jaclaz

You cannot. You can type one by one all commands with the /h or -h switch, but since not all commands use this convention, doing it in a batch would be EXTREMELY dangerous/and or pointless (and there is not an easy way AFAICR to find out if a .exe is a command line app or a GUI one and if it supports a /h switch). BTW, since the issue was the bootsector, and now the Recovery is working for you, leave the \boot\BCD alone, it is unprobable that something is broken in two places (and if it now works, it means that the BCD is OK, if it is used, if I get it right you have not the "HP specific" MBR - please read as "press F11", but the "generic" Vista /7 one - please read as "press F8" ). Some info on the "generic" recovery partition feature is given here: jaclaz

WHICH .iso? (link please). jaclaz

No. You got it wrong. The bootsector of a FAT32 is three sectors long. First one contains, besides CODE the BPB (filesystem DATA). Second contains some "redundant" filesystem DATA. Third one contains just CODE. On DOS/Win9x/ME the three sectors are #0, #1 and #2 (quite logical). On NT based systems they are #0, #1 and #12 <-at least up to 2K/XP/2003 . On ReactOS they are #0, #1 and #14. The backup is always #6 and #7 (for #0 and #1) and #8 (for #2) , sector #12 (or #14) is not backed up. If i give links is because you should read THOSE links: http://thestarman.narod.ru/asm/mbr/index.html http://thestarman.narod.ru/asm/mbr/ntFAT32BR.htm and more on THAT site, like: http://thestarman.narod.ru/asm/mbr/MSWIN41.htm Wikipedia is a very nice thing but in some cases it has incomplete, partially deceiving or plainly wrong info . In this case it is simply "vague" and doesn't take into account the differences between different MS OS's: The "main entry" is correct for DOS/Win9x/Me, whilst the "some cases" represent any NT system that supports FAT32, i.e. from 2K onwards. Now, be nice, get a Virtual disk of any kind, create a disk and format it with the FAT32 filesystem, and verify that: Sector #0 = Sector #6 Sector #1 = Sector #7 Sector #12 = Sector #8 if they are not, this should mean that the Vista or 7 changed again something. See edit below.... You can leave sectors #1 and #7 alone, the data in it (them) are actually almost never used. You are falling in the "Access is denied" issue with Windows 7, right? It is one of the "nice" protection features. See: http://reboot.pro/12413/ EDIT: I take it back . The sector #12 is NOT backed up on sector #8 (actually it is NOT backed up anywhere) even on 2K/XP. This is not a real problem, as it contains only CODE, so you can re-create it copying it from any other volume formatted under the same OS. jaclaz

There are several things that come into play. First thing is that you may NOT need to short anything (have you tried with the "plain" disconnecting?) Second is that we don't know if that specifcic model will "unbrick" with the known set of commands. Third we dont' know WHY exactly your disk is bricked. ST31500341AS means "very little". Post two CLEAR photos of the PCB of your disk (BOTH sides of it) and maybe someone may be able to tell you which pins you can try shorting (read channel). jaclaz

Good . That explains the different partition start address (and the flashing cursor), the initial BPB broken diagnosis was correct. . But I wonder about the differences in sectors 7 and 12. About the Madame Tussaud's idea, the wax statues tend to be mainly of dead people , so I would gladly pass for an adequate number of years from now . jaclaz

Sure , of course at your complete risk, try with the hints given here : jaclaz

Since you are using tinyhexer, you may find my little (as always half-@§§ed ) scripts for it, handy. Here: http://reboot.pro/8734/ I can see a problem right away, the parition table states that the 0C partition is starting at LBA 1914456064 and extends for 39063552 sectors. The PBR data states that there are 1900271616 sectors before and that the volume extends for 39063552 sectors. Please note how the "previous" NTFS partition actually starts @ #1900271616 in the MBR partition table. WHY this happened (and WHICH of the two values is the right one) is another thing , if I were you I would access the PhysicalDrive with tinyhexer and save sectors #1914456064 and #1900271616 and find out which one is the actual PBR of THAT volume. jaclaz

Well, then it is likely (but not sure) that the differences in sector 7 makes you slightly NOT boot the recovery partition, whilst the difference in sector 12 may (or may not) make you largely NOT boot it. Yes. http://homepage.ntlworld.com./jonathan.deboynepollard/FGA/questions-with-yes-or-no-answers.html If you post the requested data, I might even be able to tell you the one that is more likely to apply to your case, as well it is possible that the issue is in the \boot\BCD as Tripredacus is guessing, but without data it's impossible to say. jaclaz

A strange request , I know. I have to (actually would like to) write a small set of Macro's (NO, NOT Excel VBA) to manage some textual data. I have my reasons to use Excel Macro's (and no - again - NOT Visual Basic macros), basically the intended spreadsheet will not be used in Excel, but rather in SPREAD32. I have found the "base references", i.e. the Excel Macro (for Macintosh ) docs and the help file macrofun.hlp. http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=19243 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/128185/en-us As always happens these show the actual command syntax but provide no or very little examples. So I am looking for some examples (already written Macro's, related tutorials with examples, etc.). Of course googling today will give as result 9999 VBA related pages an 1 (maybe) actually Macro related. So, if anyone has some "old links", Wayback Machine bookmarks, etc. I would be very interested in them. jaclaz

You see, that's the WHOLE point . You are perfectly free to post that, it is your opinion, and though you provide NO backing for it, and it is clearly completely WRONG , we do respect that (somewhat ) This is freedom . jaclaz

Yes. http://homepage.ntlworld.com./jonathan.deboynepollard/FGA/questions-with-yes-or-no-answers.html Now, should the question actually be: The quick answer is "it depends". The long answer being "it depends", there are quite a lot of possible "quirks" in the way BIOSes handle the USB booting, my increasingly OUTdated pages reports some of them (FAQ#10): http://jaclaz.altervista.org/Projects/USB/USBfaqs.html The way the device has been paritioned/formatted and the Size of the primary partition, besides the size of the whole device may play a role in booting or completely fail to. The most "comprehensive" solution nowadays is usually the "NON-standard" partitioning through FBINST: http://reboot.pro/9460/ http://reboot.pro/7932/ http://reboot.pro/11753/ but there are more (bad) BIOSes then stars in the sky, and DELL's are re-known to be normally a PITA, so YMMV . BTW, if you use a USB 3.0 port, unless the PE has USB 3.0 drivers "integrated", you will get a BSOD 0x0000007b anyway. jaclaz

Nothing. I.e. in this cases, you need to buy TWO items: a dust bin a new disk drive Quick instructions: throw the old disk in the dustbin use the new disk instead You have to live with the fact that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and it is NOT worth the time and effort (EVER) to "repair" a disk drive if not for the sheer recovering of data (if any) on it. A "botched" drive is - strangely enough - "botched". (last character in the above is a "full stop" or "period") Try to see it this way: when you get a brand new disk drive you expect that it will "live forever" (and this WON'T happen) before or later you will loose some (often important) data because you didn't have a sound backup strategy exactly because that new disk drive will fail if - by sheer luck - you manage to revive the disk to recover data, you are in a different situation from #1 above, you now KNOW that that particular disk drive failed at least once and actually using it further would be "pure folly", the first time you didn't imagine that this could happen, after, you KNOW that it can happen now, a disk drive that suffered ONLY from a minor issue - like the original "botched firmware" of the 7200.11 and that after the repair passes BOTH the short and long "manufacturer test" AND it appears to work normally may be re-used - with all the cautions and as a redundant storage media, BUT if you experience *any* quirk of *any* kind, even if it passes the tests, should go in the dustbin in NO time jaclaz

You need some "basics" before anything else . The MBR (Master Boot Record) is part of the DISK (WHOLE disk) i.e. there is one (and ONLY one) MBR for each disk drive device. The PBR (Partition Boot Record) or VBR (Volume Boot Record) or bootsector is part of the Partition or Volume, i.e. there are as many VBR's as there are Volumes on the disk drive device. The HP hardware normally comes with a "specific", "proprietary" MBR CODE, that allows to press F11 to get to the Recovery partition. If you change the MBR code (as an example by installing *any* MBR based bootmanager and or simply run a MBRFIX or on Windows 7 a bootsect with the /mbr switch) that original MBR code is gone for good and restoring it (unless you have a copy/backup of it) is/will be - to say the least a nightmare. See: Unless you have re-formatted the partition/volume, there is a copy of the PBR/VBR strating on sector 6, so that wouldn't be a problem to restore it, just in case: http://thestarman.narod.ru/asm/mbr/index.html http://thestarman.narod.ru/asm/mbr/ntFAT32BR.htm You will need to restore not only the first sector, but also the other two (a FAT32 VBR is actually three sectors long, the "main" one being sectors 0, 1 and 12, while backup ones are sector 6, 7 and 8. (please be aware that the "third sector" is #12 only on NT based systems, in DOS/Win9x it is #2 and in ReactOS it is #14 ): http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=23382 http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=23382&st=12 The "flashing" cursor - however - is traditionally connected to a botched BPB, namely disk geometry, but not only. If you can get the MBR, (first sector of PhysicalDrive) and the PBR (first sector of the LogicalDrive), through an hex editor or a tool like HDhacker: http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/ zip the two files together and attach the .zip to your next post, I may be able to have a look at them and tell you if anything looks "strange" to me. An only seemingly unrelated thread: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=23408&hl= jaclaz

There is a possibility, though of course with rants but not actual info and different approaches/all things mixed together just a guess, but there is a distinct case where any of these methods won't work, and that is if the PC has USB 3 ports (and needs USB 3 drivers). Another likely possibility, since several methods failed is an issue with the actual source, possibly (badly or "too much") nlited and/or (badly) integrated with SP's or later KB's or simply, for *whatever* reason, "botched". There may also be issues (maybe) with some of the less common "eastern languages" source, but I doubt it. @TheEditor If you would be so nice to choose one method (the given manual way being the easiest to correct/fix/modify) and post the standard litany: http://homepage.ntlworld.com./jonathan.deboynepollard/FGA/problem-report-standard-litany.html Maybe we could go forward, until you continue saying "this didn't work" or "this other didn't work" we will remain in the "I'm ill, doctor. Help!" stage, actually in the "I'm ill, doctor, and you suck as a doctor. Help!" one. jaclaz

WHO knows? The warning: applies here like everywhere else . Edit: @submix8c Your first link is strangely similar to the one I originally posted, you were not paying attention enough jaclaz

If it helps , it is confirmed as a problem in Windows 98: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/187188/en-us jaclaz

No you haven't. No Toshiba hard disk locks itself if a log gets to 320 or multiple thereof. Possibly you have a similar symptom (i.e. the disk drive in EITHER of BSY or LBA0 state). Yes , this is "normal". If the disk drive is under warranty, they will replace it, if it is outside warranty they will do nothing, in both cases your (lost) data is not their problem. Maybe yes, maybe no. But you see, the real question should not be if anyone else has had this or a similar problem, but rather if a way to recover your data (or disk) exists and is "public" and it applies to the particular symptoms (and cause of them) you are experiencing. Well, at least you will need to provide a description of the symptoms. Standard litany: http://homepage.ntlworld.com./jonathan.deboynepollard/FGA/problem-report-standard-litany.html Right now we are in the "I'm ill, doctor. Help!" stage, worsened by "My cousin has had something similar last year" jaclaz

There is an issue, at least a "philosophical" one . According to MS (but we all know how in some cases the info available is somewhat inaccurate, often at least partially misleading or - in a few occasions - plainly wrong ) the 22 Gb does not "sound right", see here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/191824/en-us Disk Size Threshold Threshold Percentage Space ---------------------------------------- <= 512 MB 10.0 25.6 - 51.2 MB <= 1 GB 5.0 25.6 - 51.2 MB <= 2 GB 2.5 25.6 - 51.2 MB <= 4 GB 1.2 24.6 - 49.15 MB <= 8 GB 0.6 24.6 - 49.15 MB <= 16 GB 0.3 24.6 - 49.15 MB <= 32 GB 0.2 32.8 - 65.5 MB > 32 GB 0.1 32.8 - ???? MB for a drive larger than 32 Gb the threashold is (even on drives for which the cleanup thingy has not been disabled through the Registry) 0.1%. . So in theory the thingy should be triggered around 750,000,000 bytes, i.e. around 715 Mb, much less than the 22 Gb! Since the "threasholds table" has as last entry 32 Gb, it is possible that some miscalculation occurs, but it is "queer". Personally, running Windows 98 with a single volume 700 Gb in size is what I would use as an example of "pure folly", for a number of other reasons, but maybe, as often is, it is just me . jaclaz

Additionally, no information was given about how the 700 GB was partitioned formatted, nor whether the 22 Gb free were on a single partition, etc.... And of course though it may be "common knowledge" that SiL 3512 contollers allow "native SATA" mode on Windows 98 , this wasn't specified and not necessarily it represents a solution to the varios "big sized drives" under Windows 98. You might want to appreciate the dubitative form of my maybe in my reply to the OP. jaclaz

There was no actually helpful suggestion implied in my post, only a "generic": and a hinting that maybe, since one or the other of the mentioned utilities has been proved to work for several (many) people, then it is possible that you have *something else*, be it the source, the actual USB device or your understandng of the use of the tool that *somehow* is "not standard". At it's very minimum, please read here: there is no actual need of a dedicated tool, you could try the manual steps outlined in the above. The mentioned thread is about an user (BTW using Windows 7 as "building" environment) that detailed how exactly to make a USB install stick manually (there are anyway a limited number of steps in it, ten in total) self-imposing the use of NO third-party tools. jaclaz

Maybe it is because you are using a tool outside it's intended usage paradigm. This tool has helped surely thoudands, likely tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands people in installing XP from USB device. (people that were running XP) Some other tools, including he one wimb pointed you to or the "other app": have been developed since, some may work "better", some may NOT work, some may be working AND more convenient. Try looking at the half full glass , if you had this *need* before 2007 you would have had NO possibilities whatsoever . jaclaz

Yes/maybe. See here: http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article03-102 Using the DisableLowDiskSpaceBroadcast Registry entry should do: http://support.microsoft.com/?ID=KB;EN-US;q188074 jaclaz

It could be something completely UNrelated to the "main issue" described in this thread. Is the disk LBA0 or BSY? What I personally would do would be: clean the contacts (BOTH heads and motor one) THOROUGHFULLY try, following it to the letter, this guide: http://www.mapleleafmountain.com/seagatebrick.html try at first with the head contacts insulated, if it doesn't work, try again with the motor contacts insulated. jaclaz

Well, there is no real *need* to use a "gadget" and to connect to the terminal commands, it depends on WHAT/HOW/WHO set the password. You need to unlock exactly WHAT model? Coming from WHAT? (I mean standard PC, X-box, etc.)? Is security set to "high" (good) or "maximum" (bad)? Usually googling gives some results: http://www.seagateunlock.com/ http://ipv5.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/4/ http://forums.seagate.com/t5/Barracuda-XT-Barracuda-Barracuda/HDD-locked-enter-password-5-left/td-p/47233 http://forum.hddguru.com/seagate-non-standard-ata-master-password-t12920.html jaclaz

That would be very nice . Well, I don't think that anyone is pretending to deliver (or get) the "ultimate solution to all virus/malware problems", but having both the concepts and some practical examples may help to put some corks in the bigger holes, the boat would not become "perfect", but still it would ship less water . jaclaz