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Hard Drive Problems/Questions Answered by Expert Ashit Gajwani
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Memory loss after formating external hard drive | 1/1/2011 |
| Q: So, I just switched out the hard drive on my ps3, upgrading from 120gb to 500gb. I went out and ... A: Bill, There's a tiny difference between GBs and Gbs :) Marketers often use the later. In practice ... | |
| External Hard Drives | 4/28/2010 |
| Q: Can I back up My old HP Pavillion on one of these,"External Hard drives"? My HP is almost 10 years ... A: Sure, if you want to go with the external drive option then all you got to do is (1) decide the ... | |
| External Hard Drives | 4/27/2010 |
| Q: Can I back up My old HP Pavillion on one of these,"External Hard drives"? My HP is almost 10 years ... A: Yes you can backup your old computer. There are several ways you can achieve this. You can, as you ... | |
| laptop hard drive | 4/19/2010 |
| Q: ANSWER: Hi Mark, A drive reporting less than actual space can be a minor issue. But the setup ... A: Afraid the error prompt doesn't have any info. All I can suggest is to try using a third party ... | |
| laptop hard drive | 4/18/2010 |
| Q: hello i have a tiny laptop and i am trying to install win xp on it my bios show it has a 20 gb hard ... A: A drive reporting less than actual space can be a minor issue. But the setup reporting something ... | |
| windows XP backup | 4/18/2010 |
| Q: I use windows XP backup to backup my files ad folders, but have the option to backup my entire ... A: A normal floppy disk won't suffice, you'll need several zip disks or a DVD to backup your entire ... | |
| Can't Access Data of My Harddrive. Help! | 4/15/2010 |
| Q: I have a Lenovo N500 Laptop with vista OS. I am having problems with the hard drive. Everytime I ... A: Answering your three questions :) (1) I do not think SMART is absolutely accurate. Before you jump ... | |
| Sony VAIO desktop won't boot | 4/15/2010 |
| Q: My Sony died after downloading a program which purported to delete any unnecessary duplication of ... A: That's straight forward now that we know its hal.dll that's to blame. First, let's understand ... | |
| hard drive 90% full | 4/14/2010 |
| Q: Not too long ago I had rebuilt 80G hard drive installed in PC. I have very few files %26 programs. I ... A: Answering first bit of your question "What's taking all this space?" try the JDisk report utility ... | |
| Sony VAIO desktop won't boot | 4/13/2010 |
| Q: My Sony died after downloading a program which purported to delete any unnecessary duplication of ... A: Okay then, it appears something is wrong with Windows and it fails during boot which means its ... | |
| Sony VAIO desktop won't boot | 4/11/2010 |
| Q: My Sony died after downloading a program which purported to delete any unnecessary duplication of ... A: In order for me to be able to assist you I'll need some more info (1) When your computer freezes, ... | |
| Local Disk D: Folder - Access Denied. | 4/5/2010 |
| Q: I dont know what the heck is up with my computer. Previously, just yesterday in fact, I could access ... A: To be able to circumvent this you'll have to take ownership of your folder. Here's how to do it ... | |
| hard drive external enclosure | 4/2/2010 |
| Q: I took out my Quantum Fireball CX 3.5 series from an old HP, i believe model 4455 desktop, not ... A: First off you don't need to buy an enclosure if you really just want to use it just a few times. To ... | |
| External hard drive | 3/25/2010 |
| Q: I have a 500g Simple tech drive. It didn't come with software just a usb plug and play. My question ... A: You didn't specify what happens 'on other days' when the drive is not to be found under My Computer? ... | |
| external drive | 3/21/2010 |
| Q: i have an external k drive for backup purposes,can i wireless attach three different computers to ... A: Yes you can. Its a bit tricky to do it, but it still is possible. What you need to do is create a ... | |
| Computer restarts on its own | 3/18/2010 |
| Q: My questions is simular to one already posted at: ... A: The ati3duag.dll file is used by graphic intensive games such as SIMS. Clearly it appears ... | |
| Simple Tech Simple Drive 1TB External Problem | 3/18/2010 |
| Q: First off I have uploaded a video on what the drive is doing here ... A: Afraid I've got bad news for you, your hard drive is dead. But let's see what we've learnt here. ... | |
| Defrag confusion | 3/17/2010 |
| Q: I am trying to speed up the Windows server at my workplace. The server has a large HD and two years ... A: Afraid I don't know much about the third party application you've mentioned and have never used it ... | |
| Defrag confusion | 3/17/2010 |
| Q: I am trying to speed up the Windows server at my workplace. The server has a large HD and two years ... A: The answer's obvious, the disk you are trying to defrag is a attached to a server. Windows defrag or ... | |
| external hard drive | 3/17/2010 |
| Q: my laptop, inspiron 1525, had some shutting down problems recently which were repaire (CPU fan, ... A: Let me first assure you this problem is very very common in Windows and that there's a way around ... | |
| Western Digital External Hard drive | 3/15/2010 |
| Q: I have 1tb external and am trying to make sure that it is backing up my home movies. It plays them ... A: The drive has got nothing to do with the audio/video files to encode sound. More often than not its ... | |
| format problem | 3/5/2010 |
| Q: ..i have a Sony Vaio with windows 7 and i want to put windows xp i try to format it but when i press ... A: You will not be able to format the partition Windows 7 is installed as long as your are booted into ... | |
| Upgrading Hard Drive for Laptop | 3/4/2010 |
| Q: I am considering upgrading the internal hard drive for my laptop, which is a Compaq Presario v5000 ... A: Firstly, the laptop model that you've pointed out is compatible with SATA drives, which means your ... | |
| Data transfer | 3/4/2010 |
| Q: My laptop's motherboard is fried, which has left my computer unable to boot up.I want to retain the ... A: It is easy to transfer data from a 2.5" drive. First off you'll need to unscrew your laptop so you ... | |
| Possible hd problem | 2/18/2010 |
| Q: Am not sure if this is a hard drive problem but if i describe the problem perhaps you couldd point ... A: The screenshot helps clarify the issue a bit. It appears the boot record of your drive is either ... | |
| Possible hd problem | 2/14/2010 |
| Q: Am not sure if this is a hard drive problem but if i describe the problem perhaps you couldd point ... A: Can you clarify a few things: (1) How did you verify the cable is securely in place and the drive ... | |
| Western Digital External HD Problem | 2/12/2010 |
| Q: I am running XP SP3. I have an external WD 160GB HD. About 2 wks ago i had to kill power to my ... A: The drive it appears is damaged beyond repair (perhaps permanent damage). Data may still be ... | |
| Western Digital External HD Problem | 2/11/2010 |
| Q: I am running XP SP3. I have an external WD 160GB HD. About 2 wks ago i had to kill power to my ... A: Recovery from here will depend on the kind of damage that was inflicted when the disk was switched ... | |
| Computer restarts on its own (CONT'D) | 2/11/2010 |
| Q: I've managed to keep the computer running without anymore shut-downs for nearly a week. I removed ... A: I am glad you've managed to keep your computer up and running. I am sorry to hear you burnt ... | |
| laptop keeps trying to shut off | 2/9/2010 |
| Q: I don't know what category this question should be in but hopefully you can help. I have a Dell ... A: This is indeed very strange. Are you able to send a screenshot of the restart prompt / dialogue box? ... | |
| Laptop parts | 2/8/2010 |
| Q: My laptop broke. Well some wire got cut and made it smoke. I want to sell some parts. If I wanted to ... A: Running a magnet over a hard drive will indeed delete any data but will cause unrepairable damage to ... | |
| computer restarts | 2/8/2010 |
| Q: this was my original note: Hello! The expert can't answer your question. Your Question was: screen ... A: Still not sure what could be causing the problem (could you please answer the four questions above). ... | |
| Computer restarts on its own | 2/5/2010 |
| Q: I'm not especially computer savvy or informed. Several months ago, my computer would shut off and ... A: It is normal for the CPU itself (but not the fan) to reach 55-60 degree celsius under extreme use. ... | |
| Computer restarts on its own | 2/5/2010 |
| Q: I'm not especially computer savvy or informed. Several months ago, my computer would shut off and ... A: If the computer is indeed overheating then the next step is to isolate the faulting part. Now the ... | |
| Computer restarts on its own | 2/5/2010 |
| Q: I'm not especially computer savvy or informed. Several months ago, my computer would shut off and ... A: You can try the new copy of Office but it most certainly seems like a hardware fault. In my ... | |
| Computer restarts on its own | 2/4/2010 |
| Q: I'm not especially computer savvy or informed. Several months ago, my computer would shut off and ... A: A PC will restart in a number of different situations to protect itself from damage. To be able to ... | |
| Files Lost | 1/26/2010 |
| Q: I burned a DVD back up of my files prior to re-formating and re-installing Windows XP in my laptop ... A: It is indeed very hard to recover files that have been over written. I don't know which recovery ... | |
| Refuses to restart | 1/23/2010 |
| Q: My computer refuses to restart immediately if a restart button is pressed. Booting take place and ... A: The reason why the computer boots up intermittently will probably explain a loose connection with ... | |
| Refuses to restart | 1/23/2010 |
| Q: My computer refuses to restart immediately if a restart button is pressed. Booting take place and ... A: The problem apparently is in the configuration of your video setup. Either your drivers are ... | |
| Hard Drive Failure | 1/22/2010 |
| Q: I recently unplugged an IDE internal hard drive with the pc still running. Now XP doesn't detect ... A: That's okay, the drive should appear if you Right click My Computer > Manage > Disk Management ... | |
| Hard Drive Failur | 1/22/2010 |
| Q: I recently unplugged an IDE internal hard drive with the pc still running. Now XP doesn't detect ... A: A quick format should do the trick: c:\format {drive letter} /q Let me know if you're still unable ... | |
| Hard Drive Installation | 1/21/2010 |
| Q: I have a Toshiba Satellite L305D i bought and installed a new hard drive but it says "Windows Error ... A: Can you clarify a few things before I answer your question? (1) When you say you installed a new ... | |
| my ext HD was disabled after reformatting c: | 1/20/2010 |
| Q: How can I re=enable my ext HD after it was disabled from plugging it into the E: or F: USB PORTS ... A: You need to change the driver letter of your USB drive, here's how to do it: 1. Log on as ... | |
| Harddrive consistency problem | 1/18/2010 |
| Q: I run an old system - Satellite Pro A10 circa 2003, Win XP Pro, 2.2ghz, 256mb ram, 30gb harddrive. ... A: Windows has an inbuilt protection feature that makes it want to reboot itself when an error occurs. ... | |
| Computer shutdown | 1/17/2010 |
| Q: My computer suddenly cut off - at first I thought power failure - but electric is on and computer - ... A: Disconnect the main power cable first. Then press the power button on your chassis. This should use ... | |
| How can I reformat my hard drive? | 1/12/2010 |
| Q: I have really made a mess out of my computer. It is one I put together from a kit that I bought from ... A: I am glad you were able to install XP Pro. Further, if I understand correct you have a version of ... | |
| permenanetley deleted files | 1/12/2010 |
| Q: A couple of days ago my computer was flashing a message that windows had detected an error and had ... A: First, its not the recovery disk itself, it what you do with the recovery disk that may cause data ... | |
| Blue Screen | 1/11/2010 |
| Q: I have a Dell computer desktop with Windows XP. I have the following error on my computer when i ... A: The link I sent across does indeed have recovery steps under Advanced Troubleshooting. But let's try ... | |
| Virus induced HDD failure | 1/11/2010 |
| Q: My seagate SATA HDD is complete dead now. My computer is not even recognizing it in hardware ... A: Recommended options are (1) Use Partition Logic to create a bootable CD and diagnose what the ... | |
| 2nd hard drive | 1/9/2010 |
| Q: I just started my computer...it wouldn't load xp. I reinstalled xp over top of the existing. Got ... A: Its very common for Windows to have missed a drive/partition during reinstall. I have seen this ... | |
| How can I reformat my hard drive? | 1/8/2010 |
| Q: I have really made a mess out of my computer. It is one I put together from a kit that I bought from ... A: As I understand the data on your hard disk is not important and that you're wanting to wipe the disk ... | |
| I messed around with the connector that goes in the USB port. I plugged it in to a computer, opened a file in the computer window, and found a shortcut to my USB. When I clicked on it, it had an error window saying that the shortcut was not available. How | 1/7/2010 |
| Q: "Hello, My USB is not being recognized on any computers. (I've tried 6) I'm guessing it was because ... A: Fixing a USB is best left to the professionals. Just to give a general idea, you'll have to buy a ... | |
| CAn i use a RJ45 to USB adapter to access external HDD | 12/31/2009 |
| Q: WinXP laptop SP3 1 USB port already used but have Ethernet port and the mentioned adapter; RJ45 male ... A: I always thought the Lan to USB connector was for machines that did not have a lan port but wanted ... | |
| WD Caviar 21200 HD access via USB cablesToGo | 12/29/2009 |
| Q: I have a very old Western Digital HDD Caviar 21200 from a desktop running MS Win 95 the HDD work ... A: Apologies for the delay in reply, was on vacation. You say you had Win95 on the desktop machine, so ... | |
| monitor - set up | 12/27/2009 |
| Q: I am trying to set up my daughter's computer, (Gateway PC) but her monitor will not work properly. ... A: Its very hard for me to help without actually seeing what your ports are like. Maybe you can help me ... | |
| monitor - set up | 12/26/2009 |
| Q: I am trying to set up my daughter's computer, (Gateway PC) but her monitor will not work properly. ... A: First, you've posted the question in the wrong category, this one's for Hard Drive problems. But ... | |
| hard drive / drivers | 12/23/2009 |
| Q: I am slowly going mad and hope you can help me please. I had to have a new hard drive installed due ... A: I need some more info here. So after the install new hardware wizard vanishes are you then able to ... | |
| Copying files from old HDD | 12/22/2009 |
| Q: I have a laptop (Dell 9300/WinXP/60GB) that I'm giving to my brother, so I want to start with a ... A: You mention you want to "start with a clean slate and reinstall Windows" and that you would like to ... | |
| hard drive help | 8/22/2008 |
| Q: i want to reinstall my computer. it has windows xp. the problem is i lost my operating system cd. ... A: There is absolutely no way you can install an operating system without a copy of its setup. You must ... | |
| Hard drive | 8/21/2008 |
| Q: I have a 2650 inspiron dell laptop, it wasworking fine and all of the suden, I turn it on and the ... A: As a preliminary check can you make sure all connections to your disk are firmly secured. I mean ... | |
| Upgrading | 8/18/2008 |
| Q: I have a Dell Deminsion desktop with XP Pro that is about 4 years old. It still runs great. But, ... A: You haven't mentioned your current configuration. I suggest upgrading your RAM. Upgrade your RAM to ... | |
| Drive capacity issue | 8/14/2008 |
| Q: C drive of my pc having 20 gb capacity. Now it gives an error of low disk space.I checked my all ... A: In addition to DISK CLEANUP, CHECK DISK and DISK DEFRAGMENT, I suggest JDiskReport available from ... | |
| Hard Drive Configuration for a Web Server | 8/12/2008 |
| Q: I know your expertise is more in the area of data recovery. I am hoping you can give me some advice ... A: I'll be answering your question in two parts. (1) Am I better off buying two drives and mirroring ... | |
| Disk Boot Failure | 8/8/2008 |
| Q: Howdie, I recently replaced the HDD in my desktop. The one I had before has been giving me trouble ... A: Any new hard drive must be checked for formatting and file system integrity before being put to use. ... | |
| maxtor external hard drive | 8/3/2008 |
| Q: I bought the above today but when I installed it on my imac G5 desktop it said it would have to be ... A: When you XSAN file system is corrupted cvfsck will give you an alert which is something like "... ... | |
| External HDD Failure | 7/27/2008 |
| Q: I recently bought a 2 1/2 inch 250 MB external hdd that worked fine until this morning.When i plug ... A: Yes, Windows does recognise your device but just as an external USB device, one without any storage ... | |
| External HDD Failure | 7/26/2008 |
| Q: I recently bought a 2 1/2 inch 250 MB external hdd that worked fine until this morning.When i plug ... A: Smith, I would need some more information before I can suggest a solution. Have you tried (1) ... | |
| Hard Disk Drive | 7/16/2008 |
| Q: When starting my home system an error message shows that the Hard Drive is not correctly configured, ... A: Need a bit more information from you. Do you get that "..not correctly configured..." screen before ... | |
| windows was unable to complete the format | 7/4/2008 |
| Q: Sir, I have a problum about seget harddisk the problum is when i put new winxp cd in cd-rom and ... A: Obviously the setup detects errors on your disk which need to be addressed before a clean install ... | |
| TOSHIBA SATELLITE 300CDS | 3/27/2008 |
| Q: last night we shut the computer down as normal and then i unplugged it from the mains. later on we ... A: Yes, its usual for notebooks with low battery to die down after a couple of seconds. However so long ... | |
| mouse problem | 3/26/2008 |
| Q: a couple months ago i moved and i tried to get my computer hooked up and everything, and i was able ... A: Before I can fully answer your question can you do this for me: Right Click MY COMPUTER Click on ... | |
| External drive Issues | 3/25/2008 |
| Q: I have an external drive 235Gb or something close, which i use for my back - up . I work on a Mac ... A: Accessing an external drive from both a MAC and a PC is not a good idea. Should you need to copy ... | |
| Can't read files in external HD | 3/14/2008 |
| Q: Good day. I would like to ask how will I recover my files on my external HD. Accidentally, I plugged ... A: Could you tell me what error messages do you get when you plug your external disk to your notebook. ... | |
| External HDD suddenly not being detected. | 3/8/2008 |
| Q: i have had my samsung 100gb external HDD for about 8 months now. It has been working fine apart from ... A: Here's a step by step recovery plan for you: (1) Take a deep breath and don't panic :) (2) The disk ... | |
| Harddrive | 3/7/2008 |
| Q: I have a Maxtor external harddrive that I cannot access. It sounds and feels like it is spinning, ... A: If you don't mind experimenting, Directory Snoop 5.0 is worth a try. I haven't used it but I've ... | |
| Old XP HD in New Vista PC - Can't Access Files | 3/5/2008 |
| Q: I have a lot of files on an HD that I took out of my dead XP PC. I put the HD into my new computer ... A: Vista as a security measure requires you to authenticate access to certain resources. I can think of ... | |
| hdd image into dvd | 3/4/2008 |
| Q: sir, sony visio provided two cds as disaster recovery, when ever laptop is not working or bad, with ... A: Yes, restoring a PC's configuration to factory defaults is possible. Manufacturers usually provide ... | |
| Hard drive installation problem | 12/25/2007 |
| Q: "Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer." "Make sure any hard disk ... A: To check if the disk is connected correct, have a look into the BIOS page for installed disks. If ... | |
| Boot Sector | 12/23/2007 |
| Q: I have a 45 gb western digital hard drive that I once used as a drive C for win2000. I left about 10 ... A: Its a very common issue on dual boot systems with Linux as one of the operating systems. A very ... | |
| raw partition | 12/19/2007 |
| Q: , i have a problem with my harddisk(wd400eb-11cpfo). my wd has 3 partition. when i want to reinstall ... A: Every time you change partitions on your disk, you must format each partition separately. So if you ... | |
| Problem recording CDs or DVDs | 12/16/2007 |
| Q: As I read your profile, I am not sure you are the expert person whose help I need, but your field of ... A: The TRF issue you've mentioned in your question is a 'reported issue' with Nero version 6.6.1.4. The ... | |
| hard drive not recognized | 12/11/2007 |
| Q: Can you help me please as i've messed up my PC a bit! Basically...I turned my PC off when it was ... A: Turning off your computer whilst magnetic storage is being accessed is something which is best ... | |
| unable to access hdd | 11/29/2007 |
| Q: I have 2 hdd (C: 80gb master & D: 20gb slave). C: - has the OS and most of the files in it D: - ... A: Recovering data from your 80Gig drive should be easy so long as you haven't changed its file ... | |
| hard disk problem | 11/18/2007 |
| Q: i have samsung sv2042H hard disk.when i start pc after 5-7minutes it find pri.master from ide ... A: It seems that either your connections to the disks are loose (power or data). It could also be a ... | |
| long hang time | 11/15/2007 |
| Q: when i turn it on it goes to the dell logo where it stays for hours then i get a message... a ... A: There isn't enough information in your question for me to suggest a solution, but I can tell you two ... | |
| advice sought | 11/6/2007 |
| Q: I have been using 80GB removable hard disk [Enter] which had three partitions named Pocket1, Pocket2 ... A: I would recommend the use of eData Unerase Personal 3 to recover the data first and then attempt to ... | |
| hard drive | 11/5/2007 |
| Q: internal or external hard drive?? i have a 60 GB hard drive and i wanna make my computer faster.. A: As a rule, internal hard drives deliver better performance than external ones. And external hard ... | |
| Bad HD in Gateway laptop (80 GB) | 10/28/2007 |
| Q: "I have two nearly identical laptops. both gateways, One works fine; but the other had a HD ... A: I would strongly recommend you to leave the "good laptop" as it is. As they say, don't fix it until ... | |
| Hard Drive Backup | 10/27/2007 |
| Q: Ashit, I am wanting to backup my entire hard drive onto an external hard drive in case my old drive ... A: All you need is DriveImage XML available free from (http://www.runtime.org/dixml.htm) The utility ... | |
| hard drive problem(fat32, Ntfs)? | 8/11/2007 |
| Q: I hope that you can help me, I bought a 80gig harddrive and tranfered all my information from the 20 ... A: Hey Marcia, Your description has led me to believe that the new drive was unformatted and when you ... | |
| hard drive size smaller than 320gb | 8/1/2007 |
| Q: ive just got a new hard drive for a old, pentium 4 2.8 computer, has a gig of ram in there, and a ... A: The total space available on a hard drive is stored in a file called the FILE ALLOCATION TABLE, ... | |
| External Harddrive not working | 7/30/2007 |
| Q: I recently purchased a Cavalry per-formatted external hard drive. But as of tonight it has stopped ... A: Hey Chris, As I understand, you would like to recover files from the drive. Well, there're a lot of ... | |
| Quick Question | 7/28/2007 |
| Q: I have a computer that has a "Vista" op sys. I would like to remove this hard drive, what I believe ... A: Hey Skyler, Most motherboards are reverse compatible with disk technologies, meaning thereby they ... | |
| Swapping HDD | 7/27/2007 |
| Q: I recently just purchased a Dell E1405 w/T2400 Processor and 60GB 5400RPM HDD. My question is that ... A: Hey Wind, Yes, most hard disks are perfectly swappable. However you must understand that you have a ... | |
| child emptied drive out | 7/20/2007 |
| Q: On a Dell laptop that gets used primarily for work, a small child got his hands on the keypad while ... A: The data can still be recovered as long as its not overwritten yet. I suggest you go ahead and ... | |
| Maxtor on iMac | 7/19/2007 |
| Q: I have bought a Maxtor Basics Personal Storage 3200, I plugged it in and it appeared on my desktop ... A: Hey Angela, You'll find the Apple disk utility here: 1. Insert your Mac OS X Install CD into your ... | |
| Maxtor External Hard Drive | 7/18/2007 |
| Q: I have an external HD attached to my PC. One day my PC doesn't recognize the HD. When I power on the ... A: The fact that you heard noise coming out from the HDD means that there was something physically ... | |
| LOST DATA | 7/17/2007 |
| Q: Please help! I purchased a WD 500Gb external hard drive to store music and photos. The device self ... A: From your description I am not entirely sure of the cause of the problem, however I am going to go ... | |
| Computer Not Booting Up | 7/16/2007 |
| Q: I am trying to install a second HD into my pc. Both HD had windows installed on them due to buying ... A: Hey Stacey, When installing a preowned hard drive its always a good idea to perform a full wipe to ... | |
| Hard drive not found by computer and makes strange beeping noises upon startup | 7/15/2007 |
| Q: When i turn on my computer it first makes a beeping sound that it didnt used to, and then comes up ... A: The revert "disk boot failure, insert system disk..." would mean the computer does not recognise the ... | |
| external hard disk not working | 7/11/2007 |
| Q: I couldnt see the drive.I went to the device manager and it showed the disk but after a minute or ... A: Before attempting to repair the disk let's first find out if its broken at all. What I want you to ... | |
| Maxtor external hard disk is burnt because of higer voltage | 6/25/2007 |
| Q: Because of higher voltage(16V) instead of 12V my external hard disk(Maxtor) got burnt releasing some ... A: It would all depend on how bad it all is. A physical examination of the drive is required to ... | |
| Maxtor One Touch External Drive | 6/23/2007 |
| Q: I went to plug in my external hard drive and it didn't come on so I went to unplug it from behind ... A: A hard disk essentially consist of three parts, the magnetic storage, the mechanical access arms and ... | |
| Laptop HDD | 6/22/2007 |
| Q: I have recently purchased a used laptop with no hard drive. The hard drive from another laptop fits ... A: The fact that you've purchased a used laptop makes me doubt if your notebook's motherboard supports ... | |
| External Hard Drive Problem | 6/20/2007 |
| Q: Am having problems with my 250 GB external hard drive. I cant access one of the folders on it ... A: The fact that you dropped your hard disk might lead me to believe that you might have a bad sector ... | |
| transfering files to new pc | 6/19/2007 |
| Q: I have recently bought a new pc (intel pentium 4) and would like to transfer some old files (mainly ... A: You've got three options here. (1) Upload your files to a free file server from your old computer ... | |
| Hard Drive Displays Less memory | 6/18/2007 |
| Q: I recently reformatted my hard drive, i deleted the partition and created a new one my hard drive ... A: What's happened here is that you had a partition table, you deleted a partition and created a new ... | |
| hard disk or power supply problem | 5/22/2007 |
| Q: until yesterday everything was fine with my pc (very stable). today pc won`t start. the problem: the ... A: James, Try removing all jumpers and then booting your computer. You could try running your hard ... | |
| External Hard Drive - Fan Not Spinning | 5/21/2007 |
| Q: I have a Samsung 80GB MP0804H external hard drive (USB 2.0) which a friend bought for me in February ... A: Its too early to declare the drive dead. I recommend you download and install Esma Disk Check ... | |
| on and off | 5/20/2007 |
| Q: I've recently been experiencing problems with my computer not booting up correctly. it often says ... A: From your description it seems like a Windows XP issues. Here's something that you can try: (1) ... | |
| Hard Drive Backup | 5/19/2007 |
| Q: Ashit, I am not a computer expert by any means, but I know a little bit (which is a lot more than my ... A: Chris, Considering your situation and the expertise of final users, I don't think RAID is a good ... | |
| recovery system | 5/18/2007 |
| Q: last night i performed a recovery system on my computer(compaq 7500 windows xp) and it performed the ... A: Landa, Don't worry, all your files and music are safe at the moment. A corrupt operating system ... | |
| Invisible Drive Followup | 5/3/2007 |
| Q: Just a follow up to let you know what happened.. DBAN was the program I used in the first place to ... A: Given that your drive can be accessed via a USB case and that seems to work just fine, I am ... | |
| problem with pc | 5/2/2007 |
| Q: after downloading a tv series off isohunt my computer turns its self off every 20 mins or so ... A: Content that you download via torrents is never guaranteed to be virus free. Its a good idea to scan ... | |
| external usb drive disappears then reappears | 5/1/2007 |
| Q: I have fitted a Western Digital gigabyte usb drive to my computer. The drive randomly disappears ... A: It doesn't seem to be a device conflict however, just to be sure, when in DEVICE MANAGER delete ... | |
| Invisible Drive | 4/29/2007 |
| Q: I upgraded my laptop drive and then was preparing the old one to sell. I used a program to wipe it ... A: Sorry for the delayed response, I am undergoing assessments at the university. We need to wipe your ... | |
| Hard disk missing | 4/28/2007 |
| Q: I disconnected my obsolete zip drive and connected a small HD in its place for storage and it worked ... A: I can't say much without actually testing the drive, but you could try running the drive on ... | |
| salvaging an external drive | 4/26/2007 |
| Q: I have an external iogear triselect hard drive which I use to store pics and music. Something has ... A: The best way around jumpers is to get rid of them all. You haven't mentioned if your iogear ... | |
| Hard Disc Problem | 4/22/2007 |
| Q: Till the previous day the hard disc was functional.But today it started giving error.What I found on ... A: There aren't enough details for me to suggest something to you, however, why don't you boot your ... | |
| portable | 4/21/2007 |
| Q: I have a simpletech, external USB2 ( flash memory) harddrive that I use to store personal data. I ... A: I am afraid there's not much you can do about a flash drive. Its not actually a spindle of disks, ... | |
| HDD problem | 4/19/2007 |
| Q: My WD 250GB Hdd has crashed and is making a weird noise inside, i took it to a repair shop and they ... A: The fact that something's wrong with your disk's head controller nulls "your" chances of recovering ... | |
| External hard drive not working | 4/17/2007 |
| Q: I bought an Internal Hard Drive about a year back. It was a Seagate 400 GB hard drive. I wanted to ... A: The fact that your hard drive switches itself off, for no reason at all, makes me believe that there ... | |
| Power Problem or Dead Hard Drive? | 4/16/2007 |
| Q: Three years ago I built my own PC. No problems for 3 years. MB: Asus A7N8X-E, AMD Athlon 2600+ ... A: I am guessing the disk might have developed an internal short which prevents it and the system its ... | |
Hard Drive Problems
Answers by Expert:
Ashit Gajwani
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I will try my best to answer questions on installation, maintenance, debugging and salvaging of internal/external hard drives. I've had experience recovering data from damaged disks and recovering disks after being diagnosed as corrupt/damaged. Just drop me a line and chances are I'll be able to help you or direct you to some one who can.
Experience
Worked for a world top 20 University
Education/Credentials
MSc IT, University of York
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