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My buddy's WD400 refused to boot. Half way into Windows, it shuts down with a Page Fault caused by an error in NTFS.SYS

I installed it on a spare IDE controller in my box. Turned her on, and it is correctly identified as a WD400 in the BIOS, but when XP boots from the ATA100 controller like normal, it crashes when windows is half loaded. Won't even boot to Safe Mode with this stuffed HDD plugged in.

Any ideas? Try another machine? HDD Controller gone bad? I have no idea how fragged the drive is (probably a lot!) and when I first opened the case I had to spend 10 minutes vacuuming the dust out of the box - the CPU HSF was completely blocked. Amazing it still ran!

I'd *really* like the data off the drive. GetDataBack works even if windows can't see the drive - but I have to be able to boot with it attached for it to work .

Try a Linux rescue disc, such as Knoppix. Burn the rescue disc .iso onto a CD, then set the computer to boot from the CD. Linux should start up. Then you can try to mount the WD400 using the "mount" command in Linux so you can browse its contents. It may not mount if the HD is really screwed up, but at least Linux should boot. If it does mount, you can try copying files off of it onto another HD.

If it won't mount, you could try a data dump (the Linux "dd" command) of the hard drive (e.g., "hd0") to a file on another hard drive. No guarantees here, either, but worth a shot. You'll need lots of space; the file that is created on the other hard drive will be as large as the full contents of the WD400.

I wouldn't do that if the drive is NTFS, even though Knoppix, if it even has NTFS support in the kernel, would probably have writes disabled. Just too risky.

Mobius, does this GetDataBack program come with a bootable CD?

Something very similar just happened here at work. The HD loads Win2k to a certain point then BSODs with an Invalid Boot Disk message. Hooked the drive up to another machine and ran Western Digital diagnostics on it and it spat SMART errors out immediately.

GetDataBack is a Windows proggy.

I tried booting from CD-ROM with a Win2K Boot CD when it was in the other box. No joy. It crashed when windows was starting. (It's 2KPro installed on this HDD on NTFS)

I'm taking the thing to work today to try and connect it to my work box. See if that works. We have a linux box there, so I might try and see if it'll mount of that system too.

Not some porn virii is it?

Try the recovery console. Boot from the CD, select repair, an then select the recovery console.

Sounds like its toast, but I would try ghosting the drive over to another drive and then see what happens when you slave it.

reinstall windows, if it doesn't work get a new hard drive and slave the old to get the data after all is up and running.

This happened to my neighbor, it was a malicious virus that corrupted the sys files and trashed the registry and the backup (aka last known good config) didnt know till he rebooted and constant reboots with BSOD. I said that will be $75 and popped in the Windows CD installed XP over itself. Then I just had to reinstall a couple of programs, passworded the AVS and firewall(so no one in his house including him can disable it), but his Pr0n collection was intact! He gladly Coughed up the cash!

Note: this was a WD80GB 8Mb (brand new ) 1 partion

No guys, NO PC WILL BOOT WITH THIS DRIVE ATTACHED. NOT EVEN LINUX!

I think it's the controller card. So I have ordered an identical drive to rip the controller off it. Then I'll swap them back once I've CHKDSKed it, and sucked the data off it.

Hope it works.

Does it make any kind of noise when you start the machine up? With all that dust build-up, the drive probably overheated and surcummed to what make the IBM 75GXP line so flakey.

What happens when you boot to a floppy (or your 2k CD) and try to format the drive?

No - it doesn't make any funny noises or vibrations. I actually listened to it with a stethoscope believe it or not - and it sounds fine.

Can't boot from floppy *OR* CD-ROM with the drive attached to ANY computer (tried 5 now, including Linux box) - which is why I'm thinking the controllar card has gone bad.

The drive wasn't very dusty, and was sitting directly in the incoming cool airflow - so I doubt very much it has taken a heat-hit.

Think the thing has just failed.

Check the pins. It's amazingly easy to break or bend them without realizing it.

double-check jumper settings

The physical drive is OK - because the BIOS recognises it. There's just something windows doesn't like about it.

New drive should be here on Tuesday.

Not just Windows, right? You say Linux doesn't like it either?

status?

Shoulda sent it to redbone, he can fix anything
/sarcasm