Help- stack of HHD's Fail to load OS

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

I have been installing for a while and every computer I build seems like creating a new life form. I have 14 in front of me not to mention the ones for friends and family. I use them to test out the web sites I build on different systems and setups. I have started naming them after my favorite actress roles when I ran out of Disney princess names. easier to locate them than numbers on my network. There is Amy Pond and Jill Monroe and such. Anyway, to the point, up until recently had no issues with HD failures.But now even the last 4 that I bought will not load the OS on the platforms. They mostly are WD IDE’s. I have one new SSD sata that I have somehow put 2 copies of win 7 x64 pro on and will not boot or let me take it off. But the IDE’s are what are troubling me because there are so many and 4 are just purchased. I need to figure out what I am doing wrong to them to make them fail or not read on the systems. 2 of the problem child systems are asus boards from 2008 and 2 are dells, an optiplex gx260 and a dell dimension e310. I know they are old systems and they dont come close to my gaming/graphics rig , but its a fun hobby. I came to this forum from a funny post by
**ken_yap

****at ****https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/411452-how-to-fix-a-hard-disk-yourself

**

#2

On 2014-03-09 01:56, yellowbronco wrote:
> But the IDE’s are what are troubling me
> because there are so many and 4 are just purchased. I need to figure out
> what I am doing wrong to them to make them fail or not read on the
> systems

Does your room vibrate somehow?

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)

#3

WD’s quality has slipped a long ways in the past few years, so they could very well be just faulty drives. Take them back where you purchased them (if you purchased locally) and they should be able to check them, and replace them with good units if they are faulty.

#4

Before suspecting the drives and because it’s happening consistently with so many,
Consider you might be doing something wrong that’s very basic.

So, some basic troubleshooting

  • Disk lights on? Power connected?
  • Cables connected? Cleaned, especially on an od machine? Clean the electrical contacts with a pencil eraser.
  • BIOS updated? Are the disks recognized in the BIOS? This has to happen before an OS even has a chance to access.
  • Free space available? Maybe the disks are simply filled and there’s no space for a new install without modifying/removing old partitions.
  • Disk geometry not set correctly?
  • Disk pins not set correctly?

Etc.
TSU

#5

Correct.

And you can even check by connecting one at a time, checking it, then connecting the next, etc.

#6

On 2014-03-10 18:06, tsu2 wrote:
> Before suspecting the drives and because it’s happening consistently
> with so many,
> Consider you might be doing something wrong that’s very basic.

Like the mains supply, not steady.
Or the floor vibrating.

:slight_smile:

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)