new HDD for gateway computer

[Soundguy]

Update:

got the drive formatted, single partition, 137mb.. there is another 30mb partition that can be added.

I was correct.. that gateway restore cd bundle only had winxp hom eedition with no service packs installed. Good thing i told the western digital drive install software to only enable it for winxp and not winxp-sp1. Suposedly after i install sp1, I can go back in with western digital drive tools and activate that unused partition, and then windows can fomat it as another logical drive and make use of it,.
Since it only had a 40gig in there.. and he's got 137 now.. I think he'll be fine. I turned on auto updates and setup his dsl settings.. so he should be good to go. Got all his oem software and drivers back in, including printer.. should be just like he had it months ago before moving, sans any personal files. also.. old hdd didn't make it.. tried the freezer just in case. drive doesn't even power up any more.. just buzzes and then clicks and that's it.. not sure what happened to it.. it was a wd 40gig uata from 2002.. etc.

software reinstall was tedious but had no surprises.. except that it was an oem'd ver of winxp home, and didn't require the 'activation' that normal windows xp does. Though the documentation doesn't mention it (DOH!) the winxp install cd and the disc one of the recover cd set are both bootable. In fact.. after trial and error I found that when you boot off disc1, it immediatly asks for the win software cd if no os is detected.. lucky for me it worked that way, as I had thought it was 2 steps.. ie.. install windows.. THEN start the recovery... worked out ok.

( now he tells me his wifes compaq can't find the hdd!!!! ).. what he's doing to kill HDD's I'll never know!! I told hime to give me a few days 'rest' for that one.. I did 'rush' his other cpu as he needed it urgently for school.. however this other is obviously a surf/shopping network machine.. etc..

thanks for everybodies help. much of it was needed, and ALL of it was appreciated.

soundguy

 

[MossRoad]

If you ever get a copy of partition magic you can do some neat stuff. Like make a small partition to initially load the OS, then bring it up to all service packs, updates, etc... then use partition magic to increase the size of the partition to take advantage of the whole drive. Another thing to do is create a small 10G partition above the main partition, then use a product like Ghost to make a complete image of the first partition to a file on the second partition. If the first ever gets monkeyed up, just boot off the ghost disk and restore it from the image on the 2nd partition.

Sorry the freezer trick didn't do you any good. Once you have some time, it may be interesting to open the drive and see what is in there. Sometimes you will see the disks gouged by the head. Sometimes you can plug in the power and watch the head click back and forth, etc... it is interesting to see what goes on in there. Also, you can get yourself some magnets to make a Chalkley cup!

 

[Amontilado]

NTSF will resolve that.

Wasn't a function of the underlying filesystem. The restore disks restored a partition of 15gig. tried reformatting beforehand, but those darn IBM disks restored the system to its original software configuration, period .

Steve

 

[Soundguy]

I've used ghost many times but not PM.

Suposedly the WD software will be able to 'grow' the partition after the sp update. I know the 'low level' prep the wd software did was for the full drive capacity, then it went back in another seperate step and set the active partition smaller ( 137gb) for the non sp1 xp instalation.

All in all it was pretty painless except the fact that gateway restore disc set is like 5 disc's, and instead of going in linear order.. it asks for different disc's at different times.. ALL thru the restore.. so you can't plop on in and walk away.. you gotta set there and hold it's hand. i did like the fact that othe oem gateway xp disc was pre-activated.. etc.

I've been into many ahard disc.. I did lotsa computer work back inthe early 80's on up until w95 came out when i got out of it. This one I suspect to find a plowed furrow and a loose head.. before it finally up and died it sounded like it was auto parking alot.

in any case.. part 1 of the fiasco is over.. part 2 next week when he brings me his other pc that is suspiciously having a similar problem.. ALSO not finding it's HDD.. I'm again hoping for a low cmos battery and lost drive params.. etc..

thanks again for the help guys... I've never dinked with a gateway except one little itty-bitty one we have in our office in a mine desktop case.. and it's been 'hands free'.. etc..

soundguy

If you ever get a copy of partition magic you can do some neat stuff. Like make a small partition to initially load the OS, then bring it up to all service packs, updates, etc... then use partition magic to increase the size of the partition to take advantage of the whole drive. Another thing to do is create a small 10G partition above the main partition, then use a product like Ghost to make a complete image of the first partition to a file on the second partition. If the first ever gets monkeyed up, just boot off the ghost disk and restore it from the image on the 2nd partition.

Sorry the freezer trick didn't do you any good. Once you have some time, it may be interesting to open the drive and see what is in there. Sometimes you will see the disks gouged by the head. Sometimes you can plug in the power and watch the head click back and forth, etc... it is interesting to see what goes on in there. Also, you can get yourself some magnets to make a Chalkley cup!

 

[zeuspaul]

Tapping on the drive while it turns on sometimes starts it spinning. A friend of mine had an old computer with part of the drive casing removed. He gave the drive a spin as the power was turned on to get it going. It may be worth a try if there are old files to be recovered.

Zeuspaul

 

[Soundguy]

I've got it on my desk, just got to remember to get my mini torx bits to work.

soundguy

 

[RobertN]

I've got it on my desk, just got to remember to get my mini torx bits to work.

soundguy

I've disassembled a few drives at work; most that I have seen are vacuum sealed(the actual disk). Will they work if you break the seal?

 

[MossRoad]

I've disassembled a few drives at work; most that I have seen are vacuum sealed(the actual disk). Will they work if you break the seal?

Yep. They'll work.

 

[Soundguy]

The ones I've seen are not vacume sealed.. and in fact have a vent / breather hole with a breather element inside, and even say that if you block the breather hole that you void the warranty...

soundguy