WinXP repair install does not detect NTFS drive

Darn · Post by **Darn** » 2005-12-07 05:30am

So: my other computer's windows xp always resets (with quickie-bluescreen) during loading... However, it DOES load quite a few files, it's not instantaneous. Anyway, my friend had a similiar problem a while back, and repair install did the trick. But... Damn installer thinks my (current) Windows drive (d: ) is unformatted! Other drives (fat) show up just fine. The repair console also gives an error when DIR:ing D:\. But as I said, normally the windows does load for a while, and error toleration mode (or whatever its called in English) shows quite a few files loading succesfully. Unless of course it loads them from c:\windows (my oooold win98). Oh yeah, this is an upgrade version of winxp home. So... any ideas?

Netko · Post by **Netko** » 2005-12-07 06:13pm

Wow, that sounds like a messed up computer. Personaly, while I'm definatly not a big fan of the nuke-it-all format-and-rebuild brigade, in this case I'd probably lean to that option. However if you want to attempt to salvage it try a utility from your disk manufacturer that will tell you if it is physicly ok (this kinda sounds like a possible hardware fault). Second, check if the disk is connected with SATA in which case you probably have to load drivers during the windows setup boot up routine in order to use the disk (drivers come on a floppy and should be inserted when the press something key to install additional scsi drivers thing comes up during install).

USSEnterprise · Post by **USSEnterprise** » 2005-12-08 12:03am

I'm almost positive that any version of command.com will never see an NTFS drive. Only a FAT drive. Is your Windows drive its own hard disk or is it just a partition of a hard disk? The drive may just have crashed

Darn · Post by **Darn** » 2005-12-08 03:46am

I have two hard drives, other is FAT and partitions c: e: f: and g:. Repair shows those fine, unsurprisingly. Drive d:, however, is a separate hard disk... and NTFS. So, the goddamn installer does not understand it. OR it's simply dead. However, I don't really know how to verify it under these circumstances...

Faram · Post by **Faram** » 2005-12-08 03:56am

Darn wrote:I have two hard drives, other is FAT and partitions c: e: f: and g:. Repair shows those fine, unsurprisingly. Drive d:, however, is a separate hard disk... and NTFS. So, the goddamn installer does not understand it. OR it's simply dead. However, I don't really know how to verify it under these circumstances...

Perhaps it is a Sata disk?

Windows XP finds ATA disk just fine but SerialATA is an other matter, they need drivers to work.

Darn · Post by **Darn** » 2005-12-08 04:03am

Faram wrote: Perhaps it is a Sata disk?

Windows XP finds ATA disk just fine but SerialATA is an other matter, they need drivers to work.

Maybe... I can't check right now, but if so, do I have any option other than install winxp to another drive (since I obviously dont want to format my precious d:...)?

Netko · Post by **Netko** » 2005-12-08 06:49am

If its conected with a thin "regular" looking cable its SATA, if its connect by a ribbon cable (ie cable consisting of a lot of sort-of individual cables bound together next to eachother like this ||||||||||||| ) then its PATA (ie. old tech windows has no problems with). Anyway, check my previous post on what to do if it is SATA.

Faram · Post by **Faram** » 2005-12-08 07:11am

mmar wrote:If its conected with a thin "regular" looking cable its SATA, if its connect by a ribbon cable (ie cable consisting of a lot of sort-of individual cables bound together next to eachother like this ||||||||||||| ) then its PATA (ie. old tech windows has no problems with). Anyway, check my previous post on what to do if it is SATA.

Damn did not read your post about SATA.

Good to see that there are more techjunkies here.

Netko · Post by **Netko** » 2005-12-08 01:18pm

Yeah, decided to post a bit in this forum a week or so ago, always glad to help if I can

Darn · Post by **Darn** » 2005-12-08 03:53pm

Got it working, joy. Apparently something had messed up hd's uh... size allocation tables (or whatever they're called in english) or something, running checkdisk in repair console fixed it. Still.. one wonders what caused this in the first place...
EDIT: Thanks for the advice, even if the problem/solution lied elsewhere. It was educational.

Netko · Post by **Netko** » 2005-12-08 04:21pm

Strange, that sort of stuff should be automaticly repared (unless you cancel it of course) on next startup when running xp and an ntfs drive.

Darn · Post by **Darn** » 2005-12-08 05:33pm

The problem was that the hard drive windows, and thus, necessary tools, were on was the one that went waah... So, winxp install cd was required.

Netko · Post by **Netko** » 2005-12-08 06:19pm

Oh right sorry, didn't see it from the OP. I'd still recommend checking out the physical health of the drive with the manufacturers tools tho.