DescentBB

I have a bunch of old hd I want to \"clean\".

What's a good free utility?

A really good hammer seems to work real well.

Xamindar wrote:A really good hammer seems to work real well.

If you want to be really thorough, you could try sanding each platter.

Just want to wipe them enough that the average dude couldn't read them.

In that case...FORMAT:C

That sounds easy enough.

But, you don’t actually want to format your “C” drive. (I assumed you already knew that…then I got nervous)

Windows won’t let you format your boot drive, but just my luck, you boot from a CD or something.

So just use the Format tool that comes with windows, you don’t need any other tools.

if you are disposing the drive, then you want a data scrubber, otherwise format works.

if you are worried about recovering data, then use erase.

Connected a drive to my system using USB to SATA. Found it in Windows Explorer and Formatted it from
there.

It is \"Disk 2\" http://screencast.com/t/YWExY2Q0NjA

Then installed it into another machine and tried to install XP os on it but get \"NTLDR is missing\".

Changed the boot order to run XP disk in CD-ROM but can't get by error message.

Is there something else I need to do after formatting?

The machine was working with a smaller hd in it but wanted to use it as a test computer with a larger hd.

What is the easiest way to take a used drive and prepare it to receive a new os on it?

normally, you should see a prompt about starting setup when booting off a XP cd.

Stick the drive in the machine, make sure it’s hooked up correctly, Boot from your install disk, Format and partition the drive as you wish…install the OS.

I’m going to assume it’s the CD ROM drive and your install disk has all the tools on it you will need.

As far as the error on the drive you formatted in the other machine…Can’t say what the problem is, Could be too big for the BIOS.

Still getting error message.

This system is a Dell Dimm 4400 that had a Seagate Barracuda ATA 20GB drive set to \"Enable Cable select\".

The old drive worked when I tried it again.

Could the machine not take a 200GB drive or I guess it could be the drive I'm trying to install but I used it a year or so before to image another drive and it worked for that.

the message indicates thats its reading the HD well.

does it load the windows installer if you leave the HD disconnected?

It does.

You never noticed \"press any key to begin setup\" prompt when trying to load the windows xp cd with the drive in question installed?

where did this XP cd come from?

Never saw that. Cd came with machine from dell. Also tried another XP install disk.

its only on the screen for like 5 seconds.

If for whatever reason you keep on missing that prompt, then you need to wipe the MBR on the HD.

W/o the HD it looks like a normal install.

Got Setup started. Just kept hitting a key. Will report back.

starts set up window and then I get the following message:
0 MB disk on disk
setup cannot access this disc

Incidentally, no jumpers. Drive 7200, 200GB

Trying another hd. Same thing \"Setup can not access disk\".

Does the BIOS report the drive correctly?

Yep.

Just tried another drive that I know was working as a slave drive and get \"Setup can not access disk\".

AND...the original drive, jumper set at \"Enable Cable Select\" will run in the machine.

Tried Cable Select on new drive and get \"Error Loading OS\". This is the one that doesn't have an OS on it.

are these SATA or IDE drives?

fliptw wrote:are these SATA or IDE drives?

SATA drives don't have slave/master/cs jumpers.

thewolfe; depending on the brand of drive it is, try cycling it between slave, master, cableselect and if it is a western digital remove the jumper entirely.

I ran all the jumper setting. Goes into setup but when I press \"Enter to setup XP\" it says \"Setup did not find hd installed in your machine.\"

How could it see the original hd but none of the others? Sorry just talking to myself.

“This system is a Dell Dimm 4400 that had a Seagate Barracuda ATA 20GB drive set to \"Enable Cable select\". “

What was the OS installed on that machine originally?

My guess is that the machine cannot handle a 200gb HD

You might try a BIOS upgrade (not update) but good luck on that.

Orig os was XP.

Tried a 20GB samo...samo.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Can't say we didn't give it a go.

It’s always possible that that OEM install disk won’t work without the original HD…stranger things have happened.

Just tried another XP disk, same result.

It could still be one of DELL’s little “anal” things, the fact that only the original HD works is your best clue.

As long as you’re SURE the Hds you are trying are compatible, and connected correctly.

Maybe in a day or so I'll ck my old hard drives and try a couple more. I'm tired opening and closing the Dell case. What a pain.

And you do know only ATA/IDE drives will work in that machine.

Yep, all my old drives are old ATA/IDE.
Thanks.

please set the drives for master, or in some cases 'master with no slave' as marked on each hd's pin-out diagram located on the face of the hard drive