Real messup installs... Vista, XP,2k,XP again!!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi, I have a really convoluted problem, which I think boils down to me having lost the control sector in my HDD after a format. I think!? I'll explain the sorry chain of events.

I have 2x Maxtor 6L30050 and an ASUS A8N-SLI Premium. I had an install of Vista on the machine, which was not working out for me - went to XP, but that install messed up due to the disc (not all data wrote). Went for an install of 2K I had lying around just to get something on there and in formatting the disk for this 2k install, I think I lost something.

Originally, the OS setup screen looked like this:

C:partitional (NTFS) xxxxxxMB xxxxxxMB
Unpartitioned Space 8MB

D:partitional (NTFS) xxxxxxMB xxxxxxMB
Unpartitioned Space 8MB

The 2k format I did for the (failed) 2k install was NTFS to NTFS (Vista to 2k stylee I guess?), but when looking at the HDDs in the OS setup after the 2k instal format, I then got this:

C:partitional (unknown) xxxxxxMB xxxxxxMB

D:partitional (NTFS) xxxxxxMB xxxxxxMB
Unpartitioned Space 8MB

I'd lost the first unpartitioned space on C, and it's saying 'unknown' as the file structure.

Long story short - the 2k install didn't work. I got a better copy of XP, but when trying to install this, after selecting the disk (C:) and copying the install files - after the reboot, a message comes up 'A disk read error occured'.

So I have no o/s on there and the HD seems unusable.

Have I broken my HDD? Or do I need to sort the MBR? Mobo, what?

Please, please, please help. I am totally stuck.

Rgds.
 
I think it means 'a disk read error occured', not 'A: ...' The A:can be read from.

Not really a double post. This started as an O/S prob and morphed into HDD...
 
Yes I have one, but I think the error is referring to the HDD, not the 'A:'. Don't most large HDDs have a control sector? I think that was the 8MB that is now gone? See my original post...
 
all i can suggest is to disable the A: drive for the duration of the installation and then re-enable it again after everything is working
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back