Help required, boot disk fail. :-(

Mak3R · 24 Jun 2011 at 20:13

Following on from my thread here http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18286921

I now have a totally unbootable, new hard disk. The same thing happened with my SSD that is being rma'd. Upon boot up I get a "boot failure, insert system disk" message. My OS drive is not recognised by bios. However my other data drive is recognised perfectly fine.
I have tried different sata ports, including the ones that work for the working drive and DVD drives, different cables, and a different sata power cable chain on my psu.

I'm starting to lose the plot here. What could be causing this? Anyone please help :-(

Surveyor · 24 Jun 2011 at 21:03

Two drives failing to be recogised might suggest it's a problem with the motherboard and not the drives.

Mak3R · 24 Jun 2011 at 21:26

Yes I thought that also. But then why does it detect my other data drive and both optical drives? No matter what port they are in they all show up. Just not the OS disk.
Really frustrating.

SandyG · 24 Jun 2011 at 21:39

maybe im on the wrong lines but i had similar problems when my bios was looking in the wrong directory for windows..

some times some dual boots cause problems and messing about with partitions can cause it to switch from for eg C:/ to D:/ without the BOOT sector being told that its changed and getting it to restart and find it is a massive pain.

Not sure if this is the kind of problem you mean.

EDIT: just re read what u asked and im totally thinking of something else. sorry

Mak3R · 27 Jun 2011 at 09:32

I was all set to buy a new motherboard but I have a friend in work who thinks this problem could be caused by the PSU. Could this be a culprit? In that it's causing some sort of power spike and blowing the disk?

I have slaved the not working drive in a docking station in work and it's not showing up there. So it appears to be totally dead.

getcarter · 27 Jun 2011 at 10:54

I doubt the PSU would be the culprit. Either your very unlucky or as already stated its the motherboard.

EGuitarStar · 27 Jun 2011 at 10:57

Have you tried just your OS disk without any other dirves connected? Do you have any IDe drives in there? If so, check jumper settings.

Mak3R · 27 Jun 2011 at 11:09

Yes I have tried just the OS drive on it's own, removed both opticals and the other HDD.
There are no IDE drives. ( what is this 1999?

)

So common thought here is it's the mobo, whilst in work it's the PSU. Confused!

EGuitarStar · 27 Jun 2011 at 11:26

Try the drive in another machine see if BIOS can see it, if you are able to do this.

Mak3R · 27 Jun 2011 at 11:45

I have it connected to my laptop in work via a dock station. It does not show up lime any other drive would. Also when I reboot with it in my laptop it boots up saying there is something wrong with a connected device. It doesn't appear in bios.

EGuitarStar · 27 Jun 2011 at 11:58

Issue with the drive.

EGuitarStar · 27 Jun 2011 at 11:59

What is the drive make and model number it isn't a Seagate 7200.11 is it?

Mak3R · 27 Jun 2011 at 13:04

It is not just an issue with the drive. The exact same thing happened to my ssd less than 2 weeks before. So something else is causing it.
The HDD is a samsung spinpoint f3 250gb (bought as a temp drive until my SSd was returned but then the same thing happened to it.

Mak3R · 27 Jun 2011 at 20:15

Ok Ive borrowed a HDD from work and another psu. Let the testing begin...

getcarter · 27 Jun 2011 at 20:29

Good luck!