Post #118,022
9/17/03 12:40:44 PM
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Windows 2000 Inaccessible_Boot_Device error and recovery
The dreaded "Inaccessible_Boot_Device" blue screen. The hard part is trying to figure out if it is a disk problem or a virus. It could also be that the hard drive firmware is not W2K compatable, or the drive isn't terminated or set right.
I was working on a friend's system, he had W2K Pro on a second 4Gig hard drive, and during a power failure the read/write heads crashed on his disk. His C: drive was a separate 3Gig drive with 98SE. He couldn't afford a new drive, so we got him a used drive, an IBM Deskstar DPTA-371360 13.5Gig drive for $25USD from a local store.
His 3Gig drive wouldn't work with this drive, so I unplugged the CD-ROM and set the 3Gig on the second IDE controller. Ran Ghost 2003 and copied the 98SE partition to the C: partition on the IBM drive, 6.6Gig for C: and 6.6Gig for D:. Took out the 3Gig drive and put the CD-ROM back in. 98SE booted perfectly, stuck in a network card so I could access my DSL and run OS and AV updates. Ran NU Diskdoctor, no problems found.
Ok, got his W2K Pro disk, booted off the floppies, but setup only saw 2Gig and unformatted or damaged partitions, WTF? So then I ran Setup from 98SE, which went fine until the machine restarted into Windows 2000 Setup and reported a "Inaccessible_Boot_Device" error.
Rebooted into 98SE, installed The Cleaner, no viruses or trojans found. Ran Spybot, no Spyware found. Ran Diskdoctor, no errors on the drives found.
Ok W2K pro installed fine on this machine before with a different hard drive, so it doesn't need a F6 driver disk.
Then I checked the IDE cable, it was set right. No other IDE device was on the ribbon. I checked the BIOS, it found the hard drive just fine. Then I saw the Jumper settings again, apparently I read the wrong side. I read the 2G Clip side, and set the drive up as the Master. Then it made sense, that W2K saw the drive as a 2G drive. Must be for older BIOSes, so I tried the other settings. Now setup works. Funny thing is that 98SE and BIOS saw the drive as a 13.5Gig drive and FDISK let me partition it before I ghosted it. I didn't know what 2G Clip meant, I thought it was for bypassing the 2G limitations by changing the hard drive geometry to work with older BIOSes. Rememeber we bought the drive used and it had no instructions with it. The other settings said for 9.5Gig mode only, and I thought it limited the drive to only 9.5Gigs. But this setting works with W2K and the other does not.
Moral of the story, verify what the hard drive jumper settings do before installing W2K and above, or else you may get an "Inaccessible_Boot_Device" error blue screen.
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
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Post #118,023
9/17/03 1:14:53 PM
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Or RTFM
[link|http://www.hgst.com/tech/techlib.nsf/techdocs/85256AB8006A31E587256A7A00698D7C/$file/dpta_ig.PDF|Quick installation guide Deskstar 34GXP & 37GP]
Models:
DPTA-371360 DPTA-372050
DPTA-372730 DPTA-373420
DPTA-351500 DPTA-352250
DPTA-353000 DPTA-353750
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Post #118,028
9/17/03 1:56:10 PM
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I didn't have access to that
searched and couldn't find it. I also note that it doesn't talk about the 2G Clip settings. That is what the drive was originally set to when we bought it. So I went with what the printing on the drive said and the settings it was set to, which the local store said was the correct configuration for a master drive. Wrong setting, in this case.
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
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Post #118,032
9/17/03 2:45:13 PM
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One thing I've learned...
...is never trust the guy from the "local store."
Many of my worst pc experiences could have been avoided had I known this from the start.
If you push something hard enough, it will fall over. Fudd's First Law of Opposition
[link|mailto:bepatient@aol.com|BePatient]
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Post #118,038
9/17/03 3:27:58 PM
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Get to know your local geek.
Sometimes they actually know what they're talking about.
Case in point: Me. I got my start as a computer store technician. I will admit that at first, I had no idea what I was doing - but I admitted it, learned the ropes, learned how stuff worked, and never claimed to be able to do something I couldn't.
Get to KNOW your technician, THEN decide if he's any good.
In that final hour, when each breath is a struggle to take, and you are looking back over your life's accomplishments, which memories would you treasure? The empires you built, or the joy you spread to others?
Therin lies the true measure of a man.
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Post #118,074
9/18/03 3:12:42 AM
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On this we agree...
...but chances are he doesn't work at the "local store".
I've met some guys at stores that know what they're doing...but on a sheer percentage basis....odds are slim that your gonna find him/her easily.
Its usually that neighbor kid...or the guy a couple doors over...or that friend of your friend...
If you push something hard enough, it will fall over. Fudd's First Law of Opposition
[link|mailto:bepatient@aol.com|BePatient]
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Post #118,160
9/18/03 7:41:33 PM
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Interesting point. Since Attitude is All -
What two questions would you ask of the anonymous face before you, representing self as Ept?
Guess I mean (since the topic might be Anything)
What's the least-threatening (or smart-ass sounding) interrogation as might, with informed interpretation - reveal a clue about Cluefulness re. any given \ufffd-topic du jour?
(Extra credit for answering impossibly General questions, of course ;-)
Kindly Inquisitive Ashton at yer desk --
..just lookin fer loopholes, son
..lookin fer loopholes.
(PS - I have a few ideas re mechanics..
like, asking a brake guy his policy on {say]
"automatically turning rotors" -?- on every brake-pad replacement.)
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Post #118,216
9/19/03 12:48:26 PM
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Evaluation is usally done now...
...by listening to interaction with other customers.
Wouldn't be able to narrow it down to a 2 or 3 questions that would "tag" a person. Many may know a decent amount about a certain aspect...but feel pressure to offer answers on other subjects...even though their answer should be an unqualified "I don't know".
If you push something hard enough, it will fall over. Fudd's First Law of Opposition
[link|mailto:bepatient@aol.com|BePatient]
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Post #118,316
9/20/03 6:01:46 AM
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Ah.. had forgotten that
Now that you mention it.
Guess I do similarly, try to arrange to be 'lookin at stuff' for a time, listen to other exchanges. Hadn't realized that is also a er Tactic! til it's Your turn.
Thanks for reminder; another example of, We Know Not What We Doooo..
I.
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Post #118,024
9/17/03 1:24:32 PM
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Last time I saw that . .
. . booting from the CD-ROM to the recover console and running CHKDSK fixed it just fine.
[link|http://www.aaxnet.com|AAx]
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