd being reported here, I'm still thinking on it.

Could you answer the 2Q's from earlier, please: which SP is on the disc you have now? Was the original XP install made on the Seagate from the same CD?

The answers have a direct bearing on how we can tackle this

 

I'm still thinking on it as well.

You could, from the Parted Magic Cd under Fail Safe Options, try the VGA mode, the Nouveau mode and the No eject CD mode. See if any of those will load up the desktop.

***
There are other options for Testdisk but they are all around 140mb to get the linux desktop running. Gparted Live (140mb) has the two programs you might need but no real Linux desktop.

Partition Wizard would let you see your drive fairly clearly as far as partition type and if it shows NTFS would let you Explore it to see which files are there but not let you open them or anything. It also might be able to recover a lost partition. I don't think the bootable CD ( 40mb bottom of page) has an MBR writing function (although if the partition really is lost or recoverable that may not be the problem anyway).

 

the CD was my original XP Pro install disc. I don't know if it even had SP2 on it or not. The final install on the Seagate was all up to date with SP3 thru Windows Update.

 

I was finally able to get it loaded by fail safe and booting to shell. typed menu and am good to go.
test disk showed FAT16 partition, but the analyze still shows NTFS with the right label info, SEA-500 (my name I called it)
So it looks like it is NTFS, but the partition info shows FAT16. How do I get it back? I am hesitant to write the MBR if it shows the wrong format.
I can post console pictures if needed.
thanks,
Bill

 

Here are some TestDisk pictures:

 

here is the file list. the boot.ini is still there.

 

It appears you have a partition table problem. So I would go ahead from the List Files screen which shows your files and hit <enter> and then hit choose Write to write the partition table.

Your screen shot four looks like it has found the old partition correctly. The size and beginning and end point look good to me (0 and 60801 would include the whole disk).

Then try to boot from the HD and see if any progress. (No need to write a new MBR since there is clearly a partition problem that should be addressed first.)

 

The partition table/fdisking problem may have been caused by using an earlier ver. of XP, sorry but I doubt if I'll have time to follow this up further today, I'm busy trying to gain an education on other matters.

If it were my HDD, I'd grab any valuable data from it as soon as it becomes accessible then wipe all partitions and reinstall with SP2 or 3.

 

Great!!! now I got the drive back. However, I am now back to my problem that started this whole mess:
When it booted, it asked safe mode etc. menu.
I loaded regular, simply because that was where I was last.
It loaded first windows graphic, then flickered the graphic again like it normally does. Then a blue screen flashed up real fast, I could not read it and it rebooted.
This time I selected to boot in safe mode. All booted up fine in safe mode.
Tried a normal boot and again the same blue screen flash, reboot. It flashes too fast so you don’t know what it says.
Again booted to safe mode. Load ok.

So now I need to address the flashing blue screen error, whatever that is.
Any suggestions?

Thanks a million so far!
Bill

 

Good work figuring out TestDisk on your own--that is a tricky program to navigate.

Try on the screen of safe mode choices to Disable "reboot on error" or similar wording. That should let you get the error number for the blue screen and hopefully a reference to a file that may be causing the problem.

 

t O STOP 'AUTO-RESTARTGo to right click computer/properties/system startup and recovery/untick the auto restart box. This maY be slightly different in xp.

 

ok, got it to stop so i could read the screen. Looks like a STOP 00D4 error. here is a picture of the error screen.

thanks again!
Bill

 

Looks like this was related to trying to uninstall AVAST. That was the last thing I tried to do and all $%^&*$%^ came loose.
Now to figure out how to get AVAST out ond off of the system (in safe mode).
Thanks,
Bill

 

Try their uninstaller: http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility

 

Woo Hooo !!!!!! You guys are the bomb!

Everything is running again, no errors back running smooth. At least it is good to know running all the diagnostic utilities my hard drives and memory are all top notch shape.

Thanks again. You guys are great!

 

Kewl!:major

 

This thread can be marked closed. Thanks!