Cannot boot OS

[tb582]

Hey Guys so I recently re-booted my computer and when it started back up the dell logo appeared and then loaded about 1/4 the way and this error came up

Hard drive self monitoring system has reported that parameter has exceed it normal operating range - a parameter out of range this may or may not indicate a potential hard drive failure.

After hitting F2 to continue it automatically loads into the CMOS setup to which I just exit out of and then windows 7 (64bit) starts the loading screen but freezes….

So I ran the Boot Utility partition and selected the cannot boot OS option from symptom tree, this scanned my two hard drives I have installed, one being the primary boot drive and the other just my secondary drive.

The primary drive came up fine, no errors- the secondary drive came back with four error codes below:

(500GB WD Caviar)

HDD error 0F00:133E

:013E

:063E

:0244 - block 6211864 cannot read

So clearly the drive is going but my question is why can’t I boot into windows regardless if my SECONDARY drive is failing? If I unplug the power to my secondary drive the system boots as normal…..Anyone know of a way around this screen?

[cluberti]

It's not Windows reporting the error, I believe that's the BIOS. Windows has no control if the BIOS usurps the boot process. I'm moving this to the hardware forum.

[tb582]

It's not Windows reporting the error, I believe that's the BIOS. Windows has no control if the BIOS usurps the boot process. I'm moving this to the hardware forum.

Thanks I agree that its a BIOS/CMOS issue but what I can't get past is that there is no way to disable this errror (since its on a secondary drive) from preventing windows from starting up.

[allen2]

You could try to disable the drive autodetection in the bios if possible (and set it to none if available). Windows should detect it later automatically.

[tb582]

You could try to disable the drive autodetection in the bios if possible (and set it to none if available). Windows should detect it later automatically.

Thats what I thought so I tried it but it still is an issue, this error comes up before the bios screen even loads. Even if I get a new drive at this point how am I going to get my data off if the computer won't boot to windows with the drive plugged in?

Edited August 3, 2010 by tb582

[jaclaz]

Thats what I thought so I tried it but it still is an issue, this error comes up before the bios screen even loads. Even if I get a new drive at this point how am I going to get my data off if the computer won't boot to windows with the drive plugged in?

Use an USB adapter, to be plugged AFTER the OS has booted.

jaclaz

[tb582]

Thats what I thought so I tried it but it still is an issue, this error comes up before the bios screen even loads. Even if I get a new drive at this point how am I going to get my data off if the computer won't boot to windows with the drive plugged in?

Use an USB adapter, to be plugged AFTER the OS has booted.

jaclaz

hmm SATA to USB?

[jaclaz]

hmm SATA to USB?

No, VGA to HDMI!

Of course SATA to USB (if your drive is SATA ).

Get ANY el-cheapo adapter, example:

http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180542259328

jaclaz

[tb582]

hmm SATA to USB?

No, VGA to HDMI!

Of course SATA to USB (if your drive is SATA ).

Get ANY el-cheapo adapter, example:

http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180542259328

jaclaz

I picked up an adapter but still no luck, they drive comes in Disk Manager as a RAW file system and that it needs to be re-formatted! - Is the initial error (Hard drive self monitoring system has reported that parameter has exceed it normal operating range - a parameter out of range this may or may not indicate a potential hard drive failure.) a windowws 7 thing, something with the drive? or a bios issue? I think if I could just get past that screen and actually load windows with the SATA drive plugged directly into the comp I would be ok....

[jaclaz]

I picked up an adapter but still no luck, they drive comes in Disk Manager as a RAW file system and that it needs to be re-formatted! - Is the initial error (Hard drive self monitoring system has reported that parameter has exceed it normal operating range - a parameter out of range this may or may not indicate a potential hard drive failure.) a windowws 7 thing, something with the drive? or a bios issue? I think if I could just get past that screen and actually load windows with the SATA drive plugged directly into the comp I would be ok....

NO.

You are evidently missing some basics.

If you see the drive as having a filesystem as RAW it is actually GOOD news.

(it means that the drive is at least partially working)

Now it's time to attempt IMAGING the drive contents. (you will need another drive bigger than the failng one - a 640 Gb drive would do).

Then, we can try recovering the data from the image.

The procedure may work, may completely fail to , it can be an easy and straightforward one or a complex one.

We can also try an in-place recovery, but it is STRONGLY UNadvised.

jaclaz

[tb582]

I picked up an adapter but still no luck, they drive comes in Disk Manager as a RAW file system and that it needs to be re-formatted! - Is the initial error (Hard drive self monitoring system has reported that parameter has exceed it normal operating range - a parameter out of range this may or may not indicate a potential hard drive failure.) a windowws 7 thing, something with the drive? or a bios issue? I think if I could just get past that screen and actually load windows with the SATA drive plugged directly into the comp I would be ok....

NO.

You are evidently missing some basics.

If you see the drive as having a filesystem as RAW it is actually GOOD news.

(it means that the drive is at least partially working)

Now it's time to attempt IMAGING the drive contents. (you will need another drive bigger than the failng one - a 640 Gb drive would do).

Then, we can try recovering the data from the image.

The procedure may work, may completely fail to , it can be an easy and straightforward one or a complex one.

We can also try an in-place recovery, but it is STRONGLY UNadvised.

jaclaz

I downloaded a trial of easy recovery pro - and it doesn't seem to be able to recover any data.

How do I proceed with the option you have above, if the drive isn't read by My computer I don't see how it can be imaged?

[jaclaz]

How do I proceed with the option you have above, if the drive isn't read by My computer I don't see how it can be imaged?

Well, the "drive isn't read" means that "no filesystems can be read" (which corresponds to a RAW disk).

But the thing that is RAW, can be read allright (the actual \\.\Physicaldriven)

The BIG problem is when the actual disk is not seen at all by the OS.

There is a lot of confusion by the often lightly exchanged terms disk and drive, and volume.

A disk drive (the whole thing) contains a number of minimal size accessible units, the sectors.

Normally a sector is 512 bytes in size.

A number of these sectors (normally 63, more under unpatched Vista and 7) are "hidden" and never normally accessible.

Then a group of later sectors are grouped in a partition or volume (the thing that you actually format with a filesystem).

These structures, in a simplified way are "indexes" or "pointers" to actual sectors.

In other words a disk (whole disk) is made of sectors like:

Sector at offset 0

Sector at offset 1

Sector at offset ...

Sector at offset 63

Sector at offset ...

Sector at offset n

When you Partition a disk (as an example with a single partition some data is written to the sectors:

Sector at offset 0 -> MBR Master Boot Record, index pointing to sectors 63 and n

Sector at offset 1

Sector at offset ...

Sector at offset 63

Sector at offset ...

Sector at offset n

When you format this partition or volume (what you have a drive letter assigned to ) some data is written to the sectors, the first sector of the partition is now sector at relative offset 0:

Sector at offset 63 ->relative offset 0 ->PBR Partition Boot Record or bootsector, index pointing to the filesystem structure

Sector at offset ... ->Filesystem structure

Sector at offset ...

Sector at offset ...->Filesystem structure

Sector at offset ...

Sector at offset n

When you save a file on this volume:

Sector at offset 63 PBR

Sector at offset ... Filesystem structure

Sector at offset ...-> Index pointing to the location of the file is written

Sector at offset ... Filesystem structure

Sector at offset ...-> Actual file contents are written

Sector at offset n

So, basically:

• a partition or volume can only be found if the MBR data pointing to it is correct. -> Effect: RAW disk
  
• a filesystem on the partition or volume can only be found if the PBR bootsector pointing to it is correct. -> Effect: RAW filesystem
  
• a file on the filesystem can only be found if the Filesystem data pointing to it is correct. -> Effect: Lost file
  

Now the idea is to make an exact copy of the whole disk AS IS, at sector level.

Then, attempt to rebuild these "indexes" on the copy.

This way it is possible to attempt different methods without the risk of compromising the original, that in case of problems can be re-imaged to start again from scratch.

A couple examples of a recovery procedure from RAW:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=141687

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=145574

A suitable app to create the image is this one:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7783

jaclaz

Edited August 12, 2010 by jaclaz

[tb582]

Ok ran testDisk on the drive, got to this screen - what should I do now? add partition or just continue?

[jaclaz]

Ok ran testDisk on the drive, got to this screen - what should I do now? add partition or just continue?

On the drive?

Remember that this is VERY risky!

Point is how you got there.

Check this step-by-step as reference:

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Step_By_Step

If the drive was originally partioned under Vista or 7, in Options (4th screen) set:

• Cylinder boundary: No
  
• Allow partial last cylinder: Yes
  

When testdisk asks if you want to search for partitions created under Vista reply Yes.

Then when you get to that screen you posted, select Continue and do a "Deeper search".

If you could state HOW the drive was previously partitioned (like how many partitions, which type, which filesystems, etc.) and under WHICH operating system ( Linux, 2K/XP, Vista , 7, etc.) it would be a plus, as it is likely that we can find the actual bootsectors manually....

jaclaz

Edited August 15, 2010 by jaclaz

[tb582]

Ok ran testDisk on the drive, got to this screen - what should I do now? add partition or just continue?

On the drive?

Remember that this is VERY risky!

Point is how you got there.

Check this step-by-step as reference:

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Step_By_Step

If the drive was originally partioned under Vista or 7, in Options (4th screen) set:

• Cylinder boundary: No
  
• Allow partial last cylinder: Yes
  

When testdisk asks if you want to search for partitions created under Vista reply Yes.

Then when you get to that screen you posted, select Continue and do a "Deeper search".

If you could state HOW the drive was previously partitioned (like how many partitions, which type, which filesystems, etc.) and under WHICH operating system ( Linux, 2K/XP, Vista , 7, etc.) it would be a plus, as it is likely that we can find the actual bootsectors manually....

jaclaz

Drive was formatted under Windows XP - NTFS - its always been a secondary drive.

I hit no at the Vista screen - Whats my next step?

My lack of reading your response (hitting continue to do a deeper search now)

Edited August 15, 2010 by tb582