Corrupted partition table

In
Plenn typed:
The hard drive is 1-2 years old. I think the problem was a faulty A:\
cable connection, as every week or so at random times it made weird
noises and the A:\ light flashed on, hanging Windows and eventually
corrupting Windows. It also did this with my previous hard drive. I
have since disconnected A:\ and it hasn't been a problem with my 3rd
hard disk.

Hi Plenn, an A: drive cable has nothing to do with the HD!
A: stands for a Floppy drive/connection!
Horst

In
Plenn typed:
Unfortunately i tried all of the tools in this thread and none
worked. Most wouldn't even let me select the drive for repair, it
simply didn't show up in the select drive lists.

Hi Plenn, what was You looking for?
On a Re-Install there's no need for any other tools.
For a repair most of the tools looked useable.
So it looks like You should provide more details on Your specific problem.
Horst

Horst Franke nospam@invalid wrote
Plenn wrote.

BTW i had since formatted C: but couldn't even see the hard disk as a
secondary drive with a separate hard disk as primary running Windows.

Hi Plenn or X,
Drive C: cannot ever be seen as secondary drive when You want to use it as System
partition ie. bootable drive!

Wrong.

Respectively the "bootable flag" is the triggering event as bootable device.

Repeat in pure engish.

And you're just plain wrong there too with modern
bios that can boot secondary drives fine.

I have also tried using Phoenix FAT & NTFS to repair the partition table - ran for a
few hours but came up with no results

Win XP gives a repair function by "fixmbr" via System recovery console. But if You ever
planned to reinstall XP then there should be no need for this.
The Reinstall will reestablish the Boot partition and recognize other partitions.

Wrong again if the reinstall cant see the original install.

"X" wrote in message
...
hard disk will not even boot up from the Windows XP CD because the
partition table is corrupt. What can i do?

Your HD will NEVER boot from a CD, because this is a BIOS function!

Wrong again, there are in fact a few systems that can do that fine.

Only Your OS might be able to do this.

Wrong again.

And if You plan a new setup, then there's no need for any previous setup.

Also, I have considered using a 3rd party program to overwrite the
current partition table with a new one (i know the approx sizes of
the old partitions), will this work or will the data still be
innaccessible?

This is a REPAIR action but has nothing to do with "new" setup/format.
So if You looked for a XP Reinstall then forget all of these.
Reinstall will set up a new environment.

Not necessarily.

And your bizarre approach to quoting has left an obscene mess too.

Horst Franke nospam@invalid wrote:
In
Plenn typed:
The hard drive is 1-2 years old. I think the problem was a faulty A:\
cable connection, as every week or so at random times it made weird
noises and the A:\ light flashed on, hanging Windows and eventually
corrupting Windows. It also did this with my previous hard drive. I
have since disconnected A:\ and it hasn't been a problem with my 3rd
hard disk.

Hi Plenn, an A: drive cable has nothing to do with the HD!
A: stands for a Floppy drive/connection!

He appears to be saying that it was indeed the
floppy drive/connection that was behaving like that.

Plenn wrote:

Unfortunately i tried all of the tools in this thread and none
worked. Most wouldn't even let me select the drive for repair, it simply didn't show up
in the select drive lists.

OK, then something has died.

"Rod Speed" wrote in message
...
X wrote

Hi, my hard disk crashed in the middle of Windows one day. I have
multiple partitions so i tried to format and reinstall Windows to
C: so that i could retrieve my data on the other partitions, but
the hard disk will not even boot up from the Windows XP CD because
the partition table is corrupt. What can i do?

The first thing to do is decide why it crashed in the first place.

If the hard drive is dying, what you can do is different to when
the problem was just software thats corrupted the partition table.

Also, I have considered using a 3rd party program to overwrite the
current partition table with a new one (i know the approx sizes of
the old partitions), will this work

You need to know more than just the approx sizes, you
need to know them much more accurately than that.

or will the data still be innaccessible?

Depends on whether the hard drive has died or not.

See what
http://www.diydatarecovery.nl/DiskPatch.htm
says about the drive.

Its a lot safer to do it with the drive as a slave in a working
system.
If there is a better newsgroup for me to be asking, please let me
know

Nar, csiphs is fine.

Horst Franke nospam@invalid wrote:
In
Plenn typed:
Unfortunately i tried all of the tools in this thread and none
worked. Most wouldn't even let me select the drive for repair, it
simply didn't show up in the select drive lists.

Hi Plenn, what was You looking for?
On a Re-Install there's no need for any other tools.

Not even possible if the drive doesnt appear anymore.

For a repair most of the tools looked useable.
So it looks like You should provide more details on Your specific problem.

He doesnt appear understand the system well enough to be able to do that.

In Rod Speed typed:
Hi Plenn or X,
Drive C: cannot ever be seen as secondary drive when You want to use
it as System partition ie. bootable drive!
Wrong.

Hi Rod, why? An OS needs an "bootable drive"!
Please explain Your objections.

Respectively the "bootable flag" is the triggering event as bootable
device.
Repeat in pure engish.

This is HW matter! Boot-Flag is common knowledge!

And you're just plain wrong there too with modern
bios that can boot secondary drives fine.

No doubt, but only ONE drive can be selected!
What should the Bios select on multiple choices?
Only ONE can be valid! This is a NOGO!

I have also tried using Phoenix FAT & NTFS to repair the partition
table - ran for a few hours but came up with no results
Win XP gives a repair function by "fixmbr" via System recovery
console. But if You ever planned to reinstall XP then there should
be no need for this.
The Reinstall will reestablish the Boot partition and recognize
other partitions.
Wrong again if the reinstall cant see the original install.

Rubbish. A NEW-Install reflects *no previous selections*!

"X" wrote in message
...
hard disk will not even boot up from the Windows XP CD because the
partition table is corrupt. What can i do?
Your HD will NEVER boot from a CD, because this is a BIOS function!
Wrong again, there are in fact a few systems that can do that fine.
NO never. This is only an OS/BIOS function! A HD never decides this!
Only via BIOS You can select the bootable device!

Only Your OS might be able to do this.
Wrong again.
And WHERE is Your opposition/statement?

This is a REPAIR action but has nothing to do with "new"
setup/format.
So if You looked for a XP Reinstall then forget all of these.
Reinstall will set up a new environment.
Not necessarily.
And again! What ist Your opposition/statement?
How should we discuss, if You don't state any personal ideas?

And your bizarre approach to quoting has left an obscene mess too.
This is slang that I don't understand - sorry.
Please repeat in pure English.
Horst

In Rod Speed typed:
Hi Plenn, an A: drive cable has nothing to do with the HD!
A: stands for a Floppy drive/connection!
He appears to be saying that it was indeed the
floppy drive/connection that was behaving like that.

OK Rod, but this has somewhat nothing to do with a HD problem!
Also there is a Bios option to disable a Floppy recognition.
Horst

In Rod Speed typed:
Hi Plenn, what was You looking for?
On a Re-Install there's no need for any other tools.
Not even possible if the drive doesnt appear anymore.

Hi Rod, then the PC is "dead"!
You will never be able to set up a system, when the HD will not
be recognized by the BIOS!

He doesnt appear understand the system well enough to be able
to do that.
Ok, then we will provide him with detailed infos what to do.
Horst

Horst Franke nospam@invalid wrote
Rod Speed wrote

Hi Plenn or X,
Drive C: cannot ever be seen as secondary drive when You want to use it as System
partition ie. bootable drive!

Wrong.

Hi Rod, why?

Because it is. Novel concept for you no doubt.

An OS needs an "bootable drive"!

No it doesnt.

Please explain Your objections.

Plenty of boot managers can boot non bootable drives.

The NT/2K/XP family is quite happy to boot
a logical drive inside an extended partition.

Respectively the "bootable flag" is the triggering event as bootable device.

Repeat in pure engish.

This is HW matter!

Wrong, as always. Its actually a file system detail.

Boot-Flag is common knowledge!

Pity you mangled the story completely. Plenty of boot
managers can boot partitions that dont have a Boot-Flag.

And you're just plain wrong there too with modern
bios that can boot secondary drives fine.

No doubt, but only ONE drive can be selected!

Wrong, as always. Most modern bios allow you to specify a boot
order and the bios will go thru the list until it finds a bootable drive.
You are welcome to have more than one bootable drive in the system
and that happens all the time with a bootable CD in the OPTICAL DRIVE.

What should the Bios select on multiple choices?

What has been specified in the boot order list.

Only ONE can be valid! This is a NOGO!

Wrong, as always.

I have also tried using Phoenix FAT & NTFS to repair the partition
table - ran for a few hours but came up with no results

Win XP gives a repair function by "fixmbr" via System recovery
console. But if You ever planned to reinstall XP then there should
be no need for this.

The Reinstall will reestablish the Boot partition and recognize other partitions.

Wrong again if the reinstall cant see the original install.

Rubbish. A NEW-Install reflects *no previous selections*!

Depends on what you mean by an reinstall. Many use
that term to refer to what MS calls an install in place.

"X" wrote in message
...

hard disk will not even boot up from the Windows XP CD because the partition table
is corrupt. What can i do?

Your HD will NEVER boot from a CD, because this is a BIOS function!

Wrong again, there are in fact a few systems that can do that fine.

NO never.

Fraid so,

This is only an OS/BIOS function! A HD never decides this!

I never said that the HD decides anything!!!

Only via BIOS You can select the bootable device!

Wrong again, a boot manager can allow the user to select what to boot.

There's even one that allows a system to
boot the CD when the bios cant do that.

Only Your OS might be able to do this.

Wrong again.

And WHERE is Your opposition/statement?

See above.

This is a REPAIR action but has nothing to do with "new" setup/format.
So if You looked for a XP Reinstall then forget all of these.
Reinstall will set up a new environment.

Not necessarily.

And again! What ist Your opposition/statement?

Most obviously when the install cant even see the drive anymore.

How should we discuss, if You don't state any personal ideas?

I do that.

And your bizarre approach to quoting has left an obscene mess too.

This is slang that I don't understand - sorry.

There isnt a single bit of slang in that particular sentence.

Please repeat in pure English.

That is pure english.