How to get in contact with a harddrive ?

[darkhorse]

From a DVB-T2 receiver, I would install the HDD in a laptop.

I would check the HDD before, and connected it via an USB device to my W7 computer.

Here I can see, that it is difficult to get in touch with.

How can I tackle this, if at all possible ?.

What I see in W7's manage is here.

 

[TVeblen]

Could be something easy. Try the solutions listed here:
Forum FAQ: External USB drive error "You must initialize the disk before Logical Disk Manager can access it"

If not, post back.

 

[darkhorse]

Thank you very much for your reply.

I read the link you gave me, but had no luck.

After I connected the drive direct to my Windows 7 computer.

I still have issue with getting the disk initialized as the first screendump shows.

Attached find the attachment, that now shows the disk as it's directly connected.

Also I found a software, that can check if a disk is locked, but it tells it's not.

What can I do now ?

 

[TVeblen]

Is there data on that hard drive that you are trying to keep?

If not, you could use Partition Wizard to try and format the drive NTFS. Just know that initializing the disk or formatting it will delete all of the data on the disk.
http://partitionwizard.com/download.html
(use the bootable CD, it is very useful for other problems too)

 

[darkhorse]

Thanks for this info. Partition Recovery Wizard is running now, and it will take a while.

BB after it.

 

[whs]

You can also right click in Disk Management (as per your last picture) where it says 'Disk0' and initialize it from there.

 

[darkhorse]

@whs

I tried that, but this option is not valid, as I get what is shown in my first screendump above this.

Any ideas why ?. Because the drive is not initialized ?. But this is what I can't do, or better this option is not possible.

 

[whs]

This is strange. When you got the error message, Disk1 was selected. But you wanted to initialize Disk0, did'nt you.

 

[darkhorse]

I have set up disk1 to be the one, that the system should boot to.

Disk0 is the temporary disk that is difficult to get initialized. It is temporary conencted. That's why it's disk0.

Anything wrong with that ?

 

[whs]

I am confused. On your pictures it is Disk0 that is not initialized.



But where you got the error message, you had selected Disk1 to be initialized.

 

[darkhorse]

@whs

Sorry, here it is again, and the right disk is selected.

I have attached what I see, when the Computer Management starts up.

The window "Initialize Disk" starts up.

I have the MBR checked here.

Clicking "OK" here, and the window "Virtual Disk Manager" appears.

The same procedure starts again, by right clicking Disk 0, and choose Intilialize Disk

Is it ok this time or ?. Sorry for having not made myself clear enough

 

[darkhorse]

@jumanji

Partition Wizard:

It detected the disk, and I ran the option to recover the partitions, but as I shall be away for some days, I stopped that again.

The disk as it is now is connected to a SATA port on the computer. It is installed as you say it.

 

[whs]

With Disk0 selected you got a different error message. It points to a problem on the disk. See whether running a chkdsk /r in command prompt can fix it.

 

[jumanji]

My post,which I deleted immediately because I thought it was not appropriate before whs responds to your query, not only queried the results of PW but also said since the drive in question is installed as a second drive there was no need to run it - Partition Wizard - from a bootable CD, and you could as well install Partition Wizard in Windows and run it.

I was also not sure whether you want to bring the HDD on stream formatting it, or you want to recover any data from it before formatting.

Since you had run Partition Recovery Wizard, there is an intention to recover data.

Taking this into consideration I shall leave it to whs to respond to your query whether you should go ahead with initialising the drive.

 

[darkhorse]

With Disk0 selected you got a different error message. It points to a problem on the disk. See whether running a chkdsk /r in command prompt can fix it.

I cannot give the disk a name, then how to use

chkdsk/r ?

 

[whs]

Try chkdsk 0: /r

 

[darkhorse]

I got this.

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>chkdsk 0: /r
The drive, the path, or the file name is not valid.

C:\Windows\system32>

 

[whs]

Hmm, I do not really remember how you specify the path to a drive that has no drive letter. Maybe some other member can step in and enlighten us. The 0: was just a guess but apparently it does not work.

 

[darkhorse]

I hope some other will knock on the door here to solve that question.

Your guess could have solved it, thanks

I'll be back again probably on wednesday or thursday due to a hospital visit.

Untill then all the best und auf wiederscreiben.

 

[alphanumeric]

My guess is that drive has a custom file structure/format that windows can't handle. It came out of a cable box right? Go to the drive makers web site and look for a utility to low level format the drive, or something that will wipe it clean by writing all zeros to it. Then see if windows will initialize it. Your not going to be able to recover any files on it, not easily anyway.