I had an external HDD put in as an external HDD, but for some reason it is marked as active (when connected with my normal HDDs windows will not boot), can I make it inactive WITHOUT loosing all the data (It has only my movie collection ripped from DVD on it) nothing else. I only found out the other day when I replaced my PSU with a new one, and windows would not boot until I disconnected it. (after having it connected without a problem for about 2 years).
My Computer
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home Build
OS
Windows 8.1 Pro
CPU
i5 3550 Ivy Bridge
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H
Memory
8gb 1600 GSkill 9-9-9-24 xmp
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte GTX 760 OC
Sound Card
VIA VT2021 onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
BenQ GL2760H 27inch hdmi; LG Flatron E2351 23inch dvi
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
1x Samsung 850 Evo 120GB
1x 4TB WD Green HDD
1x 3TB WD Green HDD
2x 2TB Seagate HDD
1x 1TB Seagate External HDD
PSU
Cooler Master V750
Case
Coolermaster HAF 912 Advanced
Cooling
Standard
Keyboard
Logitech K120 USB
Mouse
Razor Abyssus USB
Internet Speed
Broadband
Antivirus
MSE + Malwarebytes
Browser
Palemoon
Other Info
It's been the worst day since yesterday (thanks Flogging Molly) so apt!
In a standard Windows PC, the active partition would be C, or System Reserved if you have that partition. Do you have both of those partitions and is either of them marked "active"?
The active flag has nothing to do with data.
A screen shot of Windows Disk Management would help.
My Computer
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Ignatz Special; 4 speed manual gearbox; factory air conditioning; one of one
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
CPU
Intel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked
Motherboard
AsRock Z170M Extreme 4, micro ATX
Memory
8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)
Graphics Card(s)
none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Sound Card
onboard: Realtek ALC1150; external: USB Behringer UF0-202
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2340M 23 inch IPS
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900
Hard Drives
System: Crucial MX100 series SSD, 128 GB;
Data: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ, 1 TB;
Backup: WD Caviar Green WD30EZRX-00D8PB0, 3 TB
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Pale Moon
Other Info
All fans PWM; speeds at idle: CPU circa 500 rpm; intake circa 600 rpm; exhaust circa 600 rpm; CPU temps 27 idle and 47 C load in a warm room (27 C/81 F) when running Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test.
I cannot boot into windows with that drive connected. I will be buying an external enclosure soon, so I can plug it in when windows boots, and remove the active flag, but what I want to know is will I lose my data if I do?
My Computer
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home Build
OS
Windows 8.1 Pro
CPU
i5 3550 Ivy Bridge
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H
Memory
8gb 1600 GSkill 9-9-9-24 xmp
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte GTX 760 OC
Sound Card
VIA VT2021 onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
BenQ GL2760H 27inch hdmi; LG Flatron E2351 23inch dvi
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
1x Samsung 850 Evo 120GB
1x 4TB WD Green HDD
1x 3TB WD Green HDD
2x 2TB Seagate HDD
1x 1TB Seagate External HDD
PSU
Cooler Master V750
Case
Coolermaster HAF 912 Advanced
Cooling
Standard
Keyboard
Logitech K120 USB
Mouse
Razor Abyssus USB
Internet Speed
Broadband
Antivirus
MSE + Malwarebytes
Browser
Palemoon
Other Info
It's been the worst day since yesterday (thanks Flogging Molly) so apt!
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Pale Moon
Other Info
All fans PWM; speeds at idle: CPU circa 500 rpm; intake circa 600 rpm; exhaust circa 600 rpm; CPU temps 27 idle and 47 C load in a warm room (27 C/81 F) when running Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test.
