Forget the graphics. The HDD was the problem. Here we go.

Factual Questions
1

Ok, in the previous thread I was asking about the graphics settings and drivers. It was a problem resulting from a recovery. The problem is much bigger.

It turns out recovery wasn’t a knee-jerk action, rather an action that was taken after the first sympton of everyone’s hopes and dreams.

Complete and utter HDD failure. The goddamn thing just clicks when the system tries to access it.

So, no recovery, no partial recovery, no safe mode option, nothing. The drive isn’t even worthy of being a doorstop as stubbing your toe on it would result in a trip to the ER for stitches. Any attempt to access it gives a one line statement that there is a disk error.

The thing is shot to hell.
So here’s where I stand. And I need some advice/tips/suggestions/etc. (Prayers would be nice as well. Pick a God, I don’t care which right now) :slight_smile:

It’s a Compaq system with a factory 40GB. Recently, as some may know, I installed a second 200GB. The 200GB drive has 40GB devoted to an Ubuntu install, with the rest partitioned in NTSF for data storage. (I’m just giving all the info I can to let you know what I’m working with.) Thanks be to OG that I made the LiveDVD of Ubuntu allowing me to post here now.

I removed the 40GB, connected the 200 to the master end of the cable and changed the jumper to Master. I tried to recover from the Compaq disks with no result. (More on this in a bit.)

I have a second store-bought (not bundled) copy of XP. I set the bios to boot from the DVD drive, put the disk in the tray and booted. No luck.

I started to think it’s because Compaq has the system set up to only recognize their disks. I’ve had the thing for about a year and a half, so I knew it was out of warranty. However, paying hundreds for a system that required their disks to be used on their drive and that drive crashing after 18 months, I thought they may take pity on me. It is, after all, useless as a Windows system right now. And as much as I like Linux, I need Windows for a plethora of tasks.

So I called customer service, praying for at least a reach-around. I lucked out and got a guy that couldn’t really do anything without charge, but recognized I, unlike many I’m sure he deals with, can actually tie my own shoes without shitting myself.

So in a wink-wink-nudge-nudge way, he mentioned removing the bios battery if I wanted to use just the 200GB drive and boot from my original copy of XP. He also made it implicitly clear that the recovery disks will work, so long as the drive is the same size as the original.

So here are my options as I see them, and need some advice in which way to go.

  1. This is what I’d prefer. I can remove the bios battery and should be able to boot from the original XP disk to the 200. However, with the formatting done, I’m not sure what other steps I’d need to take to get the 200 ready for a direct install from the DVD drive. If this is possible. Also, how long does the battery need to be removed? And how the hell do I find the bios battery? Since this is the way I’d prefer to do it, it probably isn’t practical, but what the hell.

  2. Lay out more coin (Well not much I guess) and pick up a 40 to use the recovery disks on and go from there. This may be the easiest thing to do, but being that I’m on the threshold of gaining instant verteran status in the war on HDD’s by doing the first (if possible) I actually wouldn’t mind getting my hands dirty.

  3. Installing and exclusively using Linux. Nice thought, appealing, completely impractical and the potential cause of millions of hamster lives in threads asking how to install umpteen programs, drivers and hardware.
    What should I do, and how should it be done?

Thanks againfor any help offered.

2

While I guess it is possible to restrict the install of recovery discs by HDD size, it would be a crazy foolish thing to do. Upgraded HDD’s are a big push for computer manufactors, and having to have a different one for each HDD is crazy. In my days with Gateway (98-2001) the size of the HDD never affected system recovery.

removing the battery to the BIOS will do the same as clearing the NVRAM, which on most MBDs can be done by moving a specific jumper. This may not be a bad idea.

When you say you’re not able to boot and install from either your recovery CD’s or a commercial version of XP, what errors do you get? This would help us figure out whats going on.

3

If you don’t have a manual, there should be one available on the Compaq website. Since you have a live Ubuntu, I’d say look there – any halfway decent manual is going to include the MB layout, which should indicate the location of the battery (and/or jumpers for reset, which is preferable).

From our last interaction about installing Linux, you know which option I think is best. Ditch the M$ albatross while you can make a clean break! :smiley:

4

The error I get is the “Disk failure” something or other. It won’t write to the 40. When I run just the 200, it says there is no system diskw hen I try it with the XP disk in the drive. Without the XP disk, it’ll now go to Linux.

Is the battery the one that’s about the size of a nickel? I think I found it. now I need to know if I remove that for a few minutes, is there a chance Linux won’t boot either? IOW, am I risking having nothing at all?

And I can understand the love of Linux DS, but I’ve just wasted the last hour trying to install the Linux version of Real Player just so I can listen to a radio show I subscribe to. With Windows, I right click, save target and burn to a disk. Ease of use does have it’s advantages.

5

So, I googled for this page on “disk failure”, which may be of help. If you would, follow their diagnosing steps and post what you find out. Rather than use the fdisk utility, I’d suggest using gparted in Linux (since you have an operational, graphical Ubuntu system going). Oh, and – unless you installed a boot loader on the 200, you won’t be able to boot from it. However, I should think that the Live CD would be able to select and boot that system if it’s readable; I’d be surprised if it doesn’t scan the existing OSes before booting itself.

Yes, that’s the battery. IIRC, the battery simply allows you to store your BIOS settings; while the computer will run without it, you’ll need to reset all of them each time you power back on. NOTE: before taking my word for it and running it without the battery (or even removing it), it would be good to get confirmation that I’m correct. I’m sure someone will be along that can either confirm or debunk.

Yeah, I know. I was just ribbing, hence the big grin; ya use whatever gets the job done. I posted that with some trepidation; I actually kinda expected someone to respond with a defense of Windows or a “Linux sucks” post before I got back. Last thing I want is for a GQ to devolve into one of those arguments…

6

Simple thing to check, and I know you said you did, but make sure that the first boot device in your bios is ATAPI CDROM or DVD drive, and not 1st HDD. With a windows XP CD in your drive you should get an option to boot to CDROM. If you’re not, I’d swap the ribbon cables on the back of your working HDD and the DVD drive to eliminate a bad hard drive controller.
Just a thought – if they are IDE drives, make sure the master/slave setting is correct.