unable to initialize Disk - because of an I/O error

DocBrown said:

Do you have any friends with XP or Vista computers that you could connect to to see it the files are accessable ? & could be move & saved to anoter drive?

hi docbrown,
i don't mind now to try format it, can i do it from my laptop? or i need another pc too?

T1NT1N said:

couldn't boot from it:



been like one month since the last time i used it (home PC) .. i am starting to think it is damaged now

It's possible, but I wouldn't jump to that conclusion just yet. The 250GB isn't listed in the boot device order. Does the BIOS recognize that drive on the information tab? That's the first tab when you enter the BIOS.

Man, I hate those Phoenix BIOS's that only have those 5 categories. They hardly leave you any options at all. And forget about trying to overclock...aint' gonna' happen with that BIOS. [Nevermind me, I'm just ranting...LOL]

MadMaxData said:

It's possible, but I wouldn't jump to that conclusion just yet. The 250GB isn't listed in the boot device order. Does the BIOS recognize that drive on the information tab? That's the first tab when you enter the BIOS.

Man, I hate those Phoenix BIOS's that only have those 5 categories. They hardly leave you any options at all. And forget about trying to overclock...aint' gonna' happen with that BIOS. [Nevermind me, I'm just ranting...LOL]

no it isn't listed there, ithought u'd sleeping by now?

When you connect the "new" drive to the PC, are you using the IDE connector and power molex (plug) from the PC? Don't try to use the laptop converters when you do this.

You also need to check the jumper position on the HDD in the PC. If it is set on "Cable Select" then this new drive must be on Cable Select. If the PC drive is set on Master then the new drive must be set on SLAVE.

If properly hooked up and the PC cannot still cannot see the new HDD then it is quite possible the drive is no good. I'm assuming you can hear the drive spin up when you power on?

TVeblen said:

When you connect the "new" drive to the PC, are you using the IDE connector and power molex (plug) from the PC? Don't try to use the laptop converters when you do this.

If you read the OP, you'll see that the machine in question is a laptop, not a desktop.

MadMaxData said:

TVeblen said:

When you connect the "new" drive to the PC, are you using the IDE connector and power molex (plug) from the PC? Don't try to use the laptop converters when you do this.

If you read the OP, you'll see that the machine in question is a laptop, not a desktop.

He was later talking about testing the HDD on a PC he has (Post #19). But maybe I got confused.

That would be the best way to test it (on a PC). It would eliminate the dongle and power adapter as likely suspects and just see if the drive works.

TVeblen,
Totally unrelated--ever hear of a famous philosopher named Thorsten Veblen, author of Theory of the Leisure Class

Try clicking offline (from your first image) and see if reactivate disk is available - see below
A dynamic disk may become Offline if it is corrupted or intermittently unavailable. A dynamic disk may also become Offline if you attempt to import a foreign (dynamic) disk and the import fails. An error icon appears on the Offline disk. Only dynamic disks display the Missing or Offline status.
To reactivate a dynamic disk by using the Windows interface
In Disk Management, right-click the disk marked Missing or Offline.
Click Reactivate Disk. The disk should be marked Online after the disk is reactivated.

i will be doing more tests when i get back home, on my PC, and i will report back to you
thank you all for your help, really you have a great community here and nothing to envy to ubuntu community (unlike an idée reçue i had before)

karlsnooks said:

TVeblen,
Totally unrelated--ever hear of a famous philosopher named Thorsten Veblen, author of Theory of the Leisure Class

And obviously you have too!