"Saeed" <Saeed@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:20699900-648A-4FC6-8F9C-02893CEDC41F@microsoft.com...
> Hi People
>
> I was working on microsoft word when all of a sudden the system crashed
> and
> a blue screen popped up. I tried to rebooting they system but it wouldnt i
> have put
> my xp windows cd to load up and repair xp but the message i am getting
> it that it cant find the hard disk drives.
>
> The hard drive is a fujitsu MPG3409AT E 40.00 GB s/n VH66T1805F37
>
>
> can anyone help with this please?
What exactly does the blue screen message say, if it comes back up?
Restart the system and enter the BIOS. Ensure that the drives are detected
there. If they aren't, check the cabling to the drive.
The drive may have failed and must be replaced. Listen carefully as the
system starts from power-off. Does the drive spin up?
If the problem isn't simple, it isn't worth spending a lot of time trying to
fix this as replacement drives are so cheap - new 80 gig drives are under
CDN$50 now. Instead, you're better off looking at this as data recovery.
And for that, the first thing you need is a working system.
Take the old drive out, install a new one in its place, and reinstall.
Don't put the old drive back in until after the reinstall is complete.
Once you've re-installed XP to a new drive and have the system working,
attach the old drive, perhaps by USB case or adapter (about $20). If it
isn't detected and doesn't mount, it may well have failed.
If it is detected and mounted, try simply browsing to it with Explorer and
locate your files and copy them off. You might get an "access denied"
message, which simply means you have to "take ownership" of the files.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421
There are also data recovery utilities. Google "data recovery utilities"
and you should get a list of apps you can try. Most will have demo
versions, but many can't work if the drive can't be found.
I'm not sure that it's a good idea to start with chkdsk on a failed drive.
Take your time.
Never try to recover data to the drive you're recovering from.
If the drive isn't spinning up when power comes on, it has failed
electrically and you will have to engage a data recovery service to recover
any data. You can't do this yourself. The drive has to be opened in a
clean room, the platters mounted on specialised (and expensive) hardware.
It can work very well, but may well cost you. Bills from the service I
use have normally started at $1000, and have gone over $5000. Price
depends on damage, what has to be recovered, and how quickly.
HTH
-pk