Cannot boot from HDDs after Power Outage

Sirus804 · 17 Dec 2010

Two days ago I was very pleased with this forum in helping me resolve a BSOD issue. Unfortunately, that night there was a power outage. I've never had issues with power outages until now. My computer is plugged into a surge protector. I can't boot from either of my HDDs. I go into BIOS and check the boot order, nothing is wrong. When F12ing to choose what to boot, I choose Hard disk and it recognizes both my Seagate and Western Digital Hard drives. So, I'm not sure it's a hardware issue.

I put in my Windows 7 CD to try to repair it. It boots up fine. However when I choose to repair windows it doesn't recognize the windows 7 partition on my WD640 drive. Windows says if it doesn't recognize the drive with windows 7, then press the drivers button to install drivers for your Hard drive. I click it and I can see my other Seagate drive and all its files along with any other plugged in drives except my WD640gb drive with windows. Install drivers for my HD? That's where I get lost. I've never needed drivers for it.. or was there a CD. Am I misunderstanding what it means? Is everything on that drive erased? Can a power outage do that? Please, any help would be amazing.

Is there anyway to check if the data is corrupted? Like if it not gone. If I were to just get another HD or SSD and install windows on it, could I still use my 640 gb for storage?

bigmck · 17 Dec 2010

Sirus804 said:

Two days ago I was very pleased with this forum in helping me resolve a BSOD issue. Unfortunately, that night there was a power outage. I've never had issues with power outages until now. My computer is plugged into a surge protector. I can't boot from either of my HDDs. I go into BIOS and check the boot order, nothing is wrong. When F12ing to choose what to boot, I choose Hard disk and it recognizes both my Seagate and Western Digital Hard drives. So, I'm not sure it's a hardware issue.

I put in my Windows 7 CD to try to repair it. It boots up fine. However when I choose to repair windows it doesn't recognize the windows 7 partition on my WD640 drive. Windows says if it doesn't recognize the drive with windows 7, then press the drivers button to install drivers for your Hard drive. I click it and I can see my other Seagate drive and all its files along with any other plugged in drives except my WD640gb drive with windows. Install drivers for my HD? That's where I get lost. I've never needed drivers for it.. or was there a CD. Am I misunderstanding what it means? Is everything on that drive erased? Can a power outage do that? Please, any help would be amazing.

Is there anyway to check if the data is corrupted? Like if it not gone. If I were to just get another HD or SSD and install windows on it, could I still use my 640 gb for storage?

The first thing I would do is run Checkdisk. How to use CHKDSK (Check Disk) - Windows 7 Let us know how that comes out.

Bare Foot Kid · 17 Dec 2010

Hello Sirus804.

Don't try to install anything until we get you sorted as you may over-write the data, there are ways to copy out the data to an external HDD; have a look at the tutorial at the link below.

Copy & Paste - in Windows Recovery Console

The first thing to try would be to reset the CMOS of the motherboard, do you know how?

Sirus804 · 17 Dec 2010

See the problem is that I can't run chkdsk or copy and paste. My main C: drive isn't recognized at all in windows repair or when I go to fix drivers. Though the HDD itself shows up in BIOS. My second HDD, which used to be E:, is now labeled as C:...
This is my dilema.. Does that mean the HD is the issue? Or is it still windows?

bigmck · 17 Dec 2010

Sirus804 said:

See the problem is that I can't run chkdsk or copy and paste. My main C: drive isn't recognized at all in windows repair or when I go to fix drivers. Though the HDD itself shows up in BIOS. My second HDD, which used to be E:, is now labeled as C:...
This is my dilema.. Does that mean the HD is the issue? Or is it still windows?

Are you able to boot with your Win CD and snip Disk Management so we can see what it looks like?

Sirus804 · 17 Dec 2010

-So I boot from HDD and see that it recognizes both my WDC and Seagate. My WDC is the drive with windows. Yes, I am booting from the WDC
-It skips over the HDD to boot from and goes straight to CD.
-In the repair menu it doesn't recognize the drive with windows 7.
-I click on drivers.
-In my computer it only lists my Seagate drive and the boot. Not my 640gp drive with Windows.

I attached pictures.

Also, just to rule out things.. I reset CMOS just in case. It didn't solve anything.

gregrocker · 17 Dec 2010

It finally seems clear your OS is on the WD which shows in BIOS but not in WinRe. Seagate is a data drive which data does show up when you browse it from WinRe drivers-loading mini-explorer.

Move the WD HD up to the top of the boot list so it is set to boot first, or try booting it using one-time BIOS Boot menu.

What is the 2mb boot disk X shown in #5 screenshot? That is not nearly big enough to be a Win7 Repair disk which is 147mb.. Use only the Win7 DVD Repair console (WinRE) or Repair CD: System Repair Disc - Create

Unplug the Seagate to perform these repairs:

Open a Command line from the DVD Recovery Tools list by clicking Next shown in your #3 screenshot, or press Shift + F10 when you boot to first screen. Type:

bootrec.exe /fixboot
bootrec.exe /fixmbr

Although these commands are automated in Win7 Startup Repair, if no OS shows to repair they can sometimes make it visible. Then run Startup Repair anyway up to 3 separate times with reboots if it will run.

If this fails, return to the Command Line to run Disk Check

Next I would boot the next most useful tool for Win7 repair, free Partition Wizard bootable CD to see exactly what it finds. We have been able to rely on this even more than Disk Mgmt so it will see your WD if it is there and connected correctly.

If the disk is showing, highlight it and select Rebuild MBR on Disk tab. First make sure Win7 partition is marked Active - If it isn't and Rebuild MBR doesn't start it, run Startup Repair again x3.

Next I would burn to CD WD Data Lifeguard DOS bootable diagnostics/repair CD, boot and run the full scan. Finally, boot back into DVD Command Line to run ChkDsk. If neither of these work, you can pronounce your HD dead.

Golden · 17 Dec 2010

I believe BootX is the DVD/CDROM - this shows when you boot from installation disk

jaggerwild · 17 Dec 2010

In the BIOS the HDD you want to boot from is on the secondary position in the left top most photo, my understanding from my set up is i high light it then on the numbers pad on my keyboard I hit the + button to put the(WDC640) HDD I want to boot from in the primary position(witch should have the boot MBR files on it) witch in turn makes windows boot upon a normal load.

gregrocker · 17 Dec 2010

Golden said:

I believe BootX is the DVD/CDROM - this shows when you boot from installation disk

Then the size has got to be wrong if it's the Repair CD he's booting from. It only shows 2mb when Win7 Repair size is 147mb, while the disk is only 33.5mb which is too small to be the smallest flash stick.

jaggerwild said:

In the BIOS the HDD you want to boot from is on the secondary position in the left top most photo, my understanding from my set up is i high light it then on the numbers pad on my keyboard I hit the + button to put the(WDC640) HDD I want to boot from in the primary position(witch should have the boot MBR files on it) witch in turn makes windows boot upon a normal load.

I noticed that too but the OS should still show in WinRE if it is present on the system, unless damaged enough not to show or be reparable. But it should be moved up to be sure.