Hard disk failure?

[drasnor]

My system uses two hard drives, an IBM Deskstar 120GXP (40GB) to hold Windows XP and Program files and a Maxtor DiamondMax OEM hard drive (20GB) to hold my user profiles directories under Windows XP. The Maxtor appears to have failed.

I unknowingly attempted to copy a file larger than the remaining physical disk space left on the drive, and just as I receive the out of space error, I hear a loud click sound and my IDE activity light comes on solid. The machine then locks up for about 5 minutes, after which Windows XP delivers a "Delayed Write Fail" error, whereupon I restarted the computer. The BIOS doesn't detect the Maxtor, and the drive emits two loud piercing beeps every few minutes, followed by a few clicks. Windows XP boots, but without a Profiles Directory, I get to use the equivalent of a new user every time I boot.

I've had this happen once before doing the same thing, and I solved that by power cycling the machine several times and enabling SMART after it detected the drive in the BIOS. However, it wasn't beeping then, and the BIOS doesn't see it now. I've been power cycling it for the past few hours, hoping, but nothing has come up.

Any solutions that don't include a new hard drive? I kinda want the data off of this one first. Yes I keep a backup, but it's "off site".

-drasnor :fold:

[primesuspect]

Go get Maxtor's MaxBlast utility and run it on the drive. If it can be soft-repaired, that's the tool that will do it. Sounds like a SMART reset may take care of the problem, at least long enough for you do get data off.

[Al_Capown]

Anyone see that coming? Right when he said ibm i was like ah, so that failed. Then he tells us it's the maxtor... weird.

[Rob]

I had 10 new WD SE drives fail in a row. You never know whats comming :)

[profdlp]

Rob said
I had 10 new WD SE drives fail in a row. You never know whats comming :)

You're kidding, right?

That is the worst luck yet.:banghead: Were they all out of the same batch? Maybe the delivery driver let the box of drives fall off the truck at 60mph...


Prof:confused:

[Rob]

Same vendor, 2 seperate orders. WD replaced them asap no questions asked. Doesn't retrieve the gigs and gigs of lost client data and massive headaches involved :(

No, I'm not kidding. The vendor was computergate

[profdlp]

Rob said
Same vendor, 2 seperate orders. WD replaced them asap no questions asked. Doesn't retrieve the gigs and gigs of lost client data and massive headaches involved :(

No, I'm not kidding. The vendor was computergate

computergate? I should have known that G. Gordon Liddy had his hand in this...:wtf:


Prof

[MJO]

Anyone see that coming? Right when he said ibm i was like ah, so that failed. Then he tells us it's the maxtor... weird.

I was thinking, "Ah another dead IBM".
But I got suprised..:rolleyes2